David C. Harthan, 79, of Champlin, Minnesota, went home to be with his Savior, Jesus, on December 19, 2025. He passed peacefully in his sleep at his home.

David was born on June 30, 1946, in Cohasset, Minnesota, to Carroll and Catherine Harthan. He grew up working on his father’s farm and graduated from Grand Rapids High School in Grand Rapids, MN. He was the eldest of 9 children. Raised in the church by his parents, David’s relationship with God profoundly shaped his life from beginning to end.

After high school, Dave attended Oak Hills Bible College, where he met his future wife, JoAnne Tutt. Together they sensed God’s calling to missionary service in Austria. As they prepared for ministry, David pastored his home church in Cohasset, Minnesota, for a time, and then David and JoAnne continued their education in Tennessee. During this time, they welcomed their first two children, Eric and Christine.

With JoAnne faithfully by his side, David moved his young family to Austria, where they began language school to learn German, a language neither of them knew before their arrival, so that they could preach and minister effectively. JoAnne’s steadfast support, partnership in ministry, and dedication to their family were foundational to David’s work and calling throughout their years of service. David deeply treasured his role as a father. He and JoAnn were joyfully blessed with three more children while in Austria: Dawn, John, and Dan.

David and JoAnne shared 58 years of marriage and dedicated 24 of those years to serving as missionaries with The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM) in Austria. Dave committed himself to mastering German and building meaningful personal relationships both within and outside the church. He gained recognition as a respected preacher, a leader among fellow missionaries, and a mentor who trained Austrian men to preach, lead, and eventually take over the churches he helped establish. He often described his aim as “working myself out of a job,” believing his mission was to strengthen God’s church and then move on to new locations to repeat the process.

Throughout his life, Dave was an active athlete and outdoorsman. He enjoyed playing basketball, biking, and hiking, and eventually learned to ski, teaching his children to do the same in the Austrian Alps. Whenever he was in Minnesota, he enjoyed deer hunting season with family. He took his family camping all over Europe and travelled with them throughout the US when home on furlough every 4 years.

In the summer of 1984, the 7 of them travelled all over the country for 3 months in a borrowed RV, from MN to California and back through Arizona, and back out to the east coast, visiting family and supporting churches along the way. This trip illustrates another of his life mottos: “You don’t have to be crazy, but it helps.” In his later years, he became an avid bicyclist, riding with a local club in Champlin and participating in various state rides, clocking thousands of miles each year.

His other admirable skills included being a great cook, a handyman, and a true jack-of-all-trades. He built much of the furniture in their first Vienna apartment, including bunk beds for his children and wardrobes for the bedrooms, since European homes don’t have built-in closets. He was not averse to cleaning, doing lawn work, gardening, spending quality time with his children, and doing laundry. Early on in his ministry, he learned many magic tricks to connect with young people at church and at youth retreats. He considered himself to be full of random useless knowledge, but he was also full of wisdom and knowledge of the word of God.

After returning to Minnesota in 1993, David continued a life of faithful service with TEAM, supporting other missionaries through counseling, training, and prayer. He also became deeply involved at Revive Church in Brooklyn Park, where he served in various capacities for many decades, teaching, counseling, and faithfully preaching the gospel. His life was marked by deep faith, humility, and a quiet, steadfast commitment to serving others.

He is deeply mourned and missed by his loving wife, JoAnne (Tutt) Harthan; his children, Eric (Jenny) Harthan, Christine (George) Lundy, Dawn (John) Sullivan, and Dan Harthan; his eleven grandchildren, Jesse, Adam, Shaun, Jordan, Maddie, Jada, Sarah, Julia, Laura, Nate, and Jonathan; their spouses, Caitlin, Oskar, and Josh; his three great-grandchildren, Joy, Melody, and Freyja; sisters, Barb, Susan and Peggy and sisters in law, Bonita and Rita, and the many friends and colleagues whose lives he impacted over the course of his life.

David was preceded in death by his parents, Carrol and Catherine Harthan; his brothers, Steve, Jim, Phil, and Paul; his sister, Phyllis; and his son, John.

A memorial service will be held at Revive Church in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, on Saturday, January 17th, 2026, beginning with a social hour at 10:00 a.m., followed by a service at 11:00 a.m., and lunch afterward. The family looks forward to gathering with you to celebrate David’s extraordinary life of faith and service.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to Revive Church, The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM), or your local church, continuing the legacy of faith and service that defined David’s life.