David E. Lendle Obituary

I came into this life early on the morning of September 26, 1955 in the beautiful little town of Rice Lake, WI. I was surrounded by a very loving and supportive family. Kind and patient parents; my sister Janet who was 16 years my senior; my brother Don who was 10 years older and my brother Mike who was only 3 years older and countless aunts and uncles made for a wonderful family. I always thought my parents must have forgotten about all the craziness of raising kids when they had Mike and me. We moved to a new neighborhood in Eau Claire, WI when I was 3 years old and being surrounded by young families with kids our age was perfect for endless play. My parents purchased a cottage on Lower Long Lake when I was about 10 and it soon became an all summer adventure. Swimming, skiing and again being surrounded by lots of kids made this an idyllic place to enjoy my teen years. I have been exceedingly fortunate throughout my life with loving people and being surrounded by beautiful nature.

Even with all that love and support during my teen years, I lived a life very much on the edge, until one night on August 3rd, 1973 when I was 17 years old I went over that edge, flying and tumbling through the air in a '57 Chevrolet. When we finally landed, I had broken my back, injured my spinal cord and was paralyzed. As a paraplegic I had now entered a whole new world. I ended up in Rochester, MN at the Mayo Clinic after a harrowing flight in a small plane through quite a lightning storm with just the pilot and my father. A couple of months later and with new friends that would last a lifetime, I returned to Eau Claire until December and the snow came.

My sister came home for Christmas and suggested I return to Tempe, AZ with her for the winter. The desert was an amazing place I soon fell in love with and returning in the fall of 1974 I began college. I studied art and general subjects at Mesa Community College and ASU until the summer of 1976. In October of 1974 one of my professors recommended Transcendental Meditation (TM) to the class, I went to the lecture and started right away. This had such a beneficial effect on my life I never missed a meditation in almost 50 years. The biblical quote, "Know God's peace which passeth all understanding" is what TM opened up to me. I cherished these years living with my sister Janet in Tempe as it gave us quality time to get to know one another. She had left home when I was very young, and I only saw her for short periods during holidays.

In the summer of 1976, I moved back to Lower Long Lake in WI and our family cottage would become my home for a time and where I would have my first art studio to work as a goldsmith and woodcarver. In the summer of 1977, I began what would become a lifetime pilgrimage to a small town in southern Iowa and Maharishi International University. I made friends from all over the world there and the deepening of spiritual experiences has enriched my life beyond words.

One evening in early summer of 1980 while taking a walk, I was using crutches at that time, at the cottage I gave a silent prayer for a loving person to join my life. In August that was answered with the arrival of Carol Stranathan. The most beautiful person inside and out, she would become the love of my life. We were married August 29, 1981, and built our first home of logs on 11 acres located on the Eau Claire River in the Town of Seymour where we have remained to this day. Our daughter Laurel arrived April 15, 1987, and brought such joy to our life. Laurel added many new adventures to our life, swimming, skiing from our dock and years with the Ski Sprites team and the lifetime friends that would bring. She has grown to become a person I'm so very proud of and love immensely.

In the late 1980s my mother suffered a brain aneurysm and this piqued my interest in communication disorders. I then went to UW Eau Claire and studied communication disorders receiving my master's degree and worked as a speech pathologist in private rehabilitation and at Northern Wisconsin Center for the Developmentally Disabled in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Many new and lifetime friends came out of that area of my life's adventures.

In 2002 we split our property and built a new wheelchair accessible home as I now needed the wheelchair again.

May 12, 2007 brought another addition to our family, Lilianna Drung, the most perfect granddaughter anyone could wish for. From the moment I held her, she captured my heart. I feel so fortunate to have shared so much of her life and wish her much joy and beauty.

In May of 2022 I began noticing some neurological changes. After much testing, in November of 2022 a diagnosis of ALS was confirmed. With the loving support of family and friends this portion of my life's journey has been filled with compassionate love and a good dose of laughter.

I have lived a life of bliss and love and wish you all the same. "The soul leaves the body as a schoolboy jumps from a school door, suddenly and with joy. There is no sadness in passing.". -Unknown.

Dave passed away peacefully on July 4, 2023. A celebration of life will be held on July 11, 2023 at Hope Lutheran Church (2226 Eddy Lane, Eau Claire, WI) The visitation starts at 10:00 am, which will be followed by the celebration of life service at 11:00 am. After the conclusion of the service, lunch will be served at the church. Memorials can be directed to the Healthwell Foundation for Rare Diseases, Hope Lutheran Church, Maharishi International University, or the Appleton Walk to Defeat ALS/Team Dave.

Chippewa Valley Cremation Services – Celebration of Life Center in Altoona, WI is assisting the family.