By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
David Kolbe, a longtime Warsaw attorney who served previously as Kosciusko County Prosecutor, died Saturday morning after a brief illness in his newly adopted home of Durango, Colo.
He was 70 years old.
Kolbe had a well-rounded career spanning 42 years in Warsaw.
Kolbe might be best known for his election victory in the early 1990s, when he challenged the old guard Republican party and defeated Dan Hampton in a high-profile race.
Kolbe lost re-election four years later to Charles Wagoner and Hampton.
Hampton would eventually go on to later serve three consecutive terms as prosecutor.
Kolbe was also an educator who enjoyed teaching overseas and hosted public seminars on various subjects at the Warsaw Community Public Library. He also ran for the state legislature on the Democratic ticket.
Kolbe and his wife, Kathy, moved to Durango about two years ago to be closer to some of their seven children and also to enjoy the mountains.
He was currently employed as an assistant district attorney for the state’s Sixth Judicial District.
Kolbe announced on Facebook recently that he had been diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer that had spread to other organs. Within days, talk of chemotherapy was put aside and he moved into hospice care last week.
A memorial service in Durango is planned for later this week and a celebration of live is planned in Warsaw at a later date, according to the family member.
An obituary will be posted soon at News Now Warsaw.
