David B. Werner

Chambers — David Bryan Werner, 62, of Chambers, died peacefully but unexpectedly on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025 at his home in Chambers.

A celebration of life will be held from 2-4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025 in downtown Chambers. Starting at 2 p.m., Dave would have loved nothing more than to see everyone's classic cars, motorcycles, jeeps or tractors. Please put on something comfortable and join the family in cruising the streets of Chambers to showcase the vehicles we know he would have enjoyed. At 2:30 p.m.  his family will be present at the Chambers Community Center to accept condolences. And at 3:30 p.m. the family will begin by sharing a few memories of Dave, and they would love for others to stand up and share their own stories and memories as well.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the family for future designation.

Biglin's Mortuary in O'Neill is in charge of the arrangements.

David was born on Oct. 15, 1962 in O'Neill, to Dennis and Ursula (Weidemann) Werner. Dave grew up in Chambers. During his younger years is when his love of the outdoors began, which included snowmobiling, hunting and learning to waterski. One of his favorite memories though was spending summers swimming at his grandparent's pool and enjoying homemade chocolate chip cookies and milk. Dave and his sister Deb loved learning about their mother's German heritage, they especially enjoyed her German cooking and kinder coffee in the afternoon. Dave had the opportunity to visit family in Germany as a teenager, and in the past few years got to know his cousins when they visited. Dave attended Chambers High School, graduating with the class of 1980.

After high school, Dave attended Northeast Community College in Norfolk for two years, earning his associate degree. He then returned to Chambers to farm on the family farm.  

Dave married Bari Sanders in Chambers in 1989 and from this marriage two children were born Andrew and Paige. They later divorced.  

He continued farming corn and soybeans in Chambers for many years. During Andrew and Paige's high school years he never missed an important event, always showing up to support them. While in Chambers he also spent time as a volunteer fireman, as life got busier for Dave, he stepped back from the fire department, but found other ways to volunteer. He was always ready to donate, lend a hand with town projects or assist a neighbor or friend in need without hesitation. He also proudly served on the board of the K&M Telephone Company, which his grandparents Ken and Millie started.  

In the early 2010's, Dave took some time off from farming but “got roped back in” in 2018 when he started haying again with his son Andrew. Although he often joked about not believing he was farming again, he secretly loved being on the open station raking tractor at sunrise, raking alfalfa in the cool, fresh morning air.

At a young age his love of tinkering began and he turned into a serial project starter. Dave found joy in riding and collecting motorcycles. He also loved a project, whether it was a classic car, jeep or fixing up something for the grandkids. He also loved hunting and fishing, appreciating the peaceful time spent outdoors. He took joy in cooking his famous chili and sticky buns, always making sure there was enough to share. He loved attending sporting events in Chambers and visiting people with his dogs Moto, and more recently, Cooper. Above all else, Dave cherished time spent with his family. He especially loved being “Papa Dave” to his grandchildren—sharing or reading stories, sneaking them treats and lighting up whenever they were around.

Dave is survived by his two children Andrew (Brieann) Werner of Oakdale and Paige (Brandon) Keech of Norfolk; three grandchildren Charlotte Werner, Carder Keech, Beckem Keech and two more grandkids on the way; his mother Ursula Werner of Overland Park, KS; his sister Deb (Jeff) Quast of Shawnee, KS; his niece Rachel Engler of Denver, CO; and his family in Germany.

He was preceded in death by his father Dennis Werner, grandparents Kenneth and Mildred Werner, his grandmother Gertrude (Oma) Weidemann in Germany and his best canine companion Moto.