David Vaughn Escher, 64, of Mason City, Iowa, passed away on Nov. 18, 2020. A private family service was held at a later date. Memorials may be directed to the Lime Creek Nature Center.

David Vaughn Escher was born on Oct. 6, 1956, in Mason City to parents Vaughn and Joan (Burnett) Escher. He attended Mason City High School and Luther College. He was the owner of Birdsall’s Ice Cream Store, from which he often provided ice cream sundae bars around the community.

David is survived by three daughters, Paige, Leah and Linae, his mother Joan, his brother Stephen Escher ‘73, sister-in-law Ruth, niece Anna and nephew William.

Mason City residents share memories of longtime Birdsall's owner David Escher

By Jared McNett of the Mason City Globe Gazette

The outdoor sign at Birdsall's in Mason City, which would typically advertise the flavors of the season, is blank after the death of owner David Escher.

The black sign outside of Birdsall's Ice Cream at 518 N. Federal Ave. in Mason City is blank. Where there would typically be advertisements for the must-have flavors of the season, there is now nothing.

The tall, thin, illuminated red sign that someone might see from a distance, before they see the iconic striped awning, is turned off. That cursive signature isn't glowing.

Inside, lights are also off and the containers that decades of teenaged employees would scoop butterfat ice cream from are empty.

And, for the foreseeable future, it's going to stay that way.

A lone menu light can be seen through the windows at Birdsall's Ice Cream in Mason City. The shop has been closed for the majority of 2020.

With the death of longtime owner David Vaughn Escher on Nov. 18, 2020, at the age of 64, there's now no one to run the 89-year-old establishment. No one to provide peach, or apple pie, or any of the ice cream flavors that made Birdsall's what it is. The store is quiet and solitary.

Escher was born on Oct. 6, 1956, in Mason City to parents Joan (Burnett) Escher and Vaughn, from whom he purchased the store in 1994. Escher went to high school at Mason City High School and actually started working for his dad at the shop when he was a sophomore.

He went to Luther College in Decorah but made his way back to Mason City and kept working in the family business, which his dad purchased from the late Bob Birdsall and his family in 1969.

"There has to be something said for a business that’s been going 80 years in the same place," Escher said when the business celebrated that benchmark back in 2011. "It seems like that’s remarkable, because we’ve kept our quality."

Escher's proven right about that with just one look at the memorial page for him on the Major Erickson Funeral Home & Crematory website. Nearly two-dozen people have left messages for Escher to pay tribute to him and the store that looms as large as any in Mason City.

"He was a fixture of life in Mason City for decades and gave my daughter and so many kids the chance for a first work experience," Denise Eberhardt wrote on the page. "Nearly everyone who’s ever lived there has lots of fond memories of Birdsall’s, and the continuity there was a rare thing. Knowing you could always go back for one more ice cream is a tradition our family will miss."

Cathy Cates Gomez, who wrote that she worked at Birdsall's in the 1970s, shared that she and Escher made great memories together scooping ice cream, attending confirmation class and going on church canoe trips.

"Rest In Peace my longtime friend," she wrote.

Both Kyle Anderson and Valerie Cumming wrote that they worked for Birdsall's when they were teenagers and that Escher was plenty helpful to them.

"I still often think about conversations we had and advice he gave me while I worked at Birdsall’s. I held him in high regard and am sad to see him pass," Anderson wrote.

Michele Nettleton worked at Birdsall's for four years and had a bit of a quirky memory to share about Escher.

"Dave always came cruising in singing a little ditty to himself. I loved that about him," she wrote.

Mark Repp, who worked at Birdsalls for 50 years, and worked with Escher as boss for at least half of that time, said that Escher was his work family and he was Escher’s work brother. He never felt uncomfortable sharing ideas or ways of doing things with Escher, even if those ideas weren’t always acted on. To Escher, Mark and his wife Pat, who also worked at the store for years, were the glue that held the place together.

Back in August, Escher said he had thoughts about reopening the store in September.

Then he was just trying to take some time off in what's been a hectic year for so many. "I’ve been on vacation for a while. Haven’t had a vacation in six years," he said.

Now, there's a good chance the store will be going to someone outside the family, which Escher hinted at in August.

"I will be the last family member that is going to do anything with this…They all did a tour of duty here and they don't want a pain that's seven days a week," Escher said.

Escher is survived by three daughters, Paige, Leah and Linae, his mother Joan, his brother Stephen, sister-in-law Ruth, niece Anna and nephew William.

Arrangements are with Major Erickson Funeral Home & Crematory, 111 N. Pennsylvania Avenue, Mason City, Iowa 50401, 641-423-0924, www.majorericksonfuneralhome.com.