David A. Humphrey, Sr.

David A. Humphrey, Sr. February 01, 1941 - May 30, 2014 David Allen Humphrey Sr. (73), of Naperville, IL, passed away on Friday May 30, 2014 at his home, surrounded by his family. Dave was born in Syracuse, NY to Earl and Elizabeth Humphrey. The oldest of two boys, Dave rode his bike, played basketball and learned to type without ever touching his brand new typewriter in Terre Haute, IN. Later, Dave earned both Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Speech Communications from Indiana State University. According to Dave's Mother, college was inconsequential until he met the love of his life one New Year's Eve at a Chicago party. He immediately fell for her and was forever lovingly devoted to his "bride", Anne Marie Coggins. They married on June 26, 1965 in Indiana. Dave's first priority was always his family. Excited to start their lives together, Anne and Dave moved east to Oneonta, New York. Being truly on their own and away from family brought them even closer together and taught them to rely on each other for strength, love and support. Being independent also encouraged them to create strong and enduring friendships throughout their lives. Their first son, David, was baptized on their first wedding anniversary. What a gift! Dave quickly began to develop into an excellent father. He was an active parent; bathing, changing, rocking, talking and reading to his small boy. That's probably when Dave learned that magic baby touch which he had his whole life. Any fussy baby could be handed to Dave, and many were. He would hold them, snuggle them and inevitably they would drift to sleep in the nook of his strong arm. Dave and Anne's second son, Terry followed three years later and their third son Paul was born two years after that. Now, with three active boys, Dave taught them about hard work, determination, and most importantly, how to love each other, and their mother. Dave was a perfect model for his boys of how to treat others and love their wives. He was very supportive of his boys, never missing a sporting event regardless of whether it was freshman, JV or varsity, home or away. He rearranged his schedule to cheer them on, celebrate their victories and console and embolden them after a defeat. Later, when his sons married, Dave embraced each daughter with a big bear hug and a warm place in his heart. One of his greatest joys was spending time with his six grandchildren. He entranced them all with his Donald Duck impression, silly faces, funny jokes, giant cozy lap and ability to beat them in any game (sometimes, albeit rarely, he even let them win). Like all grandfathers, Dave cared deeply for his grandchildren, but what made him a truly wonderful grandfather was his enthusiasm and playfulness. Grandpa was always ready for dress up, trains or a snuggly story on the couch. As he played with his grandchildren, he listened, asked questions and of course, they all laughed. The grandkids anxiously awaited Grandpa's arrival. They knew a trip to the donut store in your pjs followed the next morning. Dave loved his family. He was loyal, devoted and fiercely protective of them. Dave was also a career teacher and innovator. He devoted his professional life to the field of communications, serving public and private entities in education, wireless communications and cable television. He worked for the State University of New York in Oneonta and Albany for 17 years as both a teacher and manager while also earning his Doctorate in Education. During that time, he produced television shows that were used as the very first virtual classrooms for many of the university campuses and was eventually named the manager of all 64 of the state's regional campuses. He was able to transition what he had discovered when producing Economics 101 and other courses when he moved to Massachusetts to be the General Manager of United Artist Cable Television. There, he was charged with building the entire system from the ground up. After ten years in Massachusetts, Dave was named Vice President of the organization and moved again, this time to Michigan, where he was entrusted with running the largest cable television system in the United States. Later, he was recruited by US Cellular to run the state of Iowa, and eventually moved to their corporate headquarters in Chicago making his home in Naperville, IL. Upon his retirement from US Cellular, Dave returned to his first job, teaching Speech Communications at the College of Dupage and the University of Chicago. He was a regular volunteer at Naperville's Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry and was also an active member of St. Raphael's church as both a lector and Eucharistic Minister. Dave's professional and social lives were full. He was successful because he was intelligent, adaptable and most importantly, engaging. Dave was a great communicator. At work and in life, Dave's sense of humor, open expressive mannerisms and interest in listening to the thoughts and ideas of those around him endeared him to others. Dave's animated personality made others feel comfortable. People were drawn to Dave and respected him. Dave is survived by his loving wife of 49 years Anne, son David Jr. and his wife Laura Rae (Roach), son Terrence and his wife Jaime (Shulman), son Paul and his wife Laura (Lopes). Dave has six grandchildren, Makayla, Andrew, Emma, Maeve, Quentin and Noah Humphrey, who love him like crazy. Funeral Information Visitation will be held on SATURDAY, June 7, 2014 from 10:00 - 11:00 AM in the "Memorial Chapel" of the DYER-LAKE FUNERAL HOME - the national historic Colonel Obed Robinson Home, 161 Commonwealth Avenue, Village of Attleboro Falls, North Attleboro. A prayer service will commence at the conclusion of visitation. Burial will follow in Mount Hope Cemetery & Arboretum, Attleboro Falls. Donations Information For the last year, Dave fought hard in his personal battle with cancer. His son Terry is riding 200 miles in the Pan-Mass Challenge to raise money for cancer research. In lieu of flowers, please support Terry's ride: http://www2.pmc.org/profile/th0170