David Saleh died unexpectedly Saturday, August 29th at Amery Hospital and Clinic.

He was born July 13th, 1963 in Cambridge MA, the third child of six, to Fuad and Helen (Gill) Saleh. He spent his childhood in North Reading, MA attending Maria J Murphy Elementary School, playing ball in the street and swimming in Martin’s Pond. His family also lived in Wilmington, MA and Solon, ME where David helped out in the family business, pumping gas, running the till for the store and cooking in the diner. The family eventually settled in Amery, WI where David graduated from Amery High School in 1981. He went onto Wisconsin Indianhead Technical Institute in Rice Lake, WI to earn his Associates Degree in Wood Technics in 1983. He married his high school sweetheart, Maralyn Peterson, on August 4th, 1984 at Elim Lutheran Church in Range, WI. To this union, a son and daughter were born. They have made their home in Amery for the past 36 years. David was a humble, generous, and patient man who never said ‘no’ when asked to help family and friends. He was a loving, attentive husband and devoted father. His children were his greatest pride and he taught them respect, compassion, and the courage to try anything. He was looking forward to take on the new role of grandpa as he anxiously awaited the birth of his first grandson in October. David worked at various jobs doing construction, cabinet building, and powder coating before spending the last twenty-two years at Bishop Fixture and Millwork in Balsam Lake. He was a skilled worker and, as a lead for the past few years, he was respected for his knowledge, patience, and dedication to his work crew and his everyday life. David was a man of many talents, and his hobbies included making homemade beer, hard cider, and mead. His bread making skills were exceptional, but his true passion was woodworking. Over the years, he built furniture, the cupboards in his home, and turned many goblets, steins, and bowls on his wood lathe. Some of his projects were sold at craft fairs and brew fests, but many were given as gifts to family and friends or donated for fundraisers. David’s generous spirit was also evident in the years he coached for Amery Youth Softball and the Apple River Soccer Club. He was a member of the Mission Team at Amery Congregational Church and built houses for Habitat for Humanity for three summers. David’s greatest pleasure was having friends and family gather at the kitchen table for conversation over coffee or in the man cave in the garage where all the world’s problems were solved with the help of a few bottles of beer.

David was preceded in death by his mother Helen and his maternal and paternal grandparents. Left to celebrate his life are his wife Maralyn, son and daughter-in-law Christopher and Ashlynne, daughter and son-in-law Lauren and Ian Jeffries, father Fuad, sisters Linda (Bob) Manus, Lisa Saleh, Jodi (Paul) Shuttleworth, and brothers Peter (Donna West) and Jameel (Figan As) as well as several nieces, nephews, and many friends. Dave has always protected the health and well-being of his family and friends in the best ways he knew how.

In honor of this, a private celebration of life will be held for close family and friends at the Williamson-White Funeral Home in Amery followed by an Irish wake at a private residence.

A larger public remembrance event will take place in Amery at a future date.

Last Update: Aug 31, 2020 2:04 pm CDT