David Joseph Pucel

Dave was born September 26, 1940 to Joseph and Emma (Peyla) Pucel, the oldest of three children. Growing up in Ely, Minnesota meant living at the edge of The Boundary Waters in a small-town, tight-knit community that provided endless family adventures in the North Woods including trapping, hunting, and fishing. Encounters with wolves, bears, and loons were a normal part of daily life. The Pucel family built the Lakeland Motel in 1952 and ran it as a family. While attending college, David worked in Ely's Zenith Iron Mine where he used his own chain link for added safety. He developed an incredible ability to fix anything that needed to be fixed. On December 31, 1960, David married Virginia Bungert. From this union came Dave's two children, Mary and Ken. Dave married Barbara Tang in 1988 and together they shared 38 wonderful years. They enjoyed traveling the world, pontoon rides at their Annandale lake home, and spending time with friends and family. Dave was a remarkable father, grandfather, uncle and friend. He always asked others about their lives, and he often offered valuable insight and encouragement. David attended UW-Stout and the University of Illinois before receiving his PhD from the University of Minnesota in 1966. He was a faculty member in the Department of Vocational and Technical Education for 42 years. He dedicated his career to vocational education, career and technical training, and Performance-Based Instructional Design (PBID). Dave believed education to be the great equalizer and felt that vocational education gave a person the tools to do their jobs well. The Minnesota system for teaching job skills was like a traditional apprentice program. For example, if you were to be a welder, you were taught welding. Dave was awarded a grant by the Minnesota Department of Education to develop a set of five courses that would give these skilled workers the ability to teach effectively and to standardize and certify them as teachers. Furthermore, this program is part of the current technical college system in Minnesota. Dave wrote several books sharing his innovative approaches to educational training systems. Dave also developed testing methods for "performance-based instruction." He was invited to 39 different countries to help develop and improve their post-secondary education or to develop systems that identify skills needed for each job and to provide a map for employees to be able to qualify for higher level jobs. He was a humble man and just wanted to help people understand "how things work." He was a problem solver as well as an educator. Later in life, he filled his free time by simply enjoying life side-by-side with Barb. He particularly enjoyed fishing and hunting and passing on these traditions to his family. He will forever be cherished by his wife, Barb; his children, Mary Pucel (Jack) and Ken Pucel (Amy); and his grandchildren Emma Schlotfeldt (Ben), Harrison Frazee, Sarah Pucel, Grace Pucel, and Joe Pucel, and by his sisters, Lorraine Klun (Gary) and Donna Niskala. A memorial service will be held at Incarnation Lutheran Church, Shoreview, Minnesota on Tuesday, August 25 with visitation starting at 10 a.m. and the memorial service at 11 a.m. Arrangements by Washburn-McReavy Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Valiant Air Command General Donation Fund or to Ducks Unlimited.

David Joseph Pucel

September 26, 1940 - August 14, 2026

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