Dave is survived by his wife, Zan; his son, David Preston Ransburg Jr. (Jennifer) of Deerfield, Illinois; his daughter, Emily Ransburg Cittadine (Andrew) of Winnetka, Illinois; his four grandchildren, Cecilia Ransburg, Harper Ransburg, Eric Cittadine and Alexander Cittadine; and his brother, Thomas Ransburg of Santa Fe, NM.
Dave was a successful businessman, a tireless advocate for the community and an incredibly loving and generous husband, father, grandfather and friend. Anyone who had the fortune to know Dave personally knows that he was loyal, generous, caring, warm and witty.
As a young man, Dave became an Eagle Scout, and he continued to support Boy Scouts of America throughout his life.
Dave earned his B.S. from Purdue University and his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. In 1972, Dave ventured out on his own, buying a small sprinkler company, L. R. Nelson. Dave and his family relocated to Peoria, and for several decades, L. R. Nelson grew and prospered under Dave’s leadership, becoming one of the worlds’ leading manufacturers of lawn and garden sprinklers. Although headquartered in Peoria, L. R. Nelson had offices and distribution facilities all over the world. In 2008, the company was sold, and Dave retired. Dave was Mayor of Peoria from 2001-2005 and served as councilman for the City of Peoria from District 5.
Dave enjoyed reading, traveling, flying, photography, skiing, nature and, most of all, being with family. Unbeknownst to most, he was a writer of poetry and song lyrics, and he designed jewelry. He had great admiration for his grandfather, Harper J. Ransburg, and authored the book “The Ransburg Collection” in his honor (a story about his grandfather’s entrepreneurial spirit). His grandfather instilled in him the philosophy to “leave everything better than when you got there.”
