David was born in a log cabin near Granite Falls, WA. He graduated from Marysville High School in 1952 and Western Washington University in 1958. His graduate work was in Earth Science at Idaho State where he earned an MST.
David married Mary Leone Wilcox in the summer of 1953 after her graduation from Everett High School. They raised 7 children and encouraged their interest in sports, music, arts & crafts and dance. Summers were busy with car trips to explore the countryside and camping, fishing and swimming.
David taught math & earth sciences in the Highline School District for 37 years. His favorite study was geology. Rocks, minerals, plate tectonics and volcanology fascinated him. He made learning fun for his students by including Boom and Flash chemistry labs and demonstrations.
He and Leone shared many activities including square dancing, gardening, and sailing their 30' boat Noah's Dove. They hybridized daffodils and dahlias and were long time members of the Oregon Daffodil Society as well as the Federation of Northwest Dahlia Growers. They traveled the west coast from British Columbia to California, participating in flower shows where they won ribbons and medals. They were vendors at Port Townsend Farmers Market when the market was in its early days. A number of Dahlias bearing the name Chimacum or Valley were hybridized on their farm in Chimacum. Their gardens and fruit orchard led them to visit several countries including New Zealand, England, Scotland and Italy, always learning more about horticulture.
David is survived by his wife of 71 years, Leone, his daughters Cathleen Johnson, Wendy Cross, his sons Michael, Eric, Blair, and Matthew. His youngest son David died in 1998. David had 10 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.
He also leaves behind his brother Bernard and cousins Syndey Todd and Allyson Brown.
A memorial service will be held at Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on Sunday May 25th at 2 pm. A reception will follow the service.
