David Wheeler Smith ’76

The following memorial was published online with the April 25, 2018, issue.

It is with great sadness that the class officers report the sudden death of David Wheeler Smith on Dec. 3, 2015, in San Rafael, Calif., of cardiac arrest.

The son of Stephen and Joyce Smith, David came east to college from the public schools of Boulder, Colo., where he ran cross-country, played the coronet, and participated in Boy Scouts, achieving the rank of Eagle. He particularly enjoyed winter camping, collecting frost points, midnight hiking with ghost stories, and the 50-mile hike he finished with two other Scouts.

At Princeton, David began with the Class of 1975 and took a year off before graduating with the Class of 1976. He majored in history, was a member of Campus Club, rowed lightweight crew for two years, and wrote with wry humor for Tiger Magazine. David also earned a certificate in the program in history and philosophy of science. He roomed with Dale Spiegel ’75, Jay Perantoni ’75 and John Wilheim ’75. Dale remembered, “David was the most well-rounded Princetonian I’ve had the privilege of knowing. Not content with trudging down to the Lake Carnegie boathouse in the dead of winter to grind away at the ergometer in preparation for spring crew, David took on the double challenge of a thesis on the development of calculus using French texts and pre-Newtonian notation — an intellectual challenge certainly beyond the rest of us roommates. He also acted as general contractor in subdividing our Pine Hall three-room quad into a five-room quad. His construction was so solid that the University facilities team was both impressed at the quality and appalled at the effort required to remove his improvements at the end of our residence. Contrast that with his decision to temporarily decorate the unfinished gypsum board walls with heavy black magic marker murals before painting — he didn’t realize that his ‘art’ would take five coats of paint to cover. He was even a perfectionist at cooking (not that one would ever use a hot plate in a dorm), demanding that we buy smaller carrots so they become more tender versus larger carrots that were easier to peel. His sense of humor is also reflected in an historical telephone listing for Onithgeleim, representing the last syllables of the four roommates, as the phone company would not list all four names.”

Lifelong friend Jane Perr ’76 reminisced, “I met Dave during senior year at Campus Club. It became an after-dinner ritual to delay the inevitable return to Fine Library by watching M.A.S.H. reruns. Well-rounded in his interests, he was as at home studying in the library as he was hiking through the Institute woods or stargazing on Poe Field at night. Though he studied the history and philosophy of science, he was a talented poet and had an interest in music. He was a kind, thoughtful, and gentle person — always ready to help. These attributes propelled him to pursue a career in medicine, though it would entail more course work after Princeton. Although a quiet and reflective person, he had a wonderful sense of humor and a hearty, infectious laugh. I was fortunate to remain friends with him after graduation and even after he moved to the West Coast. I am saddened that there will be no more reunions with him.”

After graduation from Princeton, David earned a medical degree in 1980 from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and served his residency in pathology with the Navy. During his Navy years, he met and married a Navy nurse, Debra Trimble, of Longmont, Colo. They landed on their honeymoon in Hawaii in 1983 on the day of the eruption of Kilauea volcano. Together they settled in San Rafael, Calif., where they raised their three children and David began his three-decade long career at Kaiser Permanente. As a pathologist, David was dedicated to his work as a medical sleuth, and took great pride in his cooperative slide preparation work with Mohs surgeons.

Always active in the community of San Rafael, David was a tireless volunteer for his children’s swim team, the Orcas. He served as Orcas team president for four years and mastered every volunteer role on the roster from taking care of the equipment shed to finding a new coach. He was especially pleased with his restructuring and reorganization of the league’s ten-team championship meet, where he served as meet director. Admired and respected by the community for his generosity and selfless volunteerism, the Orcas team continues to honor him for his outstanding contribution by an annual award in his name.

David was a member of First Congregational Church of San Rafael and he took great solace in it. His hobbies were hiking, reading, music, and climbing ice falls. He enjoyed trips to the family cottage in northern Michigan and always found a sense of peace in the woods.

The class officers extend deepest sympathy to his wife, Debra; his children, Ben, a graduate of University of California at Davis, Bonnie, a current student at California State University at Monterey Bay, and Amy, a current student at University of Colorado; his parents; and three brothers and their families. Both of his daughters will be carrying out his wishes by studying overseas next semester, one on a semester-at-sea.

The Princeton Class of 1976 always will hold in honor and affection the name of David Wheeler Smith.