Obituary — Fr. David H. Gau, SJ

Fr. David H. Gau, S.J., died on February 9, after being hit by a vehicle in Wauwautosa, Wisconsin. He was 93 years old. 

He is survived by his brother, James, and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his siblings: Paul Gau, Martina Winckler, and Rose Nickel.

Dave was born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, on November 8, 1930. He attended Marquette University for one year before entering the Missouri Province of the Society of Jesus on August 17, 1949, at St. Stanislaus Jesuit novitiate in Florissant, Missouri. He became a member of the Wisconsin Province when it was created in 1955. He was ordained a priest on June 12, 1962, at the Church of the Gesu in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and pronounced final vows on August 15, 1965 at Marquette University High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

While in the Society, Dave earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy (1955) and a master’s degree in history (1959) from St. Louis University. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in sacred theology from St. Mary College in St. Mary, Kansas (1964).

During his first year of Regency, he taught Latin and Math at St. Francis Mission on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota (1956-1957). His second year of Regency was at Creighton Preparatory School in Omaha, Nebraska, where he taught History and Speech (1957-1958). After ordination, Dave taught Latin and French at Marquette University High School (MUHS) for nineteen years (1964-1983). While at MUHS, Dave was also rector (1972-1975) and minister (1977-1982) of the MUHS Jesuit community. 

In 1983, Dave returned to South Dakota to minister to Native Americans. He was the associate director of the Mother Butler Center in Rapid City (1983-1984), the associate director of the Sioux Spiritual Center in Plainview (1984-1988), and the associate pastor of St. Francis Mission (1989-2001). Dave then ministered for ten years as the associate pastor of St. Margaret’s Church in Riverton, Wyoming, before being missioned (in 2011) to St. Camillus Jesuit Community to pray for the Church and the Society.

Dave was a quiet, steady, and practical man, He was an excellent teacher, a good pastor, and a good companion in the community. He touched the lives of many, many people. He lived simply and worked easily with the poor. He was gentle with others. 

The date of his Mass of Christian Burial is pending.