David Andrew DeBruyne passed away suddenly at the age of 69 on February 27, 2020. He was born at the old St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, Washington, on January 18, 1951, and raised in rural Thurston County.
As a boy, he was active in Little League Baseball, 4-H Forestry Clubs and he worked every summer at neighboring farms haying, picking strawberries, and splitting firewood. He attended St. Michaels Elementary School in Olympia where he excelled both academically and athletically.
David attended Tumwater High School where he continued to be an outstanding student and was named valedictorian of his graduating class. During senior year in high school, David was captain of the cross-country team, captain of the basketball team, and captain of the track team. He was also elected Vice President of the THS student body.
He went on to Washington State University where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in physics.
Born of parents who both served in the U.S. Army during World War II, David followed the call to likewise serve his county and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. Upon completion of Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia, 2nd Lt. David DeBruyne was assigned to Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, where he became a Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) in one of the last Marine Corps classes to train in the Vietnam-era F-4 Phantom fighter-bomber. During the Iranian Hostage Crisis in 1979, David served aboard the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk in the Persian Gulf. Returning stateside, David obtained a Master’s Degree in nuclear propulsion engineering from the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. Upon achieving the rank of Captain, David was assigned by the Navy Department to serve as a physics instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. His appointment was repeatedly extended. He taught for a total of eight years at the Naval Academy. David’s next posting was at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, where he primarily coordinated logistics for war games exercises among U.S. Forces in concert with Pacific allies. David served in the Arabian Peninsula during Operation Desert Shield. Following 22 years of military service, David retired from the U.S. Marine Corps with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Returning home to the Pacific Northwest, David settled in Tacoma where he started a second career working as a mathematics teacher at Clover Park Technical College. He enjoyed the academic stimulation of learning and continued taking post-graduate courses in physics and mathematics at the University of Washington. Having grown up in humble circumstances himself, David was troubled by the high cost of textbooks his Clover Park students encountered. Not only were the textbooks expensive, David found them to be inadequate —so he decided to write his own textbook for his course covering basic business math. His textbooks were made available to students at printing costs only. Having enjoyed the experience, David wrote a second textbook. At the time of his death, David had been working on a third textbook, this one on physics, being prepared in conjunction with his studies toward obtaining his Doctorate Degree from the University of Washington.
Much like the Tom Cruise character in the movie “Top Gun,” David enjoyed flying and driving fast cars. During his military service, David owned his own small plane, which he flew to visit family and friends across the United States. He was a Black Belt in Karate. He was an expert marksman. He ran marathons. He was an accomplished guitarist. For most of his adult life, one of his greatest enjoyments was playing golf. He closely followed the Seattle Seahawks and the Mariners, but he was always most passionate about his beloved Washington State University Cougars.
In more recent times, after retiring a second time following 19 years at Clover Park Technical College, David immensely enjoyed hosting occasional Texas Hold’em Poker nights with friends at his Tacoma home, which provided a beautiful overlook of Commencement Bay.
He is survived by four siblings: Suzanne Muller (David J.) of Chehalis, Washington; Duane (Nese) of Burke, Virginia; Theresa Lisiecki of Westland, Michigan; and Joseph (Luanne) of Shelton, Washington; plus seven nieces and nephews and six great nieces and nephews — with two very recent additions: one born on his birthday and the other two days before his passing.
A memorial will be held at on Friday, March 20, 2020, at 1:00 p.m., at Mills and Mills Funeral Home, 5725 Littlerock Road, SW, Tumwater, Washington.
The internment of his ashes will be held at a later date at Tahoma National Cemetery, a U.S. Military cemetery in Kent, Washington.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Tacoma Rescue Mission, the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, or to the WSU Department of Physics.
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