David Maher Warner, a transportation engineer and project management consultant responsible for several notable projects in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area, has died at 71.
During a career spent with several prominent engineering firms in the Twin Cities region, Warner, P.E., M.ASCE, led appreciative partners and teams in major projects requiring intensive client interaction. He was known for drawing the best from his staffs.
Starting at Edwards & Kelcey as a senior engineer, he became senior associate at BRW Inc. and was later employed by Short Elliott Hendrickson, Parsons Brinckerhoff, AMEC Infrastructure and TranSmart Technologies. In his time at WSP, Warner managed the preliminary design and planning of the I-35W/TH 62 interchange reconstruction project in Minneapolis. One of his favorite projects was overseeing preparation of the final design of the Hiawatha light-rail transit line serving the Twin Cities.
At TranSmart he was responsible for professional and project management support in Wisconsin and Illinois. His clients included Wisconsin DOT and the Illinois State Highway Toll Authority.
Those who worked with Warner were inspired by his talent for establishing healthy working relationships with project teams, valuing the contributions of each member. At the same time, his engineering colleagues admired his technical abilities and saw him as an asset to each firm that sought his services.
Warner held an engineering degree from the University of Minnesota and an MBA. He was a Life Member of ASCE, loved photography and played basketball.
Warner and his wife celebrated 50 years of marriage in 2018. When he became ill with Alzheimer’s disease, they joined the Giving Voice Chorus, a chorale for people with the disease and their care partners. One proud moment was when the group gave a concert at the Ordway Concert Hall, in St. Paul. Even after his diagnosis, he was able to enjoy reading books for several years.
His niece described him as her “serious but fun uncle.”
I did not read this tribute until today. Thank you for posting. Dave left a lasting legacy to not only his family and friends but to the Twin Cities in the work that he did and in the manner in which he carried it out.