David Merton Niehaus

David Merton Niehaus, 55, of Farmington, passed away unexpectedly on July 5th, 2023. Dave was born in Farmington on July 3rd, 1968 to loving parents Donald and Patricia Niehaus. He was the youngest of six children: Mike, Mark, Steve, Ann, and Laurie. He attended Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School, and went on to high school at Detroit Catholic Central. It was here that he met his best friends Dean Norton and Tom Taylor. His childhood in Farmington was spent playing many neighborhood games of “coo coo car car,” family trips in the station wagon (sometimes backwards,) and playing baseball. Education was extremely important to Dave, and he decided to continue his at Michigan State University. Here, he earned his bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies. Dave cherished his time at Michigan State and would reminisce on it often. A March Madness tournament could not pass by without Dave being glued to the television cheering for the Spartans, even attending their victorious championship game in 2000. His daughter Lilly followed in his footsteps when she graduated from MSU in 2022; this was one of Dave’s proudest moments. In regards to Dave’s pride in his own intelligence, I’m sure he would want it noted here that he received a 34 on his ACT; a fact that he often (not quite subtly) mentioned, and would want to be immortalized. After graduation, Dave eventually started his own mortgage company in 1994- Great Lakes Finance. He owned and operated it for years, and then went on to continue in the mortgage industry. It was also around this time that he adopted his beloved husky Jackson. There was little Dave loved more than the great outdoors. Some of his favorite hobbies included hiking, camping, fishing, climbing, and canoeing. When she was young, he would often take Lilly “turtling,” as he called it, and they would paddle the Huron River in Milford looking for a pet turtle. Dave was also a skilled fisherman and caught his fair share of salmon (his favorite food) throughout his life. One of his favorite hikes was his solo expedition of the John Muir trail in California. Another fond memory of Dave’s was hiking Pictured Rocks in the U.P. with his brother Mike and nephew Phil (aka Fil). He even once took Lilly trick or treating at Cabela’s! Sports were also enjoyed by Dave. He especially loved to golf. Every summer he made sure to play a round with his family in Lexington, MI; his family vacation home there was very special to him. He also attended many MSU football and basketball games. Something of a sport in itself was the classic holiday repartee between Dave and brother-in-law Brian, typically regarding some obscure scientific topic that only they would care about. Dave’s favorite thing in life was being a dad. This is evident in the fact that he would gladly dress as a Disney princess, and even voiced the Hogwarts sorting hat via baby monitor for Lilly’s Harry Potter themed 5th birthday party. He prided himself on helping Lilly with her acting auditions all throughout middle and high school, even offering advice (sometimes unsolicited) through her college acting education. He humbly referred to himself as “Martin Scorsesce,” Lilly can recall a hilarious night in highschool where he was helping her prepare for her Anne Frank audition and he decided to give the monologue a whirl himself. While he did possess some natural acting talent, he definitely was smart to keep his day job. Many inside jokes were shared between him and Lilly, including “Do you have any Kanye?” His taste in movies and music shaped his daughters’ in many ways, his love for Jaws being a prime example. They also loved to watch the Scream franchise together, particularly the tv show. One of Lilly’s favorite memories with her dad is when they spent a whole saturday driving around Northville to all of the locations Scream 4 was filmed at. They would constantly “scoop” each other on new things to watch. (Dave claims he introduced her to Stranger Things, but to this day she denies it.) He loved to listen to The Smiths, The Who, and The Mavericks. While his path in life was often arduous, Dave will always be remembered as the quick-witted, intelligent, and kind hearted man that he was. Let us always see him all around in the nature that he enjoyed so much. Dave, your family and friends will love you forever. Dave is survived by his daughter Lilly Niehaus; his five siblings, Mike (Cyndi), Mark (Jennifer), Steve (Terrie), Ann (Ed) Barann Raftery, Laurie (Brian) Yokie; and multiple nieces and nephews. Dave was preceded in death by his mother Patricia Niehaus. In lieu of flowers, memorial tributes are kindly suggested to Great Lakes Recovery Centers. https://glrcfoundation.org/donate/ A celebration of life will take place June 1st, 2024 from 4pm-8pm at the Knights of Columbus banquet hall at 19801 Farmington Rd, Livonia, MI 48152. All friends are welcome to join as the family celebrates Dave.

David Merton Niehaus

July 3, 1968 - July 5, 2023