David Lee Ohsiek

David Lee Ohsiek was born in St. Louis, Missouri on May 7, 1934 to Leroy Edward Ohsiek and Della Faye (Dain) Ohsiek. As a youth, David was active in the Boy Scouts and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. After high school graduation, he attended one year at the University of Missouri before transferring to Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

Between his junior and senior year of college David visited his father for four months in Honolulu, Hawaii. While there he purchased a ukulele and learned to play a few of the popular island songs of the 1950’s. That summer’s experience left a lasting impression on David. He often reminisced about the time he spent there and how much he enjoyed the Hawaiian culture, climate, tropical plants and fruit.

In 1956 David met Toshiko Ikeda on the campus of Brigham Young University. Having recently returned from his summer in Hawaii, Toshiko caught his eye and he asked her if she was from Hawaii. Toshiko was from Japan but that didn’t stop David from asking her to go to the Homecoming dance. They dated throughout the rest of the school year and married in the Los Angeles temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Santa Monica, CA on August 10, 1957. One week later, they both graduated from BYU; David with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering and Toshiko with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history.

While at BYU, David was in enrolled in the Air Force ROTC and received his commission as a 2^nd Lieutenant. After graduation David and Toshiko moved to St. Louis. In January 1958 he was called into active duty in the Air Force. They moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming for training. After 3 months in Wyoming he received an assignment to go to Korea but since he was married and his wife was expecting a baby, he was reprieved from duty in Korea and assigned to Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma. Their first child, Jennifer, was born in Altus. After two years of active duty, David entered the Air Force Reserve. He separated from the Reserve as a Captain.

After a year in Oklahoma, David and Toshiko moved to Sacramento, California when David was hired as an engineer with the State of California in the Department of Water Resources. He helped design Oroville Dam in Northern California. They lived in Sacramento for the next eight years, purchased their first home, and welcomed three more children, Kimball, Sonja and David, into their family.

In 1968, David went to work for an engineering consulting company on a hydroelectric dam project in northern Pakistan. This overseas experience allowed the young family to visit Toshiko’s relatives in Japan on their way to the far east. In Pakistan, they lived in a colony built for families of the expatriate employees. David and Toshiko were quite adventurous and took advantage of the opportunity to travel, explore surrounding cities, learn about other cultures, and visit neighboring countries. Their 5^th child, Chris, was born in Pakistan.

Returning to the US in 1971, David again worked for the State of California in Sacramento. They purchased a home in Elk Grove, a small town surrounded by farmland. Their 6^th child Maria was born in Elk Grove. In 1976 David took advantage of another job opportunity, this time with the US Army Corps of Engineers in the Middle East. He spent a year there before the rest of the family moved to join him. They lived and worked for eight years in the desert kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They made yearly visits back to the United States and multiple trips throughout Europe and Asia. David finished his engineering career with the Corps of Engineers at Fort Riley, Kansas and later in Kansas City, Missouri.  

After retirement, David and Toshiko moved to Kaysville, Utah to be closer to their grown children, most of whom lived in the western states. They planted trees in their new yard and enjoyed the view of the mountains from their home. Their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were frequent visitors.

David was an avid collector of model trains, having grown up with his grandfather who had been a yard master for the railroads in St. Louis, and a great-grandfather who had been a train engineer. He loved to take pictures of the real thing, and on road trips always stopped the car to take pictures of the locomotives as they roared past.

David enjoyed music. Although the ukulele was the only instrument he ever learned to play, he loved to listen to vinyl records and reel to reel tape recordings of classical and popular music.

In his early 40’s, David was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He complained very little about his progressive physical limitations, instead always looking forward to the next project that he envisioned for himself, which usually involved designing a train layout and completing a model train collection. He always took time to make sure his hair was combed, his face was clean-shaven, and his clothes were neat and appropriate for the occasion. He was always very appreciative when others would take time to visit him.

In the last few years of his life, when he and Toshiko were no longer able to live independently, he never lost the desire to move back into his home. He and Toshiko had been married for 66 years. Her death was a terrible loss for the family and especially for David. His passing one month to the day after hers was unexpected but not surprising, given their long life together. After her funeral, David bore his testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to his grandchildren and admonished them “Keep your testimony; it is the most precious thing.”

Funeral services will be held Wednesday December 6, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. at the Angel Park Ward, 205 S. Angel Street, Kaysville, Utah. 

Interment, Kaysville City Cemetery.

Services will be live-streamed and may be viewed by scrolling to the bottom of David’s obituary page at www.lindquistmortuary.com.

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