David Edward Luecht (Kootie)

David Edward Luecht (Kootie), 51, of Middleton, passed away due to cardiac arrest on August 18th, 2025. He was born November 24th, 1974 to George and Linda Ann (Schultz) Luecht in Milwaukee, WI. He was a chef in the hospitality industry for over 24 years.

David met his wife, Erin, through his love of feeding people in 2011. He was in charge of food at the Discworld convention where they met. After 2 years of dating, Erin proposed marriage using a pumpernickel engagement bagel. Rave (8 at the time, now 19), Dave’s child, proudly pronounced the ring was” EDIBLE” after he said yes. They road-tripped to Vermont and Montreal to seal the deal. They were married in Fairfax, VT for their first wedding on September 29th, 2015, and then had their second ceremony 2 weeks later at Devil”s Lake State Park with family and friends.

David enjoyed discovering and creating new food, the Metal Music Scene, building structures in Minecraft, following the news for political and the TTRPG scene (ex. Dungeons and Dragons),surprising friends with funny animal videos, playing Dungeons and Dragons with friends, walking with Erin and Doorie (their dog) near their home, and acting as a pillow for Azrael (their cat) to snuggle on.

David was a reluctant traveler at first, but came to love traveling over the years. His proudest traveling accomplishment was leaving late at night to be in a new state by sunrise. Road taken was random. He had many road trips where he slept in their car throughout the United States and Canada. He also traveled to many cities in Mexico, Iceland, Sweden, and in Copenhagen, Denmark. His favorite method of travel was in the back of a friend’s truck with the stars enveloping above him.

Survivors include his wife, Erin Fourquean of Middleton, WI; his child and his parsnip, Rave Luecht of Monona, WI; godson, Nolan Dunning of Sun Prairie, WI; sisters: Margaret (James) Cerny of Venice, FL; and Ruth Nimmer of Big Bend, WI;; brother: James (In) Luecht of Niceville, FL; brothers-in-law, Corwin (Gino) Fourqurean of St. Louis, MO; Bartlett (Teresa) Fourqurean of Webster Groves; Brett (Faye) Fourqurean of Edwardsville, IL; Zane (Grace) Fourqurean; sister-in-law, Jean (Xavier) Roland of Maryville, IL; and lots of nieces and nephews.

David is predeceased by his father, George Luecht; mother, Linda Luecht; brothers, Vernon Luecht, and Terry Luecht.

Memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 27th, 2025, at First Unitarian Society Church, 900 University Bay Dr, Madison, WI 53705. A light lunch is being provided by the family immediately following the service.