Our loving father, David George Blahnik, passed away peacefully from this life and to his God at St. Charles Hospital in Bend, Oregon, on March 7, 2022. He is survived by his daughter Kristin Okhuysen, son Jay Blahnik, son-in-law Francisco Okhuysen, granddaughters Gabriela and Rebeca Okhuysen, son-in-law Ryan Blahnik, granddaughter Brooklyn Blahnik and sister-in-law Susie Penhollow of Bend. David was born on July 19, 1940 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, to George and Alice Blahnik (Sweeney) of Green Bay. He attended Cathedral Elementary; was a 1958 graduate of Premontre High School; and played football, basketball and hockey. It was participating in youth sports that inspired David to a lifetime of loyalty to Packer football! He is also survived by all four of his sisters – Mary King (Prescott, AZ), Ellen Marshall (Missoula, MT), Jane Wisneski (De Pere, WI) and Nancy Gibbs (De Pere, WI), and many nieces and nephews. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in French from St. Norbert College in 1962, David became a US Army officer. He met Charlene Chopp, a native of Bend, and they married on January 22, 1966. During his 22-year career in the Army, David traveled to more than 20 countries, learned new languages and also received a Master of Arts degree in International Relations and in Public Administration. After his retirement from the Army in 1985 as a Lieutenant Colonel, he became a Program Manager for Westinghouse Marine Division and helped build Trident submarines in Tracy, CA. Still having a love of working and serving others, David took on his third career in the High Desert Education Service District as a Substitute Education Assistant, which he did for 21 years and was still active in the school system before his death. He loved to encourage and be a part of students’ academic pursuits, teach new life skills, provide instruction on college prep, and see former students succeeding as accomplished adults in the Bend community. A funeral mass will be held on Friday, March 18th at 10 a.m. at the Old Historic St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Bend, Oregon. David will be buried at Pilot Butte Cemetery directly following the mass. A reception will follow at the Bend Golf Club, and all who knew David are welcome to join us. David spent many years on a military committee to select recipients for scholarships. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in his name to the JROTC Scholarship Fund at COMOAA at https://comoaa.com. Donations can also be mailed directly to: COMOAA, P.O. Box 7826, Bend, OR 97708. We also want to express our deepest thanks and appreciation to all the caregivers at St. Charles Hospital, Summit and BMC who have cared and supported David over so many years.