David W. Eggebrecht

Dr. David W. Eggebrecht

87, Grafton, Wisconsin

Date of Death: July 28, 2026

Dr. David W. Eggebrecht was born on October 15, 1938, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Dorothea and Roland Eggebrecht. On October 30, 1938, at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he was baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus, granting him forgiveness, life, and salvation. He affirmed his baptism through the rite of Confirmation, also at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, on April 6, 1952.

David was the second of four generations in his family to graduate from Milwaukee Lutheran High School — following his father and preceding his children and two of his grandchildren — graduating on June 6, 1956. He then enrolled at Concordia University, River Forest, Illinois (now Concordia University – Chicago), with the desire to become a Lutheran secondary teacher. Upon graduation in 1960, he accepted a Divine Call to teach English at his alma mater, Milwaukee Lutheran High School. While teaching there, he began work on a Master’s Degree in English at Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Upon completing that degree in 1965, he accepted a Divine Call to teach English and Literature at Concordia College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (now Concordia University – Wisconsin). While teaching at Concordia, he completed a Doctorate in Education at Marquette University in 1973. David spent the remainder of his career at Concordia University – Wisconsin, serving as an English and Literature professor, founding the school’s theatre program, and eventually serving as Academic Dean for more than two decades. He retired from Concordia in 2003, yet remained active there part-time for years afterward, teaching and serving well beyond his formal tenure.

David was joined in holy marriage to Elizabeth (née Strege) on June 16, 1962. Their union was blessed with three children — Thomas, Jane, and Ann — nine grandchildren, and eighteen great-grandchildren.

David was a true Renaissance man in every sense of the word: a British Literature scholar, an athlete, a beloved and creative professor who impacted the lives of thousands of students, an Academic Dean, a voracious reader, a prolific writer, an actor, a director of plays and musicals at the collegiate level, in community theatre, and with professional companies, a painter, a movie critic and enthusiast, an Anglophile, a world traveler, a lover of food, an active member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, and a devoted fan of both the Green Bay Packers and the Milwaukee Brewers. If one ever reached David’s voicemail, he or she would be encouraged to “have an interesting day.”

He was an exemplary husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, loved by his entire family. More than that, he was a forgiven child of God, living out his faith through all of life’s vocations and setting a true Christian example for all to follow.

David was preceded in death by his parents, Dorothea and Roland. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Elizabeth; his twin sister, Deanna Sowlles; his children, Thomas (Tamara, née Wessler), Jane Gorski (Dennis), and Ann Carper (Tad); his nine grandchildren, Natalie McLaury (Ryan), Julia Schmoll (Nate), Ashlyn Swenson (Josh), Benjamin Eggebrecht (Emily, née Howard), Quinn Gorski (Korie, née Milton), Renatta Gorski (Whit Morley), Madison Howard (Joe), Clayton Carper, and Libby Carper; his eighteen great-grandchildren, Brecken, Callum, Tahlia, and Truitt McLaury; Carsten, Drake, Everett, and Kellen Schmoll; Crosby and Colbie Swenson; Ezra, Zebedee, Obadiah, Jonah, and Eden Eggebrecht; Mack and Judah Howard; and McVay Morley; his nieces, Susan Reddy (née Sowlles) and Cindy Braun (née Sowlles), and his nephew, Scott Sowlles; grandnieces and grandnephews.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, August 7, 2026 - 1:00 PM at St. Paul's Lutheran Church 701 Washington St. Grafton, WI.  The family will receive visitors at the church from 11:00 AM - 12:45 PM. A private burial will follow immediately at St. Paul’s Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are appreciated for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 701 Washington Street, Grafton, Wisconsin, 53024, or The Dr. and Mrs. Eggebrecht Endowment Fund at Concordia University – Wisconsin, 12800 N. Lake Shore Drive, Mequon, Wisconsin, 53097.

“Jesus said to [Martha], ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.’”

John 11:25–27