Dr. David H. Sufka

Dr. David H. Sufka, age 82, passed away on March 24, 2025, in Pequot Lakes Caring Hearts Senior Community. Mass of Chrisitan Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, April 4, 2025, at Our Lady of the Lakes “St. Christopher’s” Catholic Church in Nisswa. Burial will be at Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery on Thursday, April 10 with full military honors.
Visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Thursday at the Daniel Funeral Home in St. Cloud and one hour prior to services on Friday at the Church in Nisswa.
David was born on December 1, 1942, in Sartell, to Henry L. and Alma R. (Weisz) Sufka. He grew up in Sartell and graduated from St Cloud Cathedral High School in 1960. He graduated from St. Cloud State University in 1964 with degrees in Chemistry and Medical Technology while working full time at St Regis Paper Mill in Sartell, and then from the Illinois College of Optometry in 1968. He joined the US Army Medical Corp and served as Captain for 2 years at DeWitt Army Hospital in Fort Belvoir, VA. After his tour of duty in 1970, he returned to St Cloud and started his private practice in Optometry until his retirement in 2005. His practice grew over the years and developed into a four doctor clinic called Northway Eye and Contact Lens Center. He was a member of the St. Cloud Rotary Club, the St. Cloud Civil Air Patrol, the American Legion in Nisswa, the Central District Optometric Society, Minnesota Optometric Association and the American Optometric Association.
He grew up hunting and fishing with his father and was a “Huckleberry Finn” of the North on the Mississippi River! Besides fishing and hunting well into adulthood, he also had a love for aviation and flew with the Civil Air Patrol until his retirement. Between the ages of 40 and 64, he flew once or twice a week in his airplane. He also enjoyed the water, and starting in 1980, spent summer weekends for twenty years on Lake Alexander. Here he fished, “fourwheeled”, read, “deer watched”, and boated: throughout the years, he had three different fishing boats, three different sailboats, and two runabouts (the Hydrostream was Mikes favorite).
He started golfing in retirement in both St George, Utah, and Nisswa, Minnesota, which became his exercise and fellowship through his retirement years. He wintered in Utah for 21 winters and hiked 5 National Parks and enjoyed driving and exploring in the desert. He golfed at The Pines and Preserve, associated with Grand View Lodge, where he developed many friendships as well. He loved to travel with his wife, JoAnn, and after his children were in college, traveled to all 7 continents and about 85 different countries.
David married JoAnn M. Host in August of 1966. They had two children, Dr. Michael David (who also went to the Illinois College of Optometry) of Crosslake and their daughter, Dr. Susan Sufka Kaplan, of Philadelphia, PA. He is especially proud of his two children who followed his love of science into their professions. He has two beautiful, talented granddaughters, Adah and Dahlia Kaplan.
David is survived by his wife of 58 years, JoAnn and children: Michael, (Jennifer Rice) of Crosslake, and Susan, of Philadelphia, PA and granddaughters: Adah and Dahlia Kaplan. He is also survived by sisters Rosemary Knapek and Marjorie (David) Garmen, and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, brother James, sister-in-law Katharine Sufka, brother-in-law Marcel Knapek and godson, Paul Host.