David Ferrari

Dave Ferrari, 80, of Cheyenne, died March 6^th peacefully at home surrounded by family and friends. He was born January 12, 1944, in Scottsbluff Nebraska. Funeral services will be held at 3:00pm Saturday March 16^th, at Schrader Funeral Home. A viewing will be held prior to the service. Dave will be buried at Mountain View Memorial Park.

 “You are truly one of the good guys in my life,” friend Rich said when learning of one of Dave’s unwelcome health conditions. It occurred to Dave then, and remained with him until the end, if he was thought of in this way by the people he’s known, that is a good ending.

 As time runs out, people realize that they did not do enough. As a son. As a father. As a husband. As a sibling. Dave said he did not do enough for others. People he knew. People he didn’t. He learned later in life that giving is far more rewarding than receiving. 

 Dave was born on January 12, 1944, to Guy C. and Wauneta E. Ferrari in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. He attended public schools in Veteran, Wyoming through the seventh grade before moving to Torrington. His passion throughout the early school years was basketball. During his Junior-year, his high school coach, Bill Sharp, himself an all-American, called Dave “the best little man in the state.” A great honor coming from a great player himself. 

 Dave and Kay Cooper were married on May 29, 1966, in Torrington, Wyoming. Two sons were born: Brian of Cheyenne, in 1967, and Justin (Cindy), of Longmont, Colorado, in 1972. Dave is survived by his wife, Kay and both sons, along with five Ferrari grandchildren, Marcus, Payton, Connor, Brooke, and Kaylan. He is also survived by his brother, Kenneth (Lynda) of Cheyenne, his sister Jeanette Pontarolo of Torrington and brother-in-law Gene Boyles, also of Torrington, along with numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister, Mae Belle Boyles, and two brothers-in-law, Ron Darnall and James Pontarolo.

 The University of Wyoming issued a Bachelor of Science degree to Dave in 1966. Following graduation, he joined the Wyoming Air National Guard and served there until being discharged in 1971, the same year the University of Wyoming honored him with a Master of Science in Business Administration. These degrees opened career doors for the rest of Dave’s life and convinced him that one could never get enough education. He tried to instill this belief in his children and grandchildren. 

 Dave’s first job after graduating from college in 1966 was with Burrough’s Corporation in Cheyenne, designing, selling and installing automated accounting systems for small businesses. In 1967, he began his career in Wyoming State government with the Department of Education, serving first as an auditor of federal programs and later as the Department’s Chief Financial Officer. In 1973, Governor Stan Hathaway appointed Dave to the position of the State’s Budget Director. Governor Ed Herschler asked Dave to stay on in that job when he took over in 1975 but Dave had already accepted an offer from Jim Griffith to be Deputy State Auditor. Herschler said he would give Griffith two democrats for that one republican, but Jim wouldn’t go for it.  Governor Hathaway was the first of five governors Dave had the privilege to work with or for during his thirty-some-year career in state government, including the four whose transition teams he was honored to serve on as they prepared to assume office: Governors Ed Herschler, Mike Sullivan, Jim Geringer, and Dave Freudenthal 

 Dave was the Seventeenth Auditor of the State of Wyoming, serving from 1991 to 1999. He was elected twice by the voters of Wyoming, and at that time, received more votes than any other candidate who had ever run for office in Wyoming.  

 Dave said he was never much of a “joiner” of clubs, associations, or social gatherings, but during those government years was proud to have served for several years on the loan committee of the Wyoming Employees Federal Credit Union when it was only a two-person office in the basement of the Capitol building. He was also the government-wide representative volunteer for the Wyoming United Way during one of its annual drives. He was always proud to have been named a life-time honorary member of the Wyoming Education Association in 1996. In later years, Dave enjoyed serving as a neighborhood representative for the American Heart Association. Since 2015, he spent time working on U.S. House and Senate campaigns in other states and volunteering with national organizations dedicated to preserving American Democracy, which became one of Dave’s passions. 

  Dave’s favorite things included spending time with Kay, his family, and friends, and watching his grandchildren grow, attending their performances in sports and school activities. Despite frequent disappointments, he was a fan of all Denver professional sports teams, including the Nuggets, Rockies, Broncos, and Avalanche.  During his later years he enjoyed reading, researching, and writing, and authored and published two books during the last several years. Neither were best sellers, but both were fun and exciting to produce. He got involved in sculpting during his final years, specializing in wildlife of Wyoming. His friends and family preferred his sculpting over his writing. In fact, they seemed to like his sculptures. Dave enjoyed barbequing and loved spending time in the backyard which he described as paradise, among Kay’s beautiful flowers.  

Please consider making a donation in David's name to Cheyenne Regional Cancer Center or to our LCSD#1 students in need. 

Financial donations for students can be dropped off at 2810 House Avenue (Administrative Building) with attention to Shawn Metzler. 

Personal hygiene items and school supplies can also be donated. Please contact Denise Ryden at 307-771-2408 for more information.