David Herman Quiring, Sr.

Birth: Nov. 25, 1905

Hillsboro

Marion County

Kansas, USA

Death: Aug. 11, 1969

Seattle

King County

Washington, USA

Seattle Times - August 14, 1969

Services For D. H. Quiring Set

Rosary for David Herman Quiring, 63, founder of Quiring & Son Monuments, Inc., will be said at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow in the Acacia chapel. Requiem Mass will be said at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at Our lady of the Lake Church.

He died yesterday at his home, 13730 Lake City Way N.E.

A native of Hillsboro, Kan., Mr. Quiring came to Washington in 1940, residing six months in Bellingham before moving to Seattle. He founded Quiring & Son in 1949 after having been in the monument business since 1925. In 1966, he acquired the Gordon Monument Co.

Mr. Quiring was past president of the Aurora-Northgate Lions Club; past secretary of the Allied Memorial Council, and a member of the Lake City Elks Lodge and the Pacific Northwest Monument Builders Association. He had been active in the United Good Neighbors campaign, serving as a general, and also was active in the March of Dimes.

Surviving are his wife, Marcelline; a son, David H. Quiring, Jr., Seattle, a daughter, Mrs. Robert Green, Kirkland and a brother, Adolf Quiring, Bakersfield, Calif.

Seattle Times - August 12, 1969

Quiring, David Herman, Sr.

13730 Lake City Way N.E., August 11. Beloved husband of Marcelline (Marci) Quiring. Father of David Herman Quiring, Jr., Seattle; Mrs. Robert (Carolyn) Green, Kirkland. Brother of Adolf Quiring, Bakersfield, Calif. Two grandchildren. Rosary 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Acacia Funeral Home. Requiem Mass 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church.

David H. Quiring Sr. was blessed with an abundance of leadership qualities. He was a hardworking husband and father and his natural abilities served him well. He knew how to set priorities in his life. He struck those who knew him as the kind of person who awoke in the morning with a clear sense of exactly what he expected from his day and how to set about accomplishing those goals. Dave was a man who definitely liked order and was most comfortable with an organized and structured lifestyle. When this climate was absent, he would set about immediately to create it.

He was born at the family home in Hillsboro, Kansas on November 25th, 1905. His parents were John J. and Anna Buller Quiring, and both were part of the Kansas Mennonite community. Dave was raised in Hillsboro and moved to Wichita, Kansas to become an apprentice stone cutter under his great uncle William Jennings Quiring in 1925. He was brought up in the Mennonite tradition to be reasonable in his actions and was taught to use his intellect wisely. He was an honest and straightforward child, traits that reinforced his self-confidence. Even at a young age, Dave was credited with having a positive influence on those around him.

Dave was youngest of twelve children. His siblings were Adelgunda, John J., Clara Agatha, Marie Rosie, Anna Eva, Sarah Agnes, Martha Sophia, William Herman, Samuel David, Adolph Rudolph, and two premature twins who did not survive. David was naturally closest to his older brother Adolph but later in Seattle became closely connected with his cousin William Herman Quiring and his family.

Dave's enthusiasm for learning and the personal energy that he generated led to his exhibiting leadership qualities early on in his youth. He liked to see things done properly and showed a skill for taking control of situations. At the same time, he was willing to experiment with different approaches as he worked his plan towards a solution. As a young boy, he loved to play football. In his spare time he liked to draw and later took classes in pen and ink sketching. He graduated from High School in 1923. He showed a natural curiosity in the manner in which he tackled new types of problems and all throughout his life he would regularly challenge his own reasoning ability in finding solutions.

Dave had a clear vision of what he sought in a relationship and worked hard to achieve it. On December 30, 1939 he exchanged wedding vows with Marcelline Marie Racette after a failed first marriage to Pauline. Marci was a significant part of his life, and it wasn't necessary for Dave to be overly sentimental or expressive about it for others to be aware of their mutual devotion.

David was blessed with two children, one son David Herman, and one daughter Carolyn Ann. He was also blessed with several grandchildren. Family and children were very important to him, even if he didn't always show it. Dave was able to keep order in the family by using the same efficient and straightforward methods with the family as he did in his work.

In 1939, after moving from Concordia, Kansas he began designing and carving memorials for Fussner Monuments in Bellingham, WA. This shop was small and couldn't keep him busy all year so in 1940 he and Marci moved to Seattle and he began work as a foreman for the Seattle Monument Co., the largest monument company in Seattle. Dave was viewed as a natural leader and he made friends easily. He would marshal all of his resources, including his skills in stone work and the available personnel and materials, in order to meet virtually any objective. While working for Seattle Monument Co. he was instrumental in creating several of Seattle's Iconic memorials such as the Henry Broderick memorial at Seattle University and the Gold Star Mother's WWII Memorial at the Public Safety Building in Seattle.

He was able to establish and meet objectives and schedules at work but was always looking to move toward his goal of owning his own business. He and Marci purchased several rental houses and they both worked evenings to rehabilitate and rent them. Although David might have been described by some as an overachiever, he was without question a dedicated and diligent employee with a dream for the future.

His family and his business were his priorities. He was an accomplished stone carver and he and Marci went all-in in 1949 when he quit Seattle Monument company and founded Quiring Monuments at 9608 Aurora Ave. No. The company still operates at this address today. He loved growing his own business and always tried to provide something extra to his customers. He was tireless and usually worked dawn to dusk, seven days a week consulting with clients and then carving and installing monuments throughout the Pacific Coast area. His devotion to his business customers was above and beyond and he quickly purchased several monument shops in the area (Sunset Monuments and Gordon Monumental Works) and after 15 years Quiring & Son Monuments was the largest monument company in the area.

As the company became more successful and he finally had some free time he relished the stimulation of the action and energy associated with sports. In high school, Dave played football so he always loved watching the local teams. Later his recreational sports included bowling and golf. He was also avid sports fan and he enjoyed following his favorite sports events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list was Husky Football and he was a season ticket holder for many years until his death.

Dave's ability to motivate, direct and organize others made him a valuable asset to the organizations he belonged to. He was one who could be counted on to work hard to implement goals and required little to begin work on a specific task. Once a project was begun, Dave had a definite methodology for seeing it through to completion. Throughout his later years, he was active in the Greenwood- Aurora Lions Club and also was a member of the Lake City 1800 Elks club.

He was a man who took pride in upholding his beliefs. When he became active in community affairs, he did so in the same determined and forthright manner that he applied to other aspects of his life. He served as the regional chairman for the March of Dimes in Seattle, Washington.

He lived his life guided by a well-defined set of beliefs. His faith and religion were important aspects of those beliefs and he was of the Catholic faith but was also served well by his Mennonite upbringing.

There were occasions in David's life where he would find himself involved in a cause or leading an organization and event where his drive to complete the project or meet the established goal was more important than his concern for the philosophy behind it. It was this kind of commitment and drive that earned him praise and honors throughout his life. He earned Man of the Year Award in the Seattle Lions Organization.

David was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of David's favorites was Lolly, the family poodle. They were best friends for over10 years.

He had an unexpected heart attack on August 11, 1969. He was survived by his wife Marcelline, son David H., Jr. (Patricia) and daughter Carolyn (Robert). Services were held at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church. David was laid to rest in the Quiring family plot at Washelli Cemetery in Seattle, Washington.

David H. Quiring Sr. knew what he wanted from life and never hesitated in going after it. He could be characterized as a driven individual, someone who understood the importance of achievement. He was decisive and outspoken at times but was also positive and upbeat about most things. He was a leader, both intentionally and sometimes by default. If he saw that something needed to be done, he was always ready to step up and actualize, organize and implement a plan.

We still miss him greatly and his words and deeds still provide a positive direction for his descendants.

Family links:

Parents:

John J Quiring (1854 - 1944)

Anna Buller Quiring (1862 - 1931)

Spouse:

Marcelline Marie Racette Quiring (1918 - 2008)

Note: Married: Marcelline Marie Racette, December 30, 1939, Minneapolis, Ottawa County, KS