David Allan Grothen was born on May 25, 1954 in Hastings, Nebraska to Paul and Jeannette (Brown) Grothen. He was baptized, attended Sunday school, was confirmed, and participated in the youth ministry at First Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church.
David was raised on the family farm, and along with his siblings (Karen, Donald, and Dale), worked in the fields with his father, uncle, and grandfather. He attended country school from kindergarten through eighth grade, then went on to graduate from Adams Central High School in 1972. He excelled at academics, football, and the arts through musicals, vocal, and instrumental music.
He attended college at UNL and graduated in August 1977 with a teaching degree. He then completed a Masters Degree in Education. He was active throughout his college years at the Lutheran Student Center, where he met Wanda Gobber. They married on June 3, 1978. This year they celebrated 42 years of marriage together.
David and Wanda had two children: Kara, born in 1981, and Tracey, born in 1984. David spent lots of time with his young girls while Wanda worked as a nurse, and he was always an attentive father.
In 1986, he was selected for a 3-year fellowship in the Nebraska Math Scholars pro- gram, which included graduate-level education courses during the Summers and inser- vice responsibilities.
David had a passion for education. His first teaching job was in Table Rock, where he taught math and science, and coached volleyball. He next worked at Wilber-Clatonia, where he taught math and was the assistant girl’s basketball coach. In 1983, the team won the the state championship. The following year when David was head coach, the team went to state again. During the summers when the girls were young, he enjoyed side jobs with fellow teachers including house painting and a firecracker stand.
The family moved to Lincoln in 1990. David was a teacher at Everett/Park Middle School and then Northeast High School. He taught math and was the head computer liaison at Northeast. He was involved in the teacher salary negotiations team at LPS and Wilber. He was also an adjunct professor at Doane College for 27 years.
In a teaching career that spanned more than 40 years, David taught hundreds of stu- dents, young and old, and received numerous awards for excellence in teaching. He had a passion for actively connecting with students, mentoring student teachers, net- working with fellow educators, and tutoring anyone who needed help with math.
In 2018, he retired from high school classroom instruction, and took a position at the district office helping to develop and implement new mathematics curriculum.
David was a devoted Lutheran. He was actively involved at First Lutheran Church in Wilber as a council member and youth group sponsor. At Saint Andrews in Lincoln, he served as treasurer for several years and helped coordinate the LPS Summer Backpack food distribution program in conjunction with the church. For the past several years, he and Wanda attended United Lutheran church.
David was a quiet man; upon first meeting, he often seemed reserved and introspective. To his family and close friends he was warm, caring, and steadfast. People often came to him for advice – he was thoughtful and wise.
He enjoyed fishing, gardening, woodworking, going to the movies, dining out, Husker football, and Star Trek. As season members of the Lincoln Community Playhouse, David and Wanda enjoyed seeing plays and musicals. He loved everything about Christmas – the decorations, the music, baking cookies, and spending time with family. He liked traveling for family vacations, including trips to Colorado, Black Hills, Yellow- stone, Wisconsin Dells, Disney World, San Francisco, and several ocean cruises. One of the high points for his family was celebrating his 40th wedding anniversary with a trip to Vancouver, BC in 2018.
In January 2020, Tracey and husband Brett welcomed son Simon Maly. David and Wanda were thrilled to become grandparents.
David fought long and hard through his illness during the past several years. Wanda, Kara, and Tracey would like to extend their special thanks to all of the family and friends who sent support and prayers. Thank you to Dr. Mark Griffin, Dr. Timothy Dalton, and their medical staffs for years of compassionate care. Thank you also to Dr. Rudy Lack- ner and the entire UNMC staff.
Family members include his wife Wanda; daughters Kara Grothen, Portland, OR and Tracey Grothen-Maly (Brett Maly), Omaha; grandson Simon Maly; parents Paul and Jeanette Grothen, Hastings; sister Karen Grothen-Neff (Pat), Lincoln; brothers Donald Grothen (Martha), Sand Leandro, CA and Dale (Billie) Grothen, Hastings; nieces, neph- ews, great-nieces and nephews.
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