John M. David

John Marshall David, age 88, of Spring Grove, PA, passed away on May 11, 2023, from cardiovascular disease. John was born in 1935 in Galveston, TX, to Lydia Thomasie David and Rex Joseph David. He was the younger of two children, with brother Rex David Jr. (deceased, Minneapolis, MN). In 1953, John graduated from Kirwin High School (now O’Connell High School) and joined the U.S. Navy. He went on to earn Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland.

In June 1960, John married Mary Vignola, who passed away in 2020. John and Mary shared more than 60 years of marriage. They have six children: Joseph (wife Kathy), Philip (wife Andrea), Lydia Fazio (husband Peter), Stephen, Peter and James; 13 grandchildren: Morgan Feather, Matthew David, Collin David, Jazper Fazio, Haley David, Rafferty Fazio, Brian David, Stirling Fazio, Joshua David, Michelle David, Cara David, Santina Fazio and Sean David; one great-granddaughter: Penny Feather; seven nieces and nephews: Rosemarie Holm, Annmarie Vignola, Teresa Alton, Paul Vignola Jr., Pablo Manga, Michio Manga, and Natasha Belli Carpanini; and many great-nieces and great-nephews.

While in the Navy, John developed an interest in electronics that led to a successful career with The Harry Diamond Laboratories (Washington, D.C.), which later became part of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL; Adelphi, MD).

His work was concentrated on research, development and evaluation of radar systems for various Army applications. He was promoted to chief of ARL’s Radar Branch in 1988 and to Associate Director of the Sensors Division in 1992. He retired from full-time work in 1993 and built a new home for himself and Mary in Spring Grove, PA, where they lived together for the remainder of their lives. After retiring, John volunteered many hours for SCORE, a nonprofit organization that provides mentoring to those wishing to start small businesses.

From an early age, John was passionate about the outdoors. For a time, he held the record as the youngest Eagle Scout in Texas. He enjoyed hiking, camping and hunting and shared these interests with his children, particularly during family trips throughout the eastern U.S. and Canada. He also enjoyed classical music and the performing arts; he and Mary were longtime subscribers to several theater companies. They traveled extensively in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia. Long after their children were grown, John and Mary’s home was the gathering place for family dinners and celebrations.

John’s family will host a celebration of his life on Saturday, May 20, at 10:00 AM at the Panebaker Funeral Home & Cremation Care Center, Inc., 311 Broadway in Hanover. Interment will be after the funeral at St. Joseph’s Cemetery, 536 South High Street, Hanover, PA 17331.

Memorial donations may be given to the Alzheimer’s Association ( https://www.alz.org ).