Beloved Clark County resident passed away on Nov. 23
Dave Alt passed away at an area hospital on Sun., Nov. 23 at the age of 75. COVID-19 was believed to be a contributing factor to his death.
Dave Alt was born on June 13, 1945 in Billings, Montana. He grew up in Roundup, Montana and graduated in 1963 from Roundup High School.
Dave then went to heavy equipment school. He worked in the copper mines in Butte, Montana for a year and then moved on to a survey crew. From there he went to work as an inspector for the Bonneville Power Administration in line construction moving around the northwest for several years. When the job was finished he was transferred in 1967 to line maintenance in Vancouver. He worked as an equipment operator. After 35 years he retired to his life as a traveler and volunteer.
In 1983, Dave married Helen, who he met while attending St. Andrew Lutheran Church. They had 37 years together before his recent death.
Dave’s dream was to build a log house. In 1984 Dave and Helen purchased five acres near Camp Bonneville to fulfill that dream. The first step was to build the barn/shop to live In as the house was built. The barn was completed in October of 1989. After moving in, he started on the house.
The Alts looked into log houses but they could not find numbers on insulation values but only testimonials. They decided to go with a stick frame house that has the feel of a log house. Dave and Helen worked together for six years and were able to move into the house in 1996. It was his pride and joy. His dream was fulfilled.
Dave was very active in his church, first at St. Andrew Lutheran Church where he did much of the maintenance around the building while serving on the church council. He wanted the joy and the challenge of starting a church and attended Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Vancouver, where he served as president for five years.
During retirement, he volunteered for local groups including F.I.S.H. of Orchards and bell-ringing for the Salvation Army. He soon became their top money-maker. It must have been the way he enthusiastically greeted people with a smile and joy in his heart. Later he began delivering the Christian News Northwest that you will find in many of our area churches.
Dave began volunteering to erect political signs for conservative candidates for county and state government when David Madore’s campaign asked for help. Through this volunteering, he met many good people who are friends to this day.
You would see him every summer driving his pickup and trailer with patriotic signs showing the Constitution and Pledge of Allegiance in all the parades he could find. He got great joy in sharing his love of God and country with all the parade watchers.
To sum it all up, on his T-shirt: “I stand for the flag and kneel for the Cross.”
Dave Alt is survived by his wife Helen, his son David Alt II, his daughter Dena Alt, his grandson Caden Alt, and granddaughters Hananah and Haz Baa Gonnie. He is also survived by his brother Earl Alt and sister Betty Barnett. He was preceded in death by his parents Adolph and Eleanor Alt and brother Carl Alt and sister Della Carlson.
Friends remember Dave Alt
“My friendship with Dave Alt can best be summed up by his favorite tee shirt; ‘I STAND FOR THE FLAG AND I KNEEL FOR THE CROSS.’ Dave was a political conservative through and through. More important to Dave was his unyielding faith in Jesus Christ. The latter influenced the other. He was devoted to his faith first and highly motivated to support conservative causes second.
“Our friendship started on the basis of these two, like so many of those who came to love him for who he was. I found Dave to be thoughtful, kind, giving, and a great friend. When it came to matters of the heart, his tenderness came from a love only God can give. He was quick to pray, bold to speak and epitomized Semper fidelis. You will be missed my brother… until we meet again.”
— Phil Haggerty
“David Alt was truly one of a kind and he was my friend. Jesus was first in his life and his lovely wife Helen and family and friends. He was a patriot that loved America so much.
“David enjoyed people and parades. He could be found all around Clark County in his truck and trailer decorated with our Constitution, Declaration of Independence and In God We Trust, our National Motto. He didn’t shy away from his beliefs and was not afraid of controversy. He always put God’s laws above man He was soft spoken and kind, but courageous and strong. He drove in the parades with a huge smile on his mountain man face and people showed their love with waving and cheers as he drove by!
“David was a devoted friend and could routinely be found helping people in need, fixing and building things for them. He enjoyed delivering the Christian News Northwest magazine to dozens of Churches all around the County and they loved seeing him come.
“He was generous with his time. Conservative candidates knew him as one of the best sign guys in Southwest Washington and his phone was always ringing. He was in high demand and rarely said no if they were faithful and trusted Republicans. I had the honor of working with him on political signs for many years.
“Dave will live on in our hearts. We will miss his easy smile and laugh so much but know we will meet again someday.’’
— Chuck Miller
“Dave Alt was a strong patriot for God and our country. He made our community a better place and he will be greatly missed.”
— Rep. Vicki Kraft
“David’s charisma was indeed a spiritual gift. Anyone who has met David Alt remembers Dave with fondness and admiration. Who else would park his compact pick-up at political events with billboards mounted high and proud ‘U.S. CONSTITUTION: We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty…’
“Who else would welcome you to his residence, patiently explaining why he and his family drove every nail in the construction of their beautiful home as they did? Who else would tip his straw hat to a conservative and pleasantly explain again and again why you really must run for office … until you did it!
“Dave is a model for solidifying words with action. When he said that a particular person should become a servant of the people, he would initiate action to help make it happen, donating time and energy and funds. He took commitment seriously as was a man of his word. I really loved observing his joy – pure joy – at activities that excited him such as purchasing a plane ride at the party’s silent auction.
“When I first heard that David had contracted Covid-19, it seemed unfair. David had so much more to give, so let it live through all of us, his friends, to love your family and friends, and to act on your beliefs.’’
— Karen Dill Bowerman
“I was heartbroken to hear of Dave’s passing. Heartbroken for his lovely wife Helen and their family and heartbroken for me and the community in Clark County.
“Dave was many things to all of us. First, he loved his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and enthusiastically proclaimed that truth to those he encountered. He was also a supreme patriot and proudly made his love for Country known.
“He cared about and helped many people. I know of one group in particular that was dear to him — veterans — especially those who had difficulties in life and needed aid and attention.
“He was also involved in the community and civic life by helping many conservative candidates when they ran for office. He helped with signs, he took to the street and waved signs for his chosen candidates on some of the busiest intersections in the county so that hundreds of cars would see the signs and thereby hope to gain support for those candidates.
“Dave was also a frequent contributor at local County Council meetings, expressing his views on a variety of issues and passing on his pearls of wisdom to the Council.
“Those of us who were friends with Dave will miss him greatly and grieve the loss of his presence, but I know he is in heaven with Jesus and he has no pain and is able to breathe like never before! God rest his soul.’’
— Eileen Quiring-O’Brien
“I was introduced to Dave Alt this past spring in 2020. During this tumultuous year one of the many things I am thankful for Is the many wonderful American patriots I have come to know. One of the greatest I have known is Dave Alt.
“In the early spring there was a protest rally in the city of Camas. Dave drove his Ford Ranger with the sign he so proudly displayed a 4×8’ sign depicting the constitution and our God given freedoms which are protected therein.
“He later reached out to me wanting a political sign to show his support for Loren Culp to be the governor of Washington, which I delivered to his home. He joined the Clark County Culp volunteer team and helped to distribute signs and attended every rally I can remember.
“This great patriot worked tirelessly putting up signs and talking to people about our freedoms.
Dave built a frame for my 4×8’ Culp sign to go in my truck, just like his. He would often fly the Christian flag at our rallies also.
“My wife and I are so happy we got to meet Dave and his wonderful wife Helen Alt. I will miss Dave and will fondly reflect on the times we spent together. When a Christian goes home to be with the Lord I see it as a graduation. I know I will see him again — after my graduation is complete.’’
— Josh Bradley
“I met Dave in the back of the room at a political rally many years ago. We both were citizens supporting a good person running for public office.
“But I got to know Dave when I ran into him ringing bells for the Salvation Army. I chose to join him greeting people, wishing them Merry Christmas, and thanking those who chose to donate. We spent roughly 45 minutes together and got much better acquainted.
“After that I saw him driving his pickup truck with his Constitution sign in many of our local parades. We became close friends due to his love of our country, his faith in Christ, and his admiration of those serving in the military. We both shared a passion for supporting conservative candidates for office.
“Dave shared his love of flying, and told me more than once of the extreme joy he had in buying a flight in a WWII Mustang. You’ll see a photo of him standing beside the plane Toulouse Nuts in the photo collage. He shared tales from the traveling he and Helen did. One of their favorites was their trip to Peru. They absolutely loved Machu Picchu, the Andes, and Lake Titicaca.
“Dave was an extremely giving person with a huge heart. He quietly gave to those needing help, simply because it was the right thing to do. He lived his values and his faith. Dave was an example to all. He will be missed.’’
— John Ley
