Kristian David Haugen

Kristian, David "Kris", age 32, of Fridley, passed away suddenly of a brain hemorrhage, on January 10, 2023. Survived by his loving parents Susan E. Haugen and Paul D. Haugen, sister Anna L. Swindlehurst (Garrett), nephews Maxwell and Flynn. Also survived by aunts, uncles, cousins and many friends. Kris was diagnosed with glioblastoma cancer in November of 2020. The odds of him beating this deadly disease were miniscule. Nevertheless, he fought the cancer with unusual strength. After brain surgery, months of radiation treatments and over a year of chemo, his oncologist and Director of the Given's Brain Cancer Center told Kris that, "The odds were miraculously stacked against you. And here you are." He emerged from his treatments with his same, Kris-like enthusiasm for life. He resumed his life with his ingenuity, compassion and wit, fully intact. He loved the outdoors and canoeing, kayaking, camping, rock climbing, hiking, skiing, disc golf and more. He was always comfortable in any boat. As a newborn, on his first day home from the hospital, he was held in a fishing boat by his big sister, Anna. Throughout his childhood, he always was eager to visit his friends on the south shore of Lake Superior and go fishing for trout and salmon. He was the vice president of the Minnesota Speological Survey (MSS) and was one of the very best cavers in the history of Minnesota. His very first "wild" caving trip was at the MSS annual "Cornfeed" at Mystery Cave in southern MN, at the age of four. He prided himself in having never missed the yearly event and holds the state record of the most consecutive Cornfeeds ever attended (28). There was no one better than Kris at leading caving groups on rigorous and fun trips, deep underground and he could always be counted on to return everyone safely to the surface. Growing up, he loved playing hockey and was a goalie in the St. Croix Valley Rec League. He especially loved the game of dodgeball. One of his great disappointments was that there was "no professional dodgeball league." He also loved music and was an excellent percussionist in high school and beyond. Kris was a camp counselor for three summers at Lake Wapogasset Lutheran Bible Camp, in Amery, WI. He loved mentoring kids while they played games, sang campfire songs and lived together in their cabins on beautiful Lake Wapogasset. Kris was a creator. He would look at something and say, "that's not the way it should be." Then he would grab his notebook and, with his ingenious imagination, sketch out the way it clearly should be. When he did that, others would have to agree that his designs were pretty much "on the money". He had an "if you're going to do it- do it right" attitude about everything - from cooking food to designing scooters to buying socks. As a junior in Stillwater High School, Kris meshed his gift of creation with the Stillwater Robotics Program and loved immersing himself in the competitions. After graduating, he continued on, volunteering his time, mentoring high school kids at Stillwater in the same Robotics program. He was drawn to a design engineering program at Dunwoody College of Technology. After graduating, he soon found what he would call his perfect workplace, at Delta Mod Tech, Inc. He loved his job in product design engineering and he loved his coworkers even more. He truly felt that they were a "family" to him. Kris had the combination of consistency, patience and immense love for dogs. Together, those traits produced his best buddy, Sherman, who was unfalteringly by his side through all of his months of treatment. Kris gave Sherman most of the credit for getting him through his roughest days of his illness. The bond that they formed was one of which stories could be written. People who were fortunate enough to get to know Kris would be quick to mention his sense of humor. It was witty and quick and often a tad "off-the-wall". He loved the occasional practical joke where no one ever got hurt. And he loved seeing the humor in the small details of life. Perhaps the best descriptor of Kris would be simply that of "friend". Right from the start, Kris had a knack for making good friends. At the age of four, his parents would say, "Kris could walk into a cornfield and come back with a friend." In friendship, he also had the knack for finding really good people to befriend. In this area Kris truly excelled and because of the compassionate and caring friends he made, he will be sadly missed by many. A celebration of Kris' life is planned for Sunday, April 16, 2023, from 2:00 to 4:30 at Dakota Lodge, Thompson County Park, 1200 Stassen Lane, West St. Paul, MN 55118. Open doors: 2:00- 3:00. Celebration of Life 3:00- 4:00. Coffee/ social gathering following. In lieu of flowers, the family requests any memorials be made to American Brain Tumor Association (abta.org) or The Glioblastoma Research Organization (gbmresearch.org). In honor of Kris, please extend a random act of kindness to someone.

Tributes

Kristian David Haugen

September 14, 1990 - January 10, 2023

Tributes

Kristian David Haugen

September 14, 1990 - January 10, 2023

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