David Bustamante Rahe, 64, of Hillsboro, formerly of Valmeyer, died suddenly on April 2, 2020, at his family’s home farm in rural Valmeyer. He was struck down while he and his brother Daniel were spring burning a dead cover crop off a field.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date.
Mr. Rahe was born Aug. 19, 1955, in Red Bud. He married the former Maribeth Nabers on March 8, 1980, and she survives in Hillsboro.
Raised on the family farm on Valmeyer Rural Route #1, Mr. Rahe attended Valmeyer Public School, graduating from Valmeyer High School with the class of 1973. He attended the University of Illinois, graduating in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in agronomy.
After college, Mr. Rahe went to work for the Soil Conservation Service/Natural Resources Conservation Service as a soil scientist. He also worked on loan to the St. Louis District of the US Army Corps of Engineers.
After retirement, he served as a contract worker for the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, worked for Soil-Right Consulting Services, Inc. and then founded his own soil testing company, RPM LLC. This job took him all over the states of Illinois and Missouri. During the course of his travels he had the opportunity to photograph every county courthouse in Illinois, completed in 2018.
Outside of his work, Mr. Rahe was an active member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Hillsboro, the Hillsboro Sertoma Club, Bremer Sanctuary and the Natural Area Guardians (NAGs), a committee of the Soil and Water Conservation District. He also served on the Hillsboro and Litchfield Chambers of Commerce’s Agribusiness Committee.
Mr. Rahe was also active in Boy Scouts of America, where he served as Scoutmaster of Troop 90 in Hillsboro, leading both of his sons. Nathan would earn the rank of Eagle Scout, and Zach would earn the rank of Life Scout.
In addition to his wife, Mr. Rahe is survived by two sons, Nathan (Courtney) Rahe of Pella, IA, and Zachary (Rebecca) Rahe of Sycamore; granddaughters Eleanor and Rhiannon Rahe; his parents Henry and Elizabeth “Belle” Rahe; brothers Daniel (Brenda) Rahe and Edward (Leanne) Rahe; a brother-in-law Lowell Nabers; nephews Erik Rahe, Keith (Chrissy) Nabers; Todd (Cindy) Nabers, Mike (Debra) Schellhardt, and Steve Schellhardt and their families; nieces Deandra (Robert) MacDermott and Allison (Matthew) Rude; and great-nephews Charlie Rude and Daniel, Henry and Otto MacDermott; aunt Stella Espinoza and uncle Victor Bustamante.
He was preceded in death by his wife’s parents, A.J. ”Slim” and Olga Nabers; brother-in-law and sisters-in-law Manny and Fanny Schellhart and Dorothy Nabers and a nephew Joe Schellhardt.
Memorials may be made to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and Bremer Sanctuary, both in Hillsboro.
