David Willard Wax

August 30, 1930 – October 29, 2025

David Willard Malulani Wax was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to A. Willard and Maryjane Wax. He was raised in Manoa Valley on the island of Oahu and had one older brother, Philip Wax. David graduated from Punahou School and Academy in Honolulu in 1948.

He attended the University of Colorado for his freshman year before transferring to Oregon State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics in June 1952. Upon graduation, he was commissioned an Ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve, having completed a four-year course in Naval ROTC.

Two weeks later, David was called to active duty in the Navy and began his service as First Division Officer on the USS General Breckinridge, leading a 40-man crew. The troopship transported soldiers between San Francisco and Yokohama, Japan, during the Korean War. After 18 months, he was promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) and transferred to another troopship, the General Buckner.

In 1954, David received an honorable discharge from active duty and initially planned to pursue graduate studies in Physics. Instead, he accepted a position at Boeing in Seattle, Washington, as an Engineering Aide in an engineering staff group working in Plant II. There, he became involved with computing and binary coding for IBM machines. He later joined the BOMARC project—an early interceptor missile program that was part of NORAD’s defense against potential Soviet bomber threats.

After a year and a half at Boeing, David joined Honeywell in Seattle in 1956, helping to open a new Research and Development laboratory focused on underwater sonar. During his years at Honeywell, he worked on various projects and was awarded a patent for the Short Pulse Radar Altimeter for the U.S. Army—technology that would be installed on nearly every military helicopter in the U.S. arsenal. He took great pride in this accomplishment and loved his time at Honeywell.

While living in Seattle, David met fellow Hawaiian, Betty Korte. The two quickly connected and were married in 1960. In 1963, David and Betty decided to return to Honolulu, where they began their family. Their daughters, Lani Jane and Maile Jean, were born in 1963 and 1965, respectively. Nothing brought David more joy than his family. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

Upon their return to Oahu, David accepted a position as an engineer with Hawaiian Telephone. With Betty, eight months pregnant with Lani, they moved into a home owned by David’s parents on East Manoa Road. After a year and a half, he joined the U.S. Navy as a civil service engineer at Pearl Harbor, providing computer support to major commands. Six months later, in 1965, he joined LTV Aerospace, which had opened a Hawaiian division.

That same year, David and Betty’s second daughter, Maile, was born, and the family moved into the main house on Manoa Road—the home where David had grown up. It was a happy return to his childhood home. Around this time, David began working on his master’s degree in electrical engineering at the University of Hawaii, which he completed in 1969.

David left LTV in 1968 to complete his studies and accepted a position on a research project at the University of Hawaii known as the ALOHA System. This would become the most fulfilling work of his career. Under Dr. Norman Abramson, the project sought to demonstrate that computer communications could be achieved via radio rather than wired networks. David contributed to developing the Fast-Sync Modem and Terminal Control Unit and worked on satellite networking. The ALOHA System’s pioneering work in random-access radio communication became one of the foundational concepts of modern internet technology. David remained with the project until its funding ended in 1976.

In the spring of 1976, David and Betty returned to Seattle, settling in the Innis Arden neighborhood of Shoreline, Washington, where they lived for 42 years. David rejoined Honeywell, working in engineering on ship positioning systems. After five years, he accepted a position at Boeing’s Military Space Center in Kent, Washington, where he contributed to the Space Initiative (“Star Wars”) program, including projects such as AWACS and Minuteman. In 1989, he transferred to Boeing’s Commercial Division, working on the onboard audio-video systems for the 777 aircraft. He retired in July 1995.

Following retirement, David and Betty volunteered for 20 years at the Children’s Hospital Thrift Shops, a role they both loved. They also cherished their time helping to care for their grandsons, Chris and Eric.

David was an avid tinkerer and lifelong gadgeteer. He could fix nearly anything and spent countless hours at his workbench repairing electronics and appliances. A true child of the Depression era, he rarely threw anything away believing every part could be repurposed. One of his proudest “repairs” was keeping the family’s 1968 Frigidaire refrigerator running until 2018.

Above all, David loved his family deeply. He was a kind, gentle, and joyful man whose laughter could fill a room. His open-hearted nature and warmth touched everyone around him. He often said how lucky he was to have such a wonderful family—and his family always felt just as lucky to have him.

David spent his final years in a condominium in Mill Creek, Washington, just a mile from his daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

David’s beloved wife of 64 years, Betty, predeceased him by exactly one year, passing away on October 29, 2024. He was also preceded in death by his parents and brother, Philip. He is survived by his daughters, Lani (Bruce) and Maile; his grandsons, Christopher (Lindsay) and Eric (Lauren); and four great-grandchildren, Claire, Landon, Jayden, and Archer.

A private family memorial service will be held in Hawaii in early 2026, at which time David will be interred with Betty.

Those wishing to honor David’s memory, may make donations in his name to the American Cancer Society (donate.cancer.org) or the Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org).