Born November 11, 1933, David passed away on November 16, 2018 at the age of 85. Raised in Groton, N.Y., David attended Union College in Schenectady, N.Y. and received a Master of Science degree in biochemistry from Penn State University. He was a biochemist for the Norwich Pharmacal Company in Norwich, N.Y. from 1967 to 1994. Later, he worked for Oneida Research Services in Utica, N.Y. where he mentored younger biochemists and enjoyed playing on the company softball team. David retired in 1999 and moved to Rochester, N.Y.
David was a lifelong musician. During his early years, he played the drums and the sousaphone in the Groton School Marching Band. He learned the string bass at the age of 14 and played in his father’s jazz quartet. For many years, David played the e-flat alto horn and tuba for the Norwich City Band and became the band’s manager and librarian in 1976. He was also a member of the Oxford Community Band. He founded and played with the Riverside Ramblers, a Dixieland band, for ten years. Later, he joined his sister, Margaret, in the New Horizons Band (Rochester, N.Y.) and the Greece Concert Band. After a stroke prevented him from playing instruments, he learned how to compose music on his computer.
David will be sadly missed by his three children, Thomas, Alden and Nathan and his two grandchildren, Ethan and Erin. A memorial service to celebrate David’s life will be planned in the spring of 2019. To share a memory of David or send a condolence to the family visit www.anthonychapels.com.