'You don't encounter people like Dave Reichenberger often': Appleton East teacher remembered

APPLETON — There are a few things that stand out about David Reichenberger’s classroom at Appleton East — knick knacks and trinkets students left throughout the years, small murals painted by students, and, perhaps most notably, a plethora of sketches of the beloved math teacher.

Some are almost hyper-realistic, like the one of Reichenberger sitting behind a large desk, with little music notes floating out of his headphones. Others feature Reichenberger as a cartoon, complete with a smile and little quips he’d been known to say.

"It’s a good symbol of how the kids viewed him," said Corey Otis, an English language arts teacher who worked alongside Reichenberger for several years.

"It sends a message right away that he’s somebody that is laid back and can be trusted. That’s part of what made him a great teacher: that rapport he had with kids."

Now, these portraits are also a testament to how much the Oshkosh native, who died unexpectedly from a heart attack last week, will be missed.

"People talk about the fragility of life and how every day is a gift, but this just shows how true that is," Otis said. "You really can’t take anything for granted."

As many of the aforementioned renderings show, Reichenberger was known for his collection of sweater vests and "jokes of the day." He never repeated the same joke in one school year. Sometimes, if content ran dry, he would call his mother, put her on speaker phone, and have her tell the class a joke.

He would also make up silly stories, and playfully teased both his students and family. Once, he told his students his wife Ann held the Guinness World Record for largest feet. One student started searching the internet to verify his claim, she said.

"He was a big kid himself; he loved talking to the kids," Ann said. "And, he could do pages of math that I would look at and it would hurt my head. It just came natural to him, it was not work for him."

Teaching wasn’t always in Reichenberger’s plan, though. He attended University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for engineering. Seeing how personable Reichenberger was, one of his professors recommended he go into teaching.

"It clicked," Ann said. "Few people get to work in a field that they enjoy, that they really love, and he was one of those people."

It was evident to others that Reichenberger made the right choice.

"As the head of the math department, when I think of teachers that I want to put in front of kids, I want them to be the way Dave was: smiley, friendly and jovial," said John McClellan, who led the department for about 10 years that Reichenberger worked at the high school.

In addition to teaching at East, Reichenberger also taught at Kiel eSchool, a year-round virtual charter school. He previously taught at other institutions, including school classes at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

But, for as hard as Reichenberger worked, he didn’t let teaching eat up his family time, and that includes time with his beloved cats. When his sons, Zach and Ike, were children, there were frequent camping trips. Reichenberger hunted and fished with his children just as his dad had done with him. As the kids grew older and became more self-sufficient, the family took bigger vacations, Ann said.

"He always told me that the most important moment of your life is the moment you’re in right now, so we did a lot of fun stuff," Ike said.

That’s not the only lesson Reichenberger imparted on his family and friends. Many remember Reichenberger as a sounding board and a voice of reason who was respected throughout the department. When Reichenberger was frustrated, he’d state his opinion and then let it go, and encouraged others to do the same, said Anthony Palma, a math teacher at Appleton East.

"One thing he always told me was ‘don’t get upset over things you can’t change.’ That’s actually helped me a lot through this with him passing so suddenly," Zach said.

Regardless of how one knew Reichenberger, there’s a common underlying sentiment: he was a special person.

"You just don’t encounter people like Dave Reichenberger often in your life, so you need to embrace it when it happens," McClellan said.

Madison Lammert covers child care and early education across Wisconsin as a Report for America corps member based at The Appleton Post-Crescent. To contact her, email mlammert@gannett.com or call 920-993-7108. Please consider supporting journalism that informs our democracy with a tax-deductible gift to Report for America by visiting postcrescent.com/RFA.