David Melvin Wanttie

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David Melvin Wanttie, 71 of Ellendale, ND died February 16, 2025 at Benedictine Living Community, Ellendale. Memorial services are 3pm Saturday, March 1, 2025 at Hoven Funeral Chapel. Visitation will be one hour prior to the memorial service. Burial is at North Savo Apostolic Cemetery in the spring. David's service will be live streamed here on his obituary page. Arrangements by Hoven Funeral Chapel, Ellendale.

David was born May 6, 1953 in Dayton, Ohio. In his early years he lived in Brookville, Ohio and, for a short time, in Crystal, Minnesota. When he started school, it was evident that he had learning difficulties. His parents, Melvin and Martha, heard of a special school that could help with his handicap, and in 1969 the family moved to Richardson, Texas. David and his parents moved to Ellendale, his father’s hometown, in 1995. After his parents’ deaths in 2009 and 2011, he moved to Evergreen Place for about four years, then to Prince of Peace, now Benedictine Living Community.

David loved farms and tractors, so much so that his parents had already placed a gravestone on his burial plot with an image of a tractor. Throughout the years he enjoyed coming to North and South Dakota to his grandparents’, aunt’s, cousins’, and friends’ farms. He liked watching baseball and went to Twins games several times. At Benedictine, he always enjoyed wandering the hallways and talking to everyone. David spent about fourteen years at Benedictine. He felt happy and at home there.

He is survived by his sister, Barbara Peyton, of Springfield, Pennsylvania, and nephew, Keith Peyton, of Newark, Delaware.

To watch the service live: keep moving down this page and watch for a black box. At time of the service, click the red area to start the live stream. Please note the service is also recorded and saved here for viewing at a later time.