David Pyron Lighthill

Born in Gary, Indiana, on Oct. 12, l928, David attended Harvard University, where he edited the Harvard Crimson newspaper and was a member of the Hasty Pudding Club. In l954, he graduated from Harvard Law School and was drafted into the US Army. After serving in war-torn Germany as a communications specialist working on the Stars and Stripes, David made a career as a corporate lawyer in Chicago, New York City, and Columbus, ending his professional life at Online Library Computer Systems in Worthington, then run by his friend Roland Brown.

David was a true Renaissance man, who believed he could teach himself just about anything and did. He loved to cook, which he learned by attempting every recipe in the cookbook from Le Bernadin. He learned to paint, race sailboats, play tennis, travel, attend theater–especially musicals–and grow dahlias. However, his deepest, most abiding passion was playing violin in an amateur string quartet for more than four decades, with beloved fellow musicians and friends Bob Rashid, Andy Malek, Wes Harnish, Joan Herbers, Sherri Trick, and May Zia. This group played their way through all the classical string quartet repertoire several times over, to the delight of their family and friends.

David outlived his parents, Sydney and Grace (Pyron) Lighthill; a sister, Janet Lighthill Reynolds; three wives (Agnes Potter, Elizabeth Lighthill, and Millie Patton Lighthill) and two cherished companions, Sue Crowley and Shirley Connell; and a grandson, Spencer Oedel.

He was a wonderful father to Amy Lighthill and Melissa Lighthill Bissell and their children, as well as an important step-dad to Kate, Alec and Anne Pouch and many local Patton family members, including Barb Ungerferth, Jody Hawley, and Rich and Dave Patton. He leaves many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as devoted friends from the full panoply of his interests.

No memorial service will be held, at David’s request.

Donations in David’s name will be gratefully accepted by:

Chamber Music Columbus: https://www.chambermusiccolumbus.org/make-a-gift/

OR, to support young musicians/future music professionals: https://cmconnection.org/donate/

Arrangements entrusted to SCHOEDINGER NORTHWEST.