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David Winnick enjoyed supporting and spending time with his family, including his wife, Shirley.
Forest Lake lost a titan of local industry and a decades-long leader in city politics Nov. 15 when David Winnick, 92, died after a two-year battle with dementia.
Winnick was the longtime owner of Winnick Supply (originally called H. Winnick Company) and a member of the Forest Lake City Council from 1970 to 1992. Family and friends remembered him as a dedicated man with a passion for hard work and a love of Forest Lake, where he lived all his life.
“He worked harder than anybody I ever knew,” said Councilman Ben Winnick, David’s son and current owner of Winnick Supply. “He never told me, ‘You have to do this’ or ‘You have to do that.’ He led by example.”
Growing up during the Great Depression, David worked at H. Winnick Company, then owned by his father, Harry. Though the business slowly changed into the wholesale supply company it is today, when Harry started the company it primarily sold scrap and animal hides, and David and his brothers Melvin, Jerry and Louie traveled the area selling the hides. Ben said there was never a specific time that David took over for Harry, but he started assuming more control of the business after graduating high school in 1940.
David ran the store for more than 40 years, interacting with a variety of local businesses along the way. Two businessmen who worked with Winnick on a weekly basis or more were father and son Bill and Jon Olson, one of whom have owned Olson’s Sewer Service since it opened in 1954. The Olsons continue to purchase plumbing supplies from Winnick Supply each week, and current owner John recalls interacting with David from a young age.
“He always had something special to share with you,” he said, remarking that David often had opinions on life, politics and the importance of honest labor to impart on anyone who would listen.
Longtime Winnick Supply General Manager Joanne Utecht agreed that work and discussion were among David’s favorite pastimes.
“Discussing politics was probably his favorite thing … politics and work,” she said. “Work was probably his most important thing to talk about, after his wife and family.”
David was the second oldest of six; in addition to his brothers, he also had two sisters, Sarah and Marie. Ben said that David and his siblings “grew up as the poorest family around” and that David had an undeniable drive to better himself and the family business.
“He kind of succeeded at everything he did,” he said. “He kept evolving (the business) as he’d go.”
That success translated to his career on the City Council, where David served for 22 years before being defeated in 1992.
“He wanted to see (Forest Lake) progress as much as it could,” said Joyce Winnick, David’s sister-in-law. “Even if (voters) didn’t like Dave, they voted for him because he was a very fair man.”
Ben said his father felt that the council allowed him to offer a unique perspective while also hearing from other points of view, a facet of council service that Ben also enjoys.
“He enjoyed the interaction with helping the community and having a different view with running a business,” Ben commented. “It’s kind of refreshing being one of five people and doing things on the council as a group rather than being in charge of things yourself as a business owner.”
Ben took over Winnick Supply in 1988, though David continued to be involved in operations for a number of years afterward. While David was known as a man with his nose to the grindstone, his friends and family also remembered him as a person with a great sense of humor; a love for his wife, son and grandchildren; and a penchant for conversation with anyone and everyone.
“He enjoyed talking. He loved people,” Ben said. “He would walk up to a stranger at a restaurant wherever he was at, and he wasn’t a stranger for very long.”
A graveside service was held for David on Monday, Nov. 17, in St. Paul. Shiva was held on Nov. 17 and 18. David is survived by his wife, Shirley; son, Benjamin (Rimma) Winnick; grandchildren, Steven, Hannah and Solomon; brothers, Melvin (Barbara), Jerry (Joyce) and Louie; and sister, Marie Kozlowski.