David Allen Rand, age 70 of Shawano, passed away Tuesday, February 25, 2014 at his home. Born on October 16, 1943 in Chicago, he was the son of the late Milton and Pearl (Ledger) Rand. In 1947 his family moved back to the Chili, WI area in Clark County. David grew up on a farm with many brothers and sisters. He was a part of the last generation to attend one-room country schools. The school he attended, Cozy Corner, had on average of about 17 students, grades 1-8, all taught by one teacher. In 1962, a year after graduating from Granton High School, David along with a high school friend, Larry, both riding Harley Davidson Sportsters, traveled from Wisconsin down to Texas, to the Grand Canyon and finally to Los Angeles. From there they rode through Las Vegas up to Yellowstone and then back to Wisconsin. Mostly they slept in a small pup-tent, often in roadside parks or rest areas. In all they traveled about 6,000 miles in 30 days. This trip was a good break between living at home with parents and siblings to leaving for the larger world. Shortly after returning from their trip, both joined the military with Larry joining the Air Force and David joining the Army. After basic training at Fort Lenard Wood, he was sent to Fort Devins, Massachusetts where he got training in the Army Security Agency. Upon completion of his training, as luck would have it, David was sent to Japan, a place he wanted to go to, to be stationed at a small base in northern Kyushu, which is now closed. The 27 months in Japan were totally transformational for David. Nearly every aspect of his life would be changed by having been in Japan. He made friends with many Japanese, practiced karate, traveled around Japan, especially Kyushu, by motorcycle, train and bus. He fell in love with Japan, its people, culture, food, geography, everything. In 1964 he was convinced by a Japanese college student to teach a short English conversation class (such classes were, and still are, very popular with young adults in Japan). As fate would have it, one of the students in his class was a beautiful young lady, Kazuko, who later became his wife. Kazuko lived with her two younger brothers and her parents and at that time worked for Komatsu. David made arrangements to be discharged from the Army in Japan. On September 25, 1965, a week after leaving the army, David was united in marriage to Kazuko Imabayashi. In a strange twist of fate, their best man, Peter who was stationed at the same base David had been, and the maid-of-honor, Toshiko, a young Japanese lady, were later married. They now live in California. The wedding was conducted in Japanese, English and Latin. The reception was a very traditional Japanese style. David and Kazuko lived in Japan for about two months before moving to Wisconsin. Upon returning to the U.S., David worked for a year at General Motors in Janesville. Shortly after the new G.I. Bill passed, David enrolled at UW Whitewater, later transferring to UW Stevens Point where he majored in natural resource management, history and secondary education. While at UWSP he was a founding member of Veterans for Peace. Later, he got his master's degree from UWSP in broad field social studies. After graduating in 1971, he, Kazuko, and now two children, Patty and Doug, moved to Shawano. David taught 2 years in Gillett, 3 in Clintonville and in 1976 when the Menominee Indian School District was organized, he started a 25 year career in that school system. During his time there, he developed a deep appreciation for the Menominee people and their culture. He and his family attended many powwows and other cultural events on the reservation. He was very appreciative for having had the opportunity to meet many members of the Menominee Tribe and to learn about their history and culture and was inspired and impressed by various aspects of Menominee culture, especially their respect for the environment, respect for tradition and respect for elders. David and Kazuko were always interested in meeting and learning about new people and cultures. Over the years, Kazuko and David had guests in their home from at least 20 different countries and cultures including Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, Mexico, Canada, Spain, France, Great Britain, Namibia, Brazil, The Philippines, Germany and of course, many Native Americans. David also had a deep love and respect for our natural environment. He supported several different environmental groups and tried to live in such a way as to have a minimal impact on the environment. He believed that the canoe was the greatest vehicle from which to see the world. He and Kazuko backpacked in the Canadian Rockies, hiked in canyons in the southwest, canoed the Boundary Waters in Minnesota, and tried to develop an appreciation for the environment in their children. When David and his family first moved to Shawano, they lived at 506 W. Green Bay Street in what was historically known as the Jerry Kroll House. In 1974 that house was moved to a spot 5 miles west of Shawano, just off County Highway M. He and his family enjoyed living in such an old house. Over the years they met people who, years earlier, had lived in the same house. Much additional information about the house and families that lived there, including old photos have been collected over the years. David had many interests, from practicing Shotokan karate (which he taught for many years) to antique farm machinery to history, canoeing, camping, hiking, photography, environmental issues and meeting people from other cultures. David always enjoyed working with his hands. In the first year of his retirement, he built a beautiful cedar-strip canoe. Later, he built a wood-fired pottery kiln and got involved in making pottery. This also meant attending various art fairs and festivals. David and Kazuko were able to also take part in many Japanese festivals in WI, IL and MN. David and Kazuko stayed connected to UW Stevens Point, attending cultural events put on by various foreign student's organizations, going to classes and visiting former professors. For over 20 years, David and Kazuko were involved in the Shawano Folk Music Festival, Kazuko with her beautiful ikebana arrangements and David in working on the planning committee. David was also involved in organizing the very popular and successful Miles of Art-Shawano County. David's 27 months in Japan while in the army was not the only time he was in Japan. Subsequently, he went to Japan 6 more times. He liked to revisit places he had been to earlier as well as visiting new places. From Kazuko's hometown, Fukuoka, to Kyoto, Nara, Tokyo and elsewhere, David loved to travel around Japan to large cities, villages, the country side and the many, many shrines and temples, meeting people, enjoying the food, and always being awed by the wonder of life. He always felt completely at home while in Japan. He was always impressed by the helpfulness, kindness, gentleness and generosity of the Japanese people. One of his trips to Japan involved being a guide for three people, two of them from Shawano County. And, he never forgot the genuine kindness and concern his mother-in-law showed toward him. David felt she was perhaps the most gentle person he ever knew. David was a runner. He ran the Shawano Run many times and the Bellin Run over 20 times. Two times David ran the Green Bay Half Marathon. He estimated that he had ran over 12,000 miles. He credited running as well as a generally healthy life style for a long, mentally and physically active life. David felt that the best part of his life was his loving wife, Kazuko. She is strong, smart, artistic, enjoyed life and is highly respected by all who know her. She filled his life more than anything else. David could never have imagined life without Kazuko. She was there in hard times and she made the good times all the better. Her creativity and imagination were exceptional and this made life with her all the more interesting. Kazuko was David's inspiration and best friend. David is survived by: his wife of 48 years, Kazuko; children, Patricia (Bob) Hedrick, Doug Rand; and siblings, Howard (Carol) Rand, Mark (Diane) Rand, Terry (Sharon) Rand, Marilyn (Johnny) Scott, Eugene Rand, Elizabeth (Randy) Ramker; sister-in-law, Becky Rand; and nieces and nephews. David was preceded in death by: his parents, Milton and Pearl; sisters, MaryAnn and Stella; brother, Gary; niece, Tanya; and former daughter-in-law, Tristam. Funeral services will be held at 11:00am on Monday, March 3, 2014 at the St. Francis Solanus Catholic Church in Gresham with the Rev. David McElroy O Praem officiating. Visitation will be held at the Swedberg Funeral Home in Shawano on Sunday from 4:00-7:00pm and at the church on Monday from 10:00am until the time of the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations for Miles of Art-Shawano County would be greatly appreciated. www.swedbergfuneralhome.com