David Owen Winkowski, Sr.

David Owen Winkowski, Sr., 81, of Concord NC died on May 11, 2026, surrounded by his loving family after a long battle with Neuroendocrine cancer.

Dave is survived by his beloved wife of 62 years, Lana, and his children, Betsy, David Jr., Dan, and their wonderful and understanding spouses, Andy, Katie and Jackson. He is also survived by grandchildren Megan, Alex, Spencer, Lydia and step grandchildren Isabela, Mario and Dominic.

He is also survived by his sisters Mary Kay Ehlers, Janet Balyeat and Amy DeBoer and many nieces, nephews and grand nieces and nephews.

Dave was born on July 3, 1944 to David Andrew and Dorothy Agnes Rondeau Winkowski in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and spent his formative years in Shorewood, Wisconsin. Upon graduating from Shorewood High School in 1963, Dave joined the United States Navy and served for four years during the Vietnam Conflict on the DLG 11 Destroyer USS Mahan, as an Electronics Technician. That same year, Dave married the love of his life, Lana Meyers Winkowski.

While in the Navy Dave and Lana were stationed in San Francisco and San Diego, California. After honorably serving his country, Dave attended Southwestern College, Chula Vista and San Diego State University where he graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Upon graduation, he was recruited by IBM and moved to San Jose, CA, where he helped develop technology to support the manufacture of ATM machines. After several successful years in San Jose, Dave was transferred by IBM to the Charlotte campus to further his work. While at IBM, Dave earned the respect and lifelong friendship of his colleagues. He happily retired at age 55, spending his retirement traveling and finding new joy diving into hobbies and cherishing time spent with his family and friends. Dave, along with Lana, were active volunteers for Meals on Wheels and he spent many an afternoon brightening the days of seniors with his legendary storytelling abilities and caring ways. Tax season often found him helping those in need with their returns, making that experience more fun than it should have been with his ever-ready wit.

He will always be remembered for his storytelling, his jokes, his love for reading, music, photography, golf, tinkering and his re-engineering of everything and anything in the house. He loved gardening and was particularly skilled at growing tomatoes.

Dave was a talented and prolific woodturner, often gifting his work to family and friends. He also turned wood ornaments that were sold seasonally to raise money for Hospice. He was an active member of the Southern Piedmont Woodturners.

One distinct through-line in Dave’s life was his love of water and it’s no surprise his family all have vivid and special memories of him and water. He always constructed a pool at any home he lived in, big or small, and even invested in prescription goggles so he could easily see under the water. Dave and Lana spent many a summer vacation at various East Coast beaches, creating lifelong memories for their children and grandchildren.

He was kind, calm and a good provider for his family and be missed by all that had the distinct pleasure of being in his circle.

The family would like to extend a special thanks to his family doctor, Dr. Ronald Pollack. The family would also like to thank Cabarrus County Hospice, especially Octavia and Danielle, and his caregiver Matt Wilkenson, for all their help and care.

Memorial service will be at a later date.

Hartsell Funeral Home of Concord is serving the Winkowski family.