David Kottke Obituary, Death – The passing of a longtime family friend occurred yesterday. David Kottke has been engaged in a courageous battle against pancreatic cancer for the better part of a year. A little over a year ago, we got together for coffee to talk about the possibility of him joining us on a Wilbury tribute, and during that conversation, he mentioned that he had been struggling with digestive issues. A week later he was diagnosed. Dave and his family were active participants in the life of the Eden Prairie United Methodist Church, which was pastored by my father. It was Dad who confirmed it, Dave. We go way back, and have performed together on numerous occasions.
Dave was in charge of booking the musical acts for the Wayzata Art Experience and frequently booked me. Many of his old EP music friends jammed at Jamburg, which was hosted by his brother John and took place in Hanburg, Minnesota. Dave worked as a nurse at Methodist Hospital, in addition to performing duties as a travel nurse all over the country. He was a kind and compassionate healer. Dave served the Wayzata Community Church well by playing music there, and he also played in a band called Power Tap with friends from the church.
Dave is survived by his girlfriend, his mother and father, Leland and Carole, his brother John, and his sister Jolynn, along with his two grown sons. He had a smile on his face most of the time, was always loving, played his heart out on stage, assisted you when you required his assistance, and loved God, who in turn loves him. Because he knew I travel with my music, he stopped by a few weeks before he passed away to give me a trailer. “I had the bearings packed and put new tires on it,” I said. My only concern is that it goes to a loving family.”
You are now in the care of God, and our heavenly holiday angelic choir will soon be joined by an acoustic guitarist on roller blades who is also capable of playing percussion and drum kit, should the occasion require it. Because he enjoyed always being on the go, I believe that he will want to be on the blades. We missed having you around for a longer period of time. I love you and will keep you in my thoughts throughout each journey, each load being loaded and each load being unloaded.