David William Vieregge, formerly of Chester

David William Vieregge of Marina, California, died unexpectedly at the age of 46.

Dave was born on Dec. 19, 1973 in Chester, Illinois to William and Norma Vieregge. He enlisted in the Illinois National Guard in 1991, then in 1994 he transferred into regular Army and proudly served until 1998.

In 1996, while stationed in Fort Hood Texas, Dave met his future wife, Kim, and two years later, the two married.

After an honorable discharge from the Army, he left Texas to return to Illinois. He attended John A. Logan College and helped countless veterans navigate the college system as a Veteran Affairs assistant coordinator. He graduated from Southern Illinois University in 2005 with a degree in Software Engineering.

After moving to California in 2006, Dave began working for Pacific Metrics as a Senior Software Engineer. Dave's professional growth advanced him to Director of System Engineering at ZMOT in 2015.

Over the years, Dave and Kim raised two sons in their home. Dave, his wife Kim, and their sons valued spending quality time together and found great gratification in traveling together on many family vacations. His children remember him as very driven in both his personal and professional lives, exhibiting a strong work ethic and his devotion to being a loving father and husband who encouraged his boys to pursue their goals and persevere.

To this day, his boys reminisce and embrace heartfelt memories of travel, sharing hobbies, tickling, napping, wrestling, ATV adventures and just Dave's loving affection toward them. Dave was passionate with his hobbies of both video games and Transformers, which his boys would later adopt, deepening their already strong bond.

Dave was loved by so many with his infectious smile and a larger than life presence that seemingly lifted those around him. He was a rock and always dependable for his family and friends alike. Although his passing is early, he filled his family, as well as his friends, with a lifetime of incredible memories.

Dave is survived by his mother Norma Vieregge, sisters Kathy Vieregge and Suzanne Hughes, wife Kim Vieregge, sons Cyle Malcolm and Nathan Vieregge and his furry companions Odin and Callie. He was preceded in death by his father, William "Bill" Vieregge.

Dave had a passion for animals and great respect for veterans, so to honor that passion, any contributions can be made to the Veteran's Transition Center and specifically to the Veterinary Care Program.

If you would like to donate to our gofundme for charity donations, search David Vieregge on gofundme.com.