David Bustamante Rahe, 64, of Hillsboro, formerly of Valmeyer, died suddenly April 2, 2020, at his family’s home farm in rural Valmeyer. He was struck down while he and his brother Daniel were spring burning a dead cover crop off a field.

Dave was born Aug. 19, 1955, in Red Bud. He was raised on the family farm on Valmeyer Rural Route #1 and attended Valmeyer Public School, graduating from Valmeyer High School, Class of 1973. He attended the University of Illinois, graduating in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in agronomy.

After college Dave went to work for the Soil Conservation Service/Natural Resources Conservation Service as a soil scientist. He also worked on loan to the St. Louis District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and after retirement served as a contract worker for the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina; worked for Soil-Right Consulting Services, Inc.; and then founded his own soil testing company, RPM LLC. This job took Dave all over the states of Illinois and Missouri. During the course of his travels Dave photographed every county courthouse in Illinois, completed in 2018.

David is survived by his wife Maribeth (nee Nabers) Rahe; sons and daughters-in-law, Nathan and Courtney and Zachary and Rebecca Rahe; granddaughters Eleanor and Rhiannon Rahe; parents Henry and Elizabeth “Belle” Rahe; brothers and sisters-in-law Daniel (Brenda) and Edward (Leanne) Rahe; a brother-in-law Lowell Nabers; nephews Erik Rahe, Keith (Chrissy) Nabers; Todd (Cindy) Nabers, Mike (Debra) Schellhardt and Steve Schellhardt and their families; nieces Deandra (Robert) MacDermott and Allison (Matthew) Rude; and great-nephews Charlie Rude and Daniel, Henry and Otto MacDermott; aunt Stella Espinoza and uncle Victor Bustamante.

He was preceded in death by his father- and mother-in-law A.J. ”Slim” and Olga Nabers; brother- and sisters-in-Law Manny and Fanny Schellhart and Dorothy Nabers; and a nephew Joe Schellhardt.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at a later date.