MULDER, Mr. David (Dave) Rodney

Albuquerque, NM

David Rodney Mulder, age 73, passed away on February 19, 2026, after a 10½ year battle with

cancer and diabetes. He was born on February 4, 1953 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Rodney

B. and Frances C. (Adriaansen) Mulder, both of whom preceded him in death. He was also

preceded in death by his in-laws Herman and Virginia Drenth, brother-in-law Rusty Shelburne,

sisters-in-law Peggy Bane and Brenda Kay Drenth.

Dave is survived by his loving wife of 50 years, Dianne (Drenth) Mulder, of Albuquerque, NM,

their two children, Kyle of Fuquay Varina, NC, and Todd (wife Jessica Tripp) of Knoxville, TN,

and six grandchildren: Andrew, Jackson, Grayson, Annie, Caleb and Sophie Mulder, all of

Knoxville, TN. He is also survived by his sisters, Mary Slaughter and Lori Mulder, sister-in-law

Laurie Shelburne, brothers-in-law Mark Drenth and Bradley Drenth (wife Kelli), as well as

several nieces and nephews.

In 1968, Dave moved with his parents and two sisters to Portage, MI. On May 22, 1975, he

married Dianne Drenth, beginning a partnership that would span 5 decades.

Dave was a 1971 graduate of Portage Northern High School in Portage, MI. He earned an

Associate’s degree in HVAC Technology from Kalamazoo Valley Community College in 1975,

followed by a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Western Michigan

University in 1980. He began his career at The Upjohn Co. in Portage, MI, working as a Design

Engineer and Project Manager on numerous facility renovations and new building projects.

In 2001, Dave relocated with Dianne and Todd to Augusta, GA, where he worked as the Lead

Mechanical Engineer for the Monsanto Company. There, he remodeled clean rooms and

upgraded the company’s on-site facilities and utilities.

In 2004, Dave and his family moved to Albuquerque, NM, where he served as the Engineering

Plant Manager at Cardinal Health until early 2006. That year, he founded ProTech Services

LLC, a business he operated and managed until mid-2015, when he was diagnosed with stage

4 metastatic renal cell carcinoma and made the difficult decision to sell the company.

Dave was passionate about traveling with his family, exploring both domestic and international

destinations. One of his greatest joys was “cruising” with Dianne, meeting new people and

making lifelong friends along the way.

In his free time, Dave enjoyed a wide range of hobbies, including hunting, fishing, boating,

gardening, landscaping, woodworking, metalworking, gunsmithing, building custom fishing rods,

and creating knives. He also crafted silver jewelry and worked on light architectural designs for

home improvement projects. Dave cherished spending time in his garage with his children,

customizing their cars and trucks.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on March 7, 2026 (Saturday), at St. Stephen’s

United Methodist Church, with the pastor officiating. Friends are invited to meet with the family

afterwards in the Fellowship Hall for light refreshments. In honor of Dave, please bring a knife

he crafted or wear silver jewelry he made, and share your stories and memories.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society or St. Jude

Children’s Research Hospital.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the caring and compassionate professionals at

Trujillo Family Funeral Home

"Our Family Serving Yours"