David Maxfield Holmblad, husband, father, brother, friend, age 59, passed away at home with his family in Merrimac on Friday, October 10, 2008 after a long, courageous battle with cancer. He was born on December 23, 1948 in Rockford, IL, the son of Eric and Olive (Cotta) Holmblad. David graduated from East High School in Rockford in 1966 and was employed by Sundstrand Data Control until he enlisted in the Navy in 1968.

He served with the U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (SEABEES) on Okinawa. Following his naval service he attended Rock Valley College in Rockford, where he received an A.A. degree in 1973. He completed a B.S. degree in Industrial Safety at Illinois State University in 1975. He also held the designation of Certified Safety Professional. Following graduation he was employed by Graber Corporation in Madison and then rejoined Sundstrand and transferred to Redmond, Washington. In 1990 he returned to Madison, where he became Safety Director for the Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin.

He joined CNA Insurance as a Loss Control Specialist in 1994. In 1998 David purchased a farm south of Reedsburg, where he pursued his true vocation, restoring farm buildings and raising Scotch Highland cattle.

Following his retirement from CNA in 2004 he thoroughly enjoyed farming full-time. In December 2006 he moved to Merrimac, where David's family owns a home on Lake Wisconsin. He originally came to Merrimac at age 7 when his parents purchased a lot on the lake to build a summer cabin.

Ever since, Merrimac has been his home, no matter where else he lived. David loved to fish and treasured the time he spent fishing on Lake Wisconsin, in Canada with friends and family and on annual fishing trips to northern Wisconsin with his CNA friends.

He is survived by his wife, Tana (Moore); sons, Scott of Houlton, Wisconsin and Brian of Madison; his mother, Olive (Cotta) Holmblad of Merrimac; two sisters, Janice Holmblad of Cottage Grove and Pamela Bakken (nephews Salem, Solomon and Samuel Barker) of Arena; brother, Robert Holmblad (nephews Jacob and Charles) of Plainfield, IL.

He was preceded in death by his father, Eric Holmblad and his niece Promise Barker.

A Memorial Service will be held at HOOVERSON FUNERAL HOME, 251 Water St., Sauk City, at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 18, 2008 with Pastor Joel Bradtke officiating. Friends may call at the funeral home from 9:30 a.m. until the time of service.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the University of Wisconsin Paul Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center, 600 Highland Avenue, K4/658, Madison, WI 53792-6164. Donations may also be made on-line at www.cancer.wisc.edu/uwccc/donations_form.asp. Please indicate "melanoma" as the specific area of research for which the donation is intended.