David William Hakes

David “Dave” William Hakes, age 73 of Salisbury passed away Saturday, September 12, 2026, while at Novant Rowan Regional Medical Center after a period of declining health.

Dave was born October 28, 1952, in Tiffin, Ohio, the son of the late William A. and Ruth Ann (Burns) Hakes. He married Diane Wagner on June 21, 1991 and she survives.

Dave graduated from Vanguard Vocational Center in 1971. He then enlisted in the Air Force and served for four years. Dave went on to work at Moore Business Forms in Fremont until retirement. Due to his love of planes, he got a job at the Sandusky County Regional Airport doing lawn maintenance, where he was able to embrace his passion for them.

Dave was a huge fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes, Cleveland Browns, Indians, and Cavs. He loved Mustangs, especially his own black convertible. If you happened to have lost a cap on the side of a road around the Fremont, OH area it probably ended up in Dave’s massive hat collection. He loved listening to music and dancing. If you ever got in the car with him you without a doubt would be listening to Pink Floyd or Ozzy. Dave was an avid gun owner many nights you would find him in the basement reloading bullets and listening to the Indians and Cavs games. Before moving to NC, Dave was a member of the Grace Lutheran Church where he took great pride singing in the choir. Having competed in triathlons, he shared his love of bicycling with his grandchildren, making sure to go on bike adventures almost every time they came to visit. Dave loved spending time with his grandkids and seeing life through their eyes. He could always put a smile on your face when having a bad day. He will always be remembered for his quick wit and funny jokes. As Dave would say, “What would MacGyver do?”

Dave is survived by his wife, Diane, his daughters, Jackie Erickson (Steve), of Detroit Lakes, MN and Jill Hilt of Fremont, OH, sons Shawn Feehan (Jamie) of China Grove and Ryan Feehan (Tanya) of Salisbury, his grandchildren, Emma, Haylee, Olin, Easton, Paige, Cole, Caden and Brynleigh, siblings, Susan Bascone (Anthony) of IN and Judy Dolweck (Robert), George Hakes and Michael Hakes all of OH. In addition to his parents, Dave was preceded in death by his sister, Cheryl Hakes and brother, Thomas "Charlie" Hakes. A celebration of life service will take place in Ohio at a later date. Whitley's Funeral Home is serving the Hakes family.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to The Dementia Society of America,  https://dementiasociety.charityproud.org/Donate