David LeRoy Pavelka, 86, of Eden Prairie, left to be home with the Lord on July 16, 2025. He is survived by his wife, Deb Gorrill; sister, Jacqueline Braesch; sons, Lee (Elise) and Donald (Sandy); granddaughters, Grace (Will Stern), Megan (Bailey Dodds), Emily and Rosalyn; and four great-grandchildren, Helen, Eloise, Arthur and Lydia.
Dave was preceded in death by his parents, Melvin and Betty, and his first wife, Pat.
Dave graduated from the University of Minnesota’s School of Architecture, served in the Navy at Subic Bay in the Philippines, and later earned a master’s degree from MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As an architect, he designed high-end homes and later built and managed a townhome development in Eden Prairie. With a deep interest in genealogy, he was a founding member of the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International. Dave served as a church elder, a Stephen Minister, and head of the Cemetery Committee for many years. He and Deb also participated in the Charis ministry at the Rochester Federal Medical Center.
He had a gregarious personality and a good sense of humor. He enjoyed telling stories and loved meeting people. An avid traveler, Dave coordinated several “back to the homeland trips” for his church and the genealogical society. Family was extremely important to him, and all appreciated time spent with him, especially up at the lake. He will be deeply missed.
A celebration of Dave’s life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 16, at Faith Church, 12007 Excelsior Blvd., Minnetonka. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service.
The 11 a.m. Saturday service will also be livestreamed at faithchurchmn.org. To view, scroll down the homepage to the livestream section.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Faith Church Foundation or the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International.