David Lee Nault Sr.

April 17, 1930 - July 4, 2026

David Lee Nault Sr., age 96, passed away peacefully at home on July 4th, 2026. Born on April 17, 1930, in Superior, Wisconsin, to David N. Nault and Germayne Savoy, David grew up with an undeniable, lifelong gift for music. He graduated from Superior High School in 1948, where he also met the absolute love of his life, Germaine Patten.

A consummate career musician, David began traveling with various jazz and dance bands during his high school years. An incredibly versatile and dedicated artist, he played the organ, the piano, and various mallet percussion instruments, including the vibraphone, marimba, and xylophone. He constantly sought out time off the road to study and take lessons from notable musicians of the era.

Though his studies were interrupted when he was drafted for the Korean War in 1952, his musical talents served a higher purpose. As a proud veteran in the Fourth Army Band, David used his immense gifts to entertain and lift the spirits of his fellow troops. During his service, he was uniquely assigned as the personal accompanist to the famed singer Vic Damone, serving in that role until his honorable discharge two years later.

David’s life and music were beautifully intertwined with his devotion to Germaine. In September 1952, after being drafted into the U.S. Army, David was granted a brief weekend off during basic training in Virginia. He hurried home to Superior, Wisconsin, where the two were wed in a small, intimate family ceremony—beginning a beautiful marriage that would span 69 years until her passing in 2020. Following their wedding, the couple moved to San Antonio, Texas, where David was stationed at Fort Sam Houston. Over the years, their family grew to include four children born between 1953 and 1966. David’s career would later take the family on a journey across the country, living in Chicago, Denver, San Bernardino, and San Antonio, before finally settling in Austin, Texas.

In civilian life, David’s career flourished on the national stage. He traveled extensively, appearing in top nightclubs across the nation, on television programs, and in major concerts, accompanying legendary name acts such as June Christy, The Four Freshmen, and The Ink Spots. Following a memorable stint with the Ray McKinley-Glenn Miller Orchestra, David joined the Baldwin Piano and Organ Company as a representative. In this role, he traveled the country entertaining enthusiastic audiences on the Baldwin Organ and notably served as the official organist for both the Seattle and New York World's Fairs. In 1965, David released his own album titled "Music for People with Two Left Hands,"

After traveling on the road for many years for the Baldwin Organ and Piano Company, David worked at Strait Music Company in Austin, Texas, where he remained until his retirement. Throughout his retirement years, he played numerous weddings, dances, New Year's celebrations, and notable parties around the Central Texas region.

In the 1990s, David channeled his precision and creativity into a new venture, creating DCM Air, which stood for Dave's Custom Models. He founded the business to fill a niche needed for high-quality, remote-controlled models of the British Hawker Sea Fury and the American P-39 Airacobra, both World War II-era fighter planes.

In the summer of 2006, David purchased a 1954 Hudson Hornet Coupe. This was a deep-rooted passion, as his father had given him a brand-new maroon 1951 Hudson Hornet as a wedding present in 1952. David successfully restored a Hornet to its former glory, painting it cherry red and drove it regularly and proudly until selling it in 2016.

After selling his Hornet, David developed an interest in flying computerized planes using Microsoft Flight simulator and spent many of his last years flying different planes into airports all over the world right at his home computer.

David’s extraordinary legacy of music, devotion, and love will be forever cherished by his family. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Germaine Nault; his parents, David and Germayne; his daughter, Catherine Woodard; and his son, David Nault Jr.

He is survived and deeply loved by his daughter Constance Gray (Ben) and his son Dennis Nault (Sandi), as well as ten grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

His caregiver for the last year, Kristina Hetz, was also loved by David and the family.

David and Germaine Nault will be placed together at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.