David J. Fuerstenberg

David Joseph Fuerstenberg 93 years of a life well lived David Joseph Fuerstenberg was born to Alfred and Helen (Felix) Fuerstenberg at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Los Angeles on July 20, 1931. His sister Francis was born in 1935. Dave’s Father was in the Army Corps of Engineers and his Mother was a home maker. David received his First Communion in 1938 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church. He attended Holy Spirit and St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Elementary Schools and served as an Alter Boy. He graduated from Bellarmine Jefferson High School in 1949 where he played football for the Guards. The Fuerstenberg family lived in and around the Los Angeles area its beach communities as Alfred’s work took them from project to project until settling in North Hollywood. Dave and his sister Francis were very close. He was a good big brother to his sister Fran. He gave her rides on his bike and saved his paper route money to buy her a baby doll – one that she kept through the years and passed on to her niece, Holly. Family, community and church activities were the center of their social lives, with many weekend family gatherings at his grandparent’s home. When he was growing up, Dave’s parents had a cabin in Agoura Hills where they would spend the summer and he could shoot his red rider bee-bee gun to his hearts content. In his teens he spent his summers in Minnesota visiting his Uncle Frank and the Fuerstenberg cousins making the trip from Los Angeles to St. Joseph Minnesota on the greyhound bus by himself. He learned to drive a tractor and enjoyed fishing for their dinner. Dave always had a job – in fact he worked from the time he was a boy until he was 92 years old. His first job was a paperboy to the stars – Bob Hope, Don Amici to name a couple. In High School he worked for a drug store making deliveries. This also gave him access to a truck after work to run around LA and get to the Fosters Freeze (so he always had access to ice cream). In college worked for PSA Airlines in Burbank. In 1948 David joined the California Army National Guard (CANG) as a Private with the 162nd Aircraft Control & Warning Group based in Van Nuys as a reservist. It was then that everyone started calling him Dave. In 1951 his Unit was called to Active Duty and ordered to report to 349th Troop Carrier Wing, Air Force Combat Training Center at Hamilton Air Force Base in Novato. He remained on active duty until 1953 when he was honorably discharged, and then re-enlisted in the Air Force Reserve. He earned the rank of Chief Master Sergeant before leaving the service in 1961. While stationed at Hamilton Air Force Base Dave met Maryann Warren at a Catholic Youth Organization event at St. Vincent’s in Vallejo. They were married on October 10, 1954, and celebrated 63 years of marriage before her death in 2017. In 1965 they adopted a baby girl whom Dave named Holly because Christmas came early that year. Dave was a college student at Loyola University in Los Angeles when his CNAG Unit was activated due to the Korean War. He later went back to school, taking courses at night and graduated from Golden Gate University in San Francisco with a Bachelor of Business Administration in December of 1961 ranked in the top 25% of his class. With his degree in hand, Dave joined the US Department of Treasury as a Revenue Agent for the Internal Revenue Service and spent much of his career detailed to the Special Enforcement Program until his retirement in 1986. He earned a Teaching Credential in 1970 and became an adjunct professor at Solano Community College where he taught Accounting, Business & Industrial Management, and Real Estate for 20 years. After retiring from the IRS, Dave started a second career as Vista Investments and Fuerstenberg Tax Services. Dave used to say that he never went to work – he just enjoyed meeting people and helping them. After tax season each year, my parents paid their taxes (April 15) and left for vacation. Dad wouldn’t venture from North America until he had visited all 50 states. He found tremendous beauty across our county and visited every state but Connecticut. We also went to Southern California at least twice a year to visit his Aunts, Uncles and cousins. My Dad was a Hamm Radio operator, a pilot (Piper Cubs), he learned to sail, he became a golfer with two holes in one (the Links at Bodega Harbour and Blue Rock Springs), he always had a car made by General Motors in the garage – typically a Cadillac and he loved his Cameros. He served his community through the Knights of Columbus and was awarded the Life Member Award. He was a member for 68 years (1956-2024). My Dad had a love of real estate and a vision for making homes. He liked to create – he designed both homes in Vallejo and oversaw the construction. We always had a second home or somewhere to go on the weekend, usually a place that had potential. After work on Friday nights, everyone would jump in the car and eat dinner on the way to wherever we were headed – back home on Sunday. When my parents first married, they bought a lot at King’s Beach in Tahoe and eventually built an A-frame cabin. After selling the Tahoe home, they bought a house on Clubhouse Drive in Aptos California which they converted into two apartments and rented out the front half. Next was Hidden Valley Lake in Lake County, where they built a small house on the Lake near the Marina, it was close to Cobb Mountain where my mom’s cousins would vacation. In the ‘80’s Dad got interested in boating and traded in Lake County for a Power Boat followed by a Sailboat and joined the Vallejo Yacht Club where he served on the Board and led the Junior Sailing Program. During this timeframe they also had a condo in Tahoe and time shares in San Francisco and Palm Springs. After my Parents retired, they looked for a second home again and found Bodega Harbour in Bodega Bay where they spent many happy years together. In 1994 Holly and Eric Osen were married. They have two children: Caroline, who was born in 2000 (24) and David in 2002 (22). Dave was a devoted grandparent. My Dad was there for his Grandchildren like he was for me. He dropped off and picked up from school or day care Monday through Thursday. My parents could always be found in the bleachers for volleyball and basketball games, cross-country meets and cheerleading events. Dave took his grandson, and namesake, to Karate, golf and Boy Scout meetings. He would take his granddaughter to dance classes. My Dad had a strong sense of community and volunteered his time serving on school boards, fundraisers, and governing boards of most organizations he belonged to. After Maryann passed away, he found comfort and purpose volunteering at the Senior Center in Vallejo working in the kitchen to provide Meals on Wheels and doing taxes through AARP – 2022 was his last tax season. A few more thoughts – one year for his birthday a man landed on the moon. When asked the secret to his success, he would always say his wife. My Dad’s favorite holiday was Thanksgiving. He had 93 years of a very good life. I am so thankful that you were my Dad, I’ll always love you. Holly Funeral services along with the United States Air force and the Knights of Columbus will present Honors and will be held on Friday, December 6 at 10 AM at St. Basil The Great Catholic Church, 1200 Tuloumne St., Vallejo. Burial will follow at 2:30 PM at All Souls Cemetery, 550 Glen Cove Road, Vallejo. Arrangements entrusted to the direction and care of Twin Chapels Mortuary, Vallejo (707) 552-6696. www.TwinChapelsMortuary.com

David J. Fuerstenberg

July 20, 1931 - October 22, 2024