David Thomas O’Malley was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa on December 8, 1944, to Donald and Regina O’Malley. David was the middle child in the family and was preceded by his older brother John and followed by Susan, his sister. The O’Malley home was typical of the time for Midwest working class families; the abode was modest but the traditional family values were strong. Sports played a central role as a venue in which both to build athleticism and character. Early on, David loved baseball and the days spent on the diamond provided fond memories of life in Iowa.
During junior high and high school, basketball, wrestling, and football were added as interests. His athleticism would not go unnoticed in Fort Dodge, as David’s name would often feature on the local sports page and by his senior-year he was offered a scholarship to play football at a small private liberal arts college then known as Parsons College, in Fairfield Iowa. It soon became clear, however, that his future lay elsewhere, and thus like many Iowans, David headed out west to continue college.
He landed in Bellingham, Washington at Western Washington University, where he enrolled as a political science major. While one day practicing basic French with a friend for a required class, a co-ed sitting nearby overheard the session and could not help but comment on the violence being done to the esteemed language. Laughter led to conversation, and soon thereafter Sandra Lea Funk and David O’Malley were a couple. Sandy, who was raised in Washington, and David, were married in 1967.
Following graduation from college, the newlyweds moved to Denver where he entered the University of Denver Law School and served on the law review. After graduation, and a period in the National Guard, they moved to California. It was during this time, coinciding with the turbulent social and political era of the late sixties and seventies, that they both became interested in the Bible and Christianity, and joined what was then known as the Worldwide Church of God. It was here that they found what they would refer to for the rest of their lives together as the “truth” and they became active participants in church life. David was later ordained a lay- elder in the church and served in that role until his death.
David passed both the Colorado and California bar exams, and after a stint working as an in-house lawyer and then with a firm, launched his own office in 1975 in the small town of Kerman, California. It was in that same year, after being told repeatedly by doctors that they could not have children, but then having spent much time in prayer, that their son Nathan was born. He would be their only child.
David was an active, caring, and involved father who prioritized God and family over all else. Starting in the mid-eighties, the family would develop an interest in international travel and would visit China, the Middle East, and make numerous trips to Europe. Later, travel became a necessity for David and Sandra when Nathan spent over a decade in Europe in the early part of his career. In 2008, Nathan married Tamela Smith, of Perth, Australia, and they have four children, Hannah, Greta, Bram, and Raife.
In 2015, David finally retired from the practice of law. Over the course of his career, he had served as the City Attorney for the municipality of Kerman, maintained an active litigation practice and assisted numerous clients with estate planning. In retirement, David and Sandy enjoyed an active life, helping and teaching their grandchildren whom they adored. To be near their family, the couple purchased a second home in Lake Arrowhead, California, where they spent many wonderful spring, summer and fall days enjoying time with family.
David had relatively good health throughout his life, but he experienced a serious stroke in late 2023. Approximately six months of this event, David suffered cardiac arrest on May 15, 2024, and died while at home in Kerman. He was 79 years of age, and is survived by Sandy, his wife of nearly 57 years, his son Nathan, daughter-in-law Tamela, and grandchildren Hannah, Greta, Bram, and Raife. He is also survived by his sister, Susan (O’Malley) Messerly.
Graveside service for David Thomas O'Malley will be held Friday, May 24, 2024 at 1:30 pm at Fresno Memorial Gardens, 175 S. Cornelia Ave, Fresno, CA 93706.
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