David Derrell Ehret

Dave Ehret of Lake Hamilton, Florida passed away on October 4, 2026, peacefully at home surrounded by loving family. He was 68 years old.

Dave was born in Tampa, Florida in 1958, to Army veteran and engineer Con H. Ehret and housewife and social leader Dorothy Swann Ehret. He grew up in the Tampa Bay area, where he led an active outdoor life as a Boy Scout, swimmer, cross-country runner, and occasional assistant to his father, helping survey local parkland.

He graduated from Florida State University where he met and married his wife, Rebecca. He went on to work for the Hillsborough County Sheriff Office, from which he retired after 30 years and at the rank of Master Deputy.

Dave was a Christian by faith and spent considerable time outside of work seeking other ways he could help people devoting time to being a volunteer Fire Fighter and EMT; a CPR and First Aid Instructor, as well as a Fire Safey and Sanitation Inspector.

Dave's love of the outdoors extended into adulthood, whether he was working in his garden, playing golf, or going camping or fishing.

Inside, Dave kept himself busy working on model cars and planes, as well as on a vast collection of DIY home improvement and car repair efforts kept in constant rotation and at various stages of completion.

The family will always remember Dave as an avid storyteller, an "improvisational Chef", a prankster, a duct tape savant, and as a hard worker who was never afraid to break a sweat and get a little dirt under his nails. His steadfast and unwavering love and devotion to his family will be deeply missed.

He was predeceased by his parents, Con and Dorothy, and his sister, Linda Birch. Dave is survived by his wife, of 45 years, Rebecca Ehret; son, Daniel Ehret and his wife, Dixie of Tampa, Florida and their daughter, Pandora; daughter, Katie Ehret of Lake Hamilton, Florida; sisters, Laura Ehret and Vicky Kenoyer and her husband, Don.