David Earl Gonsalves

David Earl Gonsalves, 74, died peacefully in his home on August 30th 2026 after battling a brief illness. He was an extraordinary father, grandfather, brother, son and, above all else, devoted husband. He will be missed by many.

David was born on February 8th, 1952 in Miami, Florida, to parents Louis Charles and Olga Marie Gonsalves, as the eldest of 5 siblings. The family moved to Tampa, Florida when he was a child. His memories from his childhood ‘ruling the streets of Tampa,’ were some of his fondest. He attended Tampa Catholic High School, where he excelled in all 3 sports he played- track, baseball and football.

After attending college in Austin, Texas, David moved back to Tampa where he was blessed with his first born child, Beth Ann, and eventually began a career he loved in airline sales and marketing, which took him from Tampa to Sarasota and, finally, Miami where he became the Senior Sales Representative for Japan Airlines. The airline industry is where he met the love of his life, Jane Baker, and they wed in 1982.

David and Jane eventually moved to Fort Lauderdale to raise their two children, Erik and Meggie. They lived in a cul-de-sac where David sat at the top of his driveway and held court with neighbors and friends almost every night. The neighborhood kids would come to him to fix toys and boo-boos, coining his long standing nickname of Dr. Dave. He revered that nickname, as Dave made it a point to help any and everyone he met. He didn’t know a stranger and had an extraordinary gift of making everyone feel like they were his best friend.

In 2012, David and Jane retired to Jacksonville to be closer to Jane’s family. David thoroughly enjoyed learning a new city and making new friends.

David was a proud father, a proud grandfather and a proud husband. No one that met David once didn’t hear the adoration he had for his family. He was more proud of the family around him than any of his own accomplishments.

Remaining to cherish David’s memories are his wife, Jane, children Beth Ann (George), Erik (Katie) and Meaghan (Peter) along with granddaughters Madison and Marley and grandson George, brothers Louis (Rhonda), Billy (Ana), sisters Laura (Mark) and Mary Anne (Tom) and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Louis Charles Gonsalves and Olga Marie Gonsalves and niece, Tristesse.

Should you wish to honor David’s memory, In lieu of flowers the family is requesting memorial donations be made to the Tristesse Grief Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. https://www.thegriefcenter.org