David Lee DeGeorge, 78, of Charlottesville, Virginia, passed away on May 30, 2022, at home surrounded by family after a brief battle with cancer.
David was born on May 7, 1944, in Buffalo, New York, to the late Nicholas and Corinne Shirey DeGeorge. David grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania, and Fremont, California. He graduated from Washington High School and served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. David served for, as he would say, “three years, ten months, and fifteen days, but who’s counting.”
After the Navy, David attended San Francisco State University, earning a bachelor’s in mathematics and then went on to attend Wesleyan University and Yale University, earning a Ph.D. in mathematics. He taught at Rutgers University and then worked for the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) in Princeton, New Jersey, from 1983 until his retirement in 2017. Whenever asked about his job, David would always say that he loved it but he couldn’t tell you what he did.
David met Dora Coleman, his “first” wife of almost 53 years, in San Francisco, California. They were married on August 23, 1969, and later moved to Plainfield, New Jersey, while David was teaching at Rutgers. During that time, they welcomed daughters Susan, Pamela, and Jane.
The family moved to Princeton in 1985 where David was active in the community, serving on the housing commission in Princeton and volunteering at the Battleship of New Jersey in Camden. David and Dora moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, in the summer of 2020 to be closer to their grandchildren, who David lovingly referred to as “the babies.”
David always had the latest technology, was a skilled chef, taught himself how to read music and to play numerous instruments and loved Small World Coffee, the New York Yankees and traveling with his wife and close friends the Kershners. He was actively involved in amateur radio (known by his call sign WQ2Q, which he personalized on all of his belongings) and recently served as the national training officer for Air Force Military Auxiliary Radio System (AFMARS). David was a special person to all who knew and loved him. His charm, witty banter, and kindness will be greatly missed.
In addition to his parents, David was preceded in death by his younger brother, James DeGeorge.
David is survived by his wife Dora DeGeorge; daughters Susan DeGeorge (Philip Shortal) of St. Louis, Missouri, Pamela DeGeorge (Brendan McKeown) of Burke, Virginia, and Jane Centofante (Andrew) of Charlottesville; grandchildren Olivia and Theo Centofante and Imogen McKeown; sister Susan Faust and brother-in-law and best friend Dick Faust of Denver, Colorado; aunts Susan West of Erie, Pennsylvania, and Nelrose Mahoney, of Moraga, California; and many other family and friends who dearly loved him.
A celebration of David’s life will be held later this summer in Charlottesville.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Washington High School Alumni Foundation or to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.