David Joseph Tack

Dave was born on November 3, 1976 in Coatesville, PA to Edward and Elaine Tack. He and his five brothers were raised in a delightfully raucous home filled with noise, fun, and the (usually legal) exuberances one would expect with six active boys. Dave excelled in academics and football and graduated near the top of his class and captain of the football team at Coatesville Area Senior High School in 1995. He studied electrical engineering at Drexel University in Philadelphia, where he graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 2000. While at Drexel, he fell in love with control systems, reformed theology, and Heather Fortney. Dave wisely prioritized the lattermost, marrying Heather in 1997. He nurtured his love for Jesus Christ and reformed theology at Tenth Presbyterian Church and was active with Drexel Christian Fellowship and Tenth College Union. In July of 2000, Dave secured his dream job at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, MD, applying his love for control systems to solving critical problems for our nation’s defenses in the area of missile guidance and control. Dave took a short break from engineering in 2005 while he pursued a career in ministry and realized during that time that God had indeed called him to be an engineer. Returning to APL in 2008, Dave threw himself fully into his engineering career with renewed vigor. While at APL, Dave became a widely recognized subject matter expert in missile midcourse guidance, intercept point prediction, and advanced threat characteristics. Dave became a supervisor in 2018, and developed a passion for mentoring staff and helping them achieve their career goals. He impacted countless colleagues at APL who will all remember Dave for his humor, kindness, selfless dedication, and engineering prowess.

Like his Lord and Savior, Dave had a servant’s heart. Unwilling or perhaps constitutionally unable to turn down a request for help, Dave was constantly putting others’ needs before his own. Over the years Dave volunteered as a Sunday School teacher, Boys Brigade leader, Basketball coach, church fellowship group leader, youth group leader, and Bible study leader. At work, he answered countless calls from coworkers who needed rides to and from work, who were struggling with personal challenges, or just needed someone to talk to. Dave loved his extended family, ministering to his mother, in-laws, brothers, cousins and family friends in countless ways. In all his acts of service, Dave displayed to the recipients of his kindness the love of Jesus Christ and the joy of living in service to others out of devotion to Him. Even in the midst of his struggle with cancer, Dave’s ongoing concern was the well-being of others, and he yearned to continue coming alongside his friends and family to assist with their struggles without regard to his own.

Dave loved great literature, especially Russian novels and Faulkner, although he hated reading and owed his literary exploits to the Howard County library system’s copious supply of audiobooks. Dave was a movie buff and had an uncanny ability to remember, and quote, sometimes famous but often obscure lines from movies at just the right (and often wrong) time. Dave’s musical tastes were eclectic and unique, with favorite artists including Weird Al Yankovic, They Might Be Giants, and whoever is responsible for the 1960 Christmas phenomenon, Dominick the Donkey. Dave loved (i.e., was fanatical about) a good deal, and was infamous for finding the loophole in any offer or deal, squeezing out every ounce of a sale, outmaneuvering the Groupon police, and maximizing what he called the enjoyment-to-cost ratio whether he needed what he was buying or not. He loved food and eating out, treating his family of ten to wonderful dinners at exotic restaurants, especially during Restaurant Week and on kids-eat-free Thursdays. He was temperate with regard to alcohol, but could not pass up a good single malt scotch, with Macallan 12 occupying the hallowed spot on his shelf, as long as he could enjoy it with a friend.

Dave recounts the early death of his father while Dave was still in high school as a defining event in his life. Dave was committed to preparing for his own early death by instilling in his family an unshakeable foundation of faith in Jesus Christ, a strong work ethic, and a commitment to serving others. Dave’s marriage to Heather was his source of earthly strength for 22 years. God blessed Dave and Heather with eight children – Naomi, Abigail, Edward, Daniel, Julia, Lily, Elaine, and Samson. Dave was a deeply committed father, even delivering one of his children himself (for which he was given, by at least one of his friends, the nickname “bearded midwife.”) Dave is also survived by his mother, Elaine, mother and father-in-law Marlene and Daniel Fortney, brother-in-law Pierre Fortney, his five brothers Simon, Jeff, Greg, Matt, and Brian, and dozens of cousins, nieces, and nephews.

There will be a memorial service for Dave on Saturday, December 28th at 2 pm at Columbia Presbyterian Church, 10001 MD-108, Columbia, MD 21044. All are welcome. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, you consider making a donation to one of Dave's beloved ministries: Living Hope Presbyterian Church, or the OPC Obadiah Fund. Dave’s brothers have also set up a GoFundMe page by which you can contribute directly to help his family, if you feel so moved.