David Charles Benassi, 70 was born September 3, 1953 in Minneapolis, Minnesota and passed away peacefully on February 21, 2024 surrounded by loved ones following a lengthy illness.  He was preceded in death by his wife Virginia, his parents, Robert and Rita Benassi, and brothers, Michael and Anthony.   He is survived by his loving son Jeremy, step-son Jamie, sister Dana and brother Peter.

David was active in the Army from 1972-1975, serving most of his time in Germany. He then moved to Springfield, Missouri where he met and married his wife Virginia in 1988.  A year later they welcomed Jeremy into their lives.

David was a lifelong lover of movies…with popcorn!  He had a keen interest in broadcast and audio recording, dreaming of one day owning and operating his own production studio.  In his earlier days, he ran lighting booths for the production of plays.

He had fond memories of vacations in the Ozarks and in northern Minnesota with his family and cousins from Louisiana, boating and fishing and learning to ski.  His belly laugh was infectious.  In later years he spent most Sundays with his sons, chatting, eating their favorite pizza, watching movies, sporting events and car races.

Throughout his life, David faced many physical and emotional challenges.  While often presenting a gruff exterior, in truth David had a soft heart.  People and situations affected him deeply, and he expressed his emotions without inhibition.  He had a sensitive side that sometimes stayed hidden.  He was a complex, complicated character and was without apology, uniquely and wholly human.

He will be greatly missed by all of those whose lives he touched.

Funeral services will be Friday, March 1, 2024 at 11:00 AM in Gorman Scharpf Brentwood Chapel with burial to follow in Hazelwood Cemetery.