David St. Louis

A fifth generation Fresno native, David was born at St. Agnes Hospital and grew up in a small house near downtown Fresno with his seven brothers and one sister. He attended St. John's Catholic School and San Joaquin Memorial High School and Roosevelt High School.

He sailed off in the Navy to various ports in the Pacific during the 1950s, and witnessed a nuclear test at Eniwetok Atoll. David returned to Fresno and worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad while attending Fresno City College, where he served as Student Body President. He then attended Fresno State before heading to San Francisco to attend Hastings School of Law. He graduated in 1967 and returned to Fresno to practice law. He worked as an attorney for various Fresno firms and then formed his own firm and was practicing law right up until the time of his death.

In addition to being a dedicated father, grandfather and attorney, David was a fixture in the community. He served as President of the Board for Salvation Army, National President Alumni Board of Governors for Hastings College of Law, President of the Fresno County Bar Association and VIP Chairman of United Cerebral Palsy. He was also Past Director of International Relations for the Rotary Club of Fresno, through which David hand-delivered wheelchairs to disabled children in Kenya. He was a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and the Consumer Attorneys of California. He received the the Bernard E. Witkin Lifetime Achievement Award from the Fresno County Bar Association in 2009.

David fulfilled his passion for golf as a member of the San Joaquin Country Club He believed deeply in helping other people and was a beloved member of the community whose presence will be missed by many.

David is survived by his wife, Joan; daughters Allison and Jennifer; son-in-law Richard; and grandchildren David, Connor and Mackenzie Johnson, and Harrison, Aidan and Miles Gaushell.

Visitation will be held at Whitehurst, Sullivan, Burns & Blair Funeral Home on Monday, October 15, 2012 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. followed by Recitation of the Holy Rosary at 7:00 p.m.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at The Shrine of St. Therese Catholic Church on Tuesday, October 16, 2012 at 10:00 a.m.

Interment will be held at San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery in Santa Nella, California on Wednesday, October 17, 2012 at 10:30 a.m.

Remembrances may be sent to The Salvation Army Fresno Citadel, P.O. Box 11730, Fresno, CA 93775 or The Rotary Club of Fresno, Wheelchair Project, 2307 N. Fine Ave., Fresno, CA 93727.