Born in 1946 to Katherine and Rudolph, the third oldest of six children, David had
an idyllic childhood growing up in Weston that resembled a real-life version of
Leave it to Beaver. He spent a lot of time outside playing with his younger brother
Ken and other neighborhood friends exploring the family’s yard they dubbed ‘the
Back 40’ a large field you could only get to by crossing Stony Brook, that cut
through land behind the family home. Good natured pranks filled their days as
much as the simple excitement of catching frogs and floating on David’s handmade
raft.
His love of driving started at an early age. At around 14, David’s grandmother
loaned him the money to purchase a 1952 Chevy with the understanding that David
would drive her around (which he did). He proceeded to dismantle the vehicle and
stripped the body down to the chassis, until all that remained were the working
parts and the seats. He and Ken drove that car over his father’s homemade
telephone post bridge into the Back 40 and drove around for so long they had
created a whole looped dirt track. With no doors or windows on the car to protect
them, the two boys would return to the family home — which featured only one
bathtub — absolutely covered in dirt and grime. David loved cars, motorcycles and
boats and all manner of vehicles and this love of driving carried on throughout his
lifetime. His boats were a Four Winns bowrider and a 25 foot C Dory both named
Ma Belle, a double entendre honoring the Beatles song Michelle and New England
Telephone aka Ma Bell .
In sixth grade he took up the trombone and played for the school band in high
school. He participated in scouting as a cub and boy scout, and achieved the rank of
Star scout. He played Little League, his team was featured in a television
commercial for a 1958 Ford Country Squire Wagon with Kurt Gowdy. David served
as a team manager for his high school basketball team and in his senior year
participated in a public debating contest what he termed as a significant life event.
He went on to play softball for the Baptist Church, a travel team that visited fields to
compete against teams as far away as Roxbury. He continued playing for that team
into his adult years as a pitcher, as it transitioned into the Weston Softball League.
Ever the prankster, David pranked his way in and out of Indiana Tech, and often
proudly proclaimed to have achieved the lowest cumulative GPA in school history.
Despite his lack of a college degree, he was a man of learning with a keen mind for
problem solving and exceptional wit. He avidly read anything he got his hands on
whether it be a thriller by Stephen King, or a manual to operate a toaster. He
consistently kept up with current events and depending on his audience was
careful in expressing his convictions with others but was quite vocal with those who
were like minded.
David’s life was forever changed in 1968 while having lunch with a friend at Ye Olde
Cottage Restaurant. In walked the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, and a few
weeks later while attending a party, he was able to finally meet her. That beautiful
girl became the great love of his life, his wife Michele. He came home from their
first date together and immediately told his parents that she was the woman he
was going to marry. In November of 1970, they did just that, exchanging vows at
the First Baptist Church in Weston, where David’s family were active members.
His easy-going way with people, and his ability to figure out how things worked
drove him to great professional heights. His work life began as a lineman for New
England Telephone. He loved Glen Campbell Wichita Lineman which was popular at
that time. He worked his way up the ladder from Lineman, to Splicer, to Field
Management; then later into the office for a position in Sales; rung by rung, never
letting his drive for providing for his family eclipse his exceptional love for them. As
New England Telephone changed and transformed , he did also; finding solutions
when problems arose, exceeding the expectations of employers, and filling the
gaps when they needed filling eventually becoming a Project Manager before his
retirement. Even in that retirement coworkers would often reach out to retrieve his
leadership and advice.
Even though officially retired, he often said “I’m not retired, just looking for work.”
So retirement didn’t last long for David, as often this love of people drove him to
voluntarily get involved in many other activities. He took a short job at Enterprise
Car Rental wherein he was constantly deemed severely overqualified, yet he
enjoyed the act of driving so much, he found pleasure in doing a days work even as
a passenger with severely aged coworkers who he felt shouldn’t be legally allowed
to drive. He even drove for Uber for a short time, as it gave him a captive audience
of strangers to tell his stories too.
He found enjoyment every day in random acts of kindness, of which he might only
perform one act and figure ‘that was enough’, he was done for the day. One of his
favorite good acts was to let people in in traffic.
David was devoted to the community through service to the Boy Scouts of America.
He served as a dedicated member of the District Advancement Committee and
presided over more than 600 Eagle boards of review, he served as Troop 61
Committee Chair, served as the Council Advancement Chair, and was a Unit
Commissioner. He continued to make time to volunteer long after his own
children had gone through the ranks, often willing to impart simple, sensible, and
easy wisdom to others. He was honored by the boy scouts with the Good Scout
Award for his unselfish service to others and awarded the Council distinguished
service award, the Silver Beaver Award which was given in recognition of his years
of service.
David loved the pursuit of knowledge, puzzles and crossword puzzles (he would do
three a day). He often watched Me TV, How It’s Made and the Smithsonian Channel
that featured Aerial America. He loved photography, and enjoyed the workings of
the lens and camera body as much as the photos he took. He shared a special love
of Jeopardy with his daughter Jessica, who would text him every night before Final
Jeopardy where they would share a guess at the answer before it was revealed.
A man with a tinkerer’s mind whose curiosity not only was captivated by things, but
also extended to getting to know the inner workings of people. He enjoyed people;
he enjoyed their story, their background, their drives and ambitions, and would talk
at lengths with you as if he were reading one of the many books he often enjoyed.
While never needing to be in the center of the spotlight, he often assumed the role
of key supporting player.
David volunteered at any organization where his family was involved no matter
how minor the involvement. He was a regular blood donor, who donated every six
months, and looked forward to providing entertaining conversation at any
appointment he kept. He exemplified the best of what it means to be part of a
community, in his service to others, but also in service to his family. If you needed
help, he'd lend a hand; if you needed a ride- he'd drive you- there was nothing you
could ask that David could not assist, or make the time to help. He was a man who
was selfless and did not ask for much. He was amazingly adaptable, as his life was
influenced by the demanding and unpredictable career his wife had as a midwife.
He was immensely proud of his family. He could talk at great lengths about how
proud of the people that his children had become. Whenever you asked him any
question about his children David, Jessica and Michael, he would become extra
excited to share their accomplishments and celebrate how far they’d come, with a
lengthy discussion which usually included a life lesson (that he’d taught them by the
way... )
One of his greatest joys was spending time hanging around with his grandsons,
sneaking subtle wisdom into playtime in his own considerate way. With Gabe and
Oliver and Sam (fondly referred to by David , as Mr G and Mr O and Mr S), he made
time to sit through a myriad of sports and practices, plays and activities. With his
“best pal” Sam who spent time having play dates with Grandpa, which some might
find mundane but meant the world to Sam, ranged from driving him around to
count various firehouses, and trips to the hair salon where he would allow Sam to
wash his hair before each haircut. Watching him with his granddaughters Emily and
Allison, you could witness his careful and mindful practice of leading them down
the path to their own new discoveries in learning with every time he picked them
up to sit them on his lap to play.
Since 2007, annual trips to Kauai, Hawaii became a special destination for David
and Michele; having recently spent 3 weeks in paradise indulging in time with one
another in celebration of their 48th wedding anniversary.
While commonly assuming the role of teacher, he earned that authority as one of
the roles he relished most was that of the Observer. He relished the chance to
watch life bloom around him, evident in the interactions of people around him and
the love his family shared. He was a great noticer of the small things in life that
everyone tells you to keep track of, whether it be the happenings of everyday life
that surprise and delight, or just small and poetic instances of Love.
David had his own unique sense of humor. He was a kind and gentle soul and will
be deeply missed and remembered for his selflessness and putting family first, and
building a legacy of Love.
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