David Salvinus Hoffert
August 19, 1968 – June 5, 2026
“I am the peace the world cannot give. I will call your name, embracing all your pain.” While we do not agree with the universe’s decision to take David so soon, we understand that it was his time. After a lengthy battle with discomfort and unanswered questions, David found peace going Home.
As a baby, he was a chubby cherub admired for his long eyelashes – a trait that drew compliments throughout his life. His favorite food was what he called “mus-erd.” His favorite snacks were mustard sandwiches or cottage cheese and later discovered mustard on watermelon. This lifelong love affair with “mus-erd” might have contributed to his wardrobe of bright yellow, most famously his yellow sweatshirt.
As a child, Dave loved spending his days with his two sisters, playing in trees and riding around town on his green vinyl-banana-seat bicycle. With one sister on the U-handlebars and the other holding onto his waist for dear life, David would cruise the streets of Wimbledon, North Dakota.
After moving to Grygla, Minnesota, David became a familiar face in the community, delivering the newspapers while saving enough to buy his first snowmobile, an Arctic Cat. In the winter, he entertained the neighborhood with his snowbank jumps and donuts in the streets while delivering the papers.
David grew up with a natural curiosity for how things worked. As a young child, he could often be found mimicking his dad, playfully working beneath kitchen chairs as if they were vehicles. Later in life, David loved working on vehicles in his garage. Whether he was tinkering with his T-Bird, Jeep, or Blazer, he was always happiest when he was hands-on. Whenever the band Poison was blasting from his garage, his neighbors and family knew exactly where he was, completely in his element.
After high school, he attended Northland Community and Technical College, Mayville State University, and Bemidji State University, enjoying college life but returning to his roots in Grygla to work at Marvin Windows and later Arctic Cat in Thief River Falls.
Known as “Dirty Dog,” David loved challenges, especially in the kitchen. He became famous for his late-night grilling sessions and his massive Sunday food productions, cooking up a storm to ensure everyone around him was fed, happy, and cared for.
Affectionately known as “Uncle Davie” to his family, he cherished his time with his nieces and nephews. He often ventured across the country to visit them. He was the uncle who would stay up late at night playing Grand Theft Auto on the PlayStation, babysitting without complaint, sharing meals of Subway sandwiches, and camping. In recent years, he brought that same magic to his great-nieces and great-nephews, playing with their toy cars and stuffed animals.
Dave had a tender heart and a deep love for animals, especially “his boys”, the loyal Spaniels who were his constant shadows that followed him everywhere.
On June 5, 2026, David answered the call, “Come and follow Me. I will bring you home. I love you, and you are mine.”
David Salvinus Hofftert leaves behind his beloved furry friend, Chucky, and his parents, Sal and Ann Hoffert. He is survived by his-sister Annie (Jim) Cole and their daughters Linda (Caleb) Quinn, Tati (Lane) Cole, Francie (Nate) Pahl and his baby sister Rosie (Shawn) Groven and their children Ben (Trystan) Sherman (great-neppeh) and Lyra (great neice) Groven, Kat (Tyler) Groven, Nick (Karly) Groven, Sebastian and Theodore Groven, Kyla Butcher and great nephews Ambrose and Attixus and great nieces Athena and Asa. His uncle/brother “Wild Bill” and Aunt Mary Sullivan also survive him. He is preceded in death by his grandparents Jacob and Katherina Hoffert and William K. and Gen Sullivan, his ‘boys’ Gruffy, Duke and Bosco.