David W. Seitz D.O.

David W. Seitz D.O., 85, of Bettendorf, Iowa passed away July 28, tenderly cared for by Iowa Masonic staff and surrounded by his daughters. He loved his extended family, patients, colleagues, neighbors, and fellow members of Zion Lutheran Church. He is remembered for his dedication, caring, and sense of humor, and will be missed by all. Preceded in death by wife Carol, parents Paul and Katherine, and brothers Paul and Tom, he is survived by brother Jeff, daughters Amy, Molly and Holly, his son Scott, and many grandchildren.

A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, August 13 at Zion Lutheran Church in Davenport, Iowa.

A Life Well Lived:

David Winfield Seitz fully embraced the complexity and apparent contradictions of life. Born in Ohio near the end of the great depression and growing up during the rationing and uncertainty of World War II, he saw friends experience severe hardship and loss. This created in him a deep sense of gratitude, a value for all people’s contributions, and a sense of obligation to others. He admired people who finished first for their commitment to success, and people who finished last for persevering.

In his youth, his family used stories to teach and entertain. Nearly everyone has heard “Waste not want not,” but to that his mother Katherine added “use it up wear it out, make it do, or do without.” David and his brothers also understood that “all work and no play make Jack a dull boy.”  While they worked hard to make the most of their talents, David and his three brothers were decidedly not dull boys. They were the High Priests of the lowest form of humor: the pun. Their life-long pranks and antics are best passed on in person by any of the children and cousins who treasure these stories.

David pushed himself to achieve his goal of becoming a physician, attending college in Cincinnati, OH and Kansas City, MO, and eventually settling in the Quad Cities to complete his medical training and set up his practice. Once he achieved that goal, he continued to push himself to be one of the very best doctors around. He would spend hours with his patients to provide them exceptional care. This commitment to spending time to ask and answer questions and really get to know his patients sometimes led to backlogs in his waiting room, but David’s patients knew that once they were in the exam room, they’d receive that same kind of dedicated care and compassion.

David understood the value of time when it came to his personal life, too. His children recall driving through the night countless times to visit grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins in Ohio. At home, he loved block parties, card games, theater, and other time spent with friends from church and the neighborhood. On a few occasions, neighborhood get-togethers happened when David was on-call. Since phones were attached to walls in those days, David would tape the receiver on the phone and lower it out the bedroom window by its cord so he could hear patients’ calls while gilling with the neighbors. Being there for family, friends, and patients all at once!

David and Carol Seitz served their kids well by providing music lessons, chaperoning church and band trips, and providing other opportunities to enjoy life, grow and develop. Some local activities that brought them great joy were the Settler and Threshers Reunion, the Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Festival, and the Bix 7, which David even ran a few times. David also enjoyed fishing, golfing, and reading history and biographies. As a lifelong sports fan, he followed the Cincinnati Reds in the 70s when their roster read like the National League All-Star team and managed the dichotomy of cheering for both the Buckeyes and the Hawkeyes. He was a man of many appetites, fond of grilling corn-fed Iowa beef, baking chocolate cake, eating Muscatine melons, making chocolate ice cream sodas, eating freshly picked sweet corn, licking the bowl after making brownies, and picking through boxes of Esther Price chocolates from Dayton, Ohio.

Over the years, David was deeply involved in and supported by Zion Lutheran Church, a congregation that connects their worshipping community with their geographical community and applies the Gospel’s practical service to neighbors. For the last year of his life, David received exceptional care and compassion from the staff at the Iowa Masonic Health Facilities. Instead of flowers, his family suggests donations to either of these organizations in David’s memory.