David Belz, longtime owner of Valley Floral in Oak Park Heights, died of natural causes at his house on Oct. 25, 2019 at the age of 65. He is pictured with his son, Matt Belz, and daughter-in-law Laura Belz on their wedding day on June 16, 2013 on the roof of the Stillwater Public Library. (Courtesy of Matt Belz) David Belz became fascinated with flowers at an early age. Belz, the owner of Valley Floral in Oak Park Heights, decided to become a florist when he was boy and bought his first piece of equipment — a walk-in cooler from a mink farm that was going out of business — when he was 13. He was following in the footsteps of his maternal grandfather, George Smart, and his mother, Peggy Belz Wolter, both of whom were accomplished flower arrangers, said Dianne Wood, his older sister. “David was very directed,” said Wood, who lives in Salem, Ore. “He decided he was going to be a florist, and so he was a florist for the rest of his life. Some people are just like that.” Belz, who operated Valley Floral out of his house for the last 12 years, died Oct. 25 of natural causes, at home. He was 65. “He was an artist,” said longtime friend Chuck Dougherty, the owner of the Water Street Inn in downtown Stillwater. “Some artists deal with paints; he dealt with flowers.” “He loved seeing people’s reactions and how they reacted to his art and making people happy,” said daughter Elizabeth Belz, who lives in Memphis, Tenn. Belz’s “passion for flowers was limitless,” she wrote in an online tribute. “Just ask the manager that was on duty at the Hy-Vee in Oakdale when he noticed the flower coolers were set to the wrong temp. He […]
David Belz, florist who beautified Stillwater for decades, dies at 65
