David Richard Kortier, of Duluth, Minnesota, died at age 78 on August 4, 2023, as the result of a stroke. He was born on July 23, 1945, in Toledo, Ohio, to Dorothy (Miller) and Dawson Kortier. As a child growing up in Sylvania, Ohio, he demonstrated the skills and “can-do” attitude for making and repairing things that provided a foundation for his career as a widely-respected harp maker.