David Kochis

David Emil Kochis, 73, of Moorhead, MN, passed away on March 8, 2023 at Lilac Assisted Living in Dilworth, MN.

David was born on July 2, 1949, in St Cloud, MN. He was the third of eight children to Emil and Francis (Greenberg) Kochis.  David married Sandra Treichel in 1969 and was married for 32 years. Together they had three daughters, Christine, Carolyn, and Tracy. 

David started working with Eastgate Industries as a beekeeper when he was 18 years old, eventually managing and becoming a partner in the business. He worked there for over 30 years.  He was a hard worker, well respected, and had a real passion for the beekeeping business.  He was a member of Sioux Honey Association and the MN Beekeepers Association.  David and his family would travel to Buna, TX, each year during the winter months to work with the bees. Many lifelong friends and memories were made due to a life in beekeeping. 

With beekeeping as a profession, there isn’t much time for hobbies, but David did enjoy fishing occasionally and attempting to golf, both of which had their own many humorous memories.  David had a wicked sense of humor and enjoyed trying to embarrass family or friends in any numerous of ways. No one was exempt from that. Overall though, one of David’s favorite past times was visiting with other beekeepers, employees, farmers and land owners (and pretty much anyone he came in contact with) and meeting the early bird morning coffee groups to discuss world events. David was a member of St. Francis Church and later St. Joseph Church.  In that time, he was also a member of the Knights of Columbus for many years and had served as a Grand Knight.

Later on, David suffered from some health issues and in 2007, had a severe stroke, which forced him to get out of the beekeeping business.  David lived in various assisted living facilities around the area after that, the last being Lilac Homes in Dilworth.  He still loved to talk about beekeeping and tried various ways to get back into the business.  David was described as “quite the character” and had a strong personality and wasn’t afraid to tell you what he thought, whether it was past or current events.

David was preceded in death by both of his parents Emil Kochis and Francis Kochis.

David is survived by his daughters, Christine Kochis, Carolyn (Glen) Visser and grandson, Alex, and Tracy (Josh) Nelson and grandson, Sawyer; as well as his sisters, Geraldine “Gerry” (Joe) Zamora, Sally Oschner, Mary (Robert) Phillips, and Kathy Zachary; brothers, John (Laurie) Kochis, Christopher Kochis and Michael Kochis; and many nieces and nephews.

A memorial visitation service will be held at Korsmo Funeral and Cremation Service in Moorhead on Thursday March 23, 2023, from 4 – 7 PM. 

In lieu of flowers the family invites you to make a donation to a charity of your choice.