David Fjeldberg, who started his Tribune career in 1959 as a newspaper carrier while attending Albert Lea High School, died Wednesday, Oct.

Friday, October 15, 1999

David Fjeldberg, who started his Tribune career in 1959 as a newspaper carrier while attending Albert Lea High School, died Wednesday, Oct. 13, in a Minneapolis hospital.

Fjeldberg had served 40 years as a Tribune employee as of July 7, 1999.

After graduating from Albert Lea High School in 1961, he became a full-time Tribune employee and started to sell advertising to local firms.

For many years, his routine included coming to the Tribune in the morning, getting organized for the day, making calls on area businesses, then ending his work day with the preparation of classified and display ads.

Mark Peterson, owner of Crossroads Motors, said, &uot;Dave called here every day since the 1960s, and thanks to him we never had a problem with our ads. I always looked forward to visiting with him. He’ll be hard to replace.&uot;

Bill Olson Jr. of Albert Lea said, &uot;The Tribune and the town lost a good guy.&uot;

Olson explained that Fjeldberg had worked with Bill Olson Chevrolet, and later Crossroads Motors, since 1965 and up until his hospitalization a year ago. Olson added that Dave was highly regarded by all the local car dealers.

One of those dealers, Dave Christensen, president of Motor Inn, said, &uot;It was always a joy when Dave came in to sell advertising. He became a good friend and we had some good visits about hunting and local events. What was supposed to be a five-minute call could end up lasting 45 minutes.

&uot;Dave was very thorough in his work and took pride in what he did. He definitely will be missed,&uot; he added.

Darryl Swensen, sales manager of the Dave Syverson Ford Lincoln Mercury dealership in Albert Lea, said he considered Fjeldberg to be &uot;a good friend. You could count on him take care of our advertising. I had worked directly with him since 1994.&uot;

The Tribune’s classified manager also worked with local Realtors.

One of those Realtors, Hugh O’Byrne of Century 21, said, &uot;Dave was the greatest guy around, easy to work with, cordial, positive and always had an upbeat attitude. He called on us for 30 years. We’ll miss him.&uot;

Another Albert Lea Realtor, Ken Leland, co-owner of KRL Realty Inc., said, &uot;We were very close to Dave because he handled our ads. I’ve known Dave for many years and enjoyed swapping Bear Lake hunting and fishing tales with him. Dave was very pleasant and helpful, and he and Kathy Nelson were for us the backbone of the Tribune.&uot;

Fjeldberg will also be missed within the office where he worked.

Nelson, who worked closely with Fjeldberg in the classified department for 25 years, said, &uot;It’s like losing a family member. It’s hard to lose someone you have worked with for so many years. He will really be missed by all of us who worked so closely with him.&uot;

Tribune Publisher Christine Moser added, &uot;Dave was a tribute to the newspaper industry. His loyalty to the Tribune was evident in his 40 years of employment. He was more than an employee to the newspaper or a sales representative to his customers, he was a friend.&uot;