David Anderson Nace

NACE, David A.
of Kalamazoo Born on May 7, 1937, David Anderson Nace grew up in the western Maryland town of Oakland; an idyllic childhood which was the source of tales and capers that bear retelling at any opportunity. David enjoyed camping, fishing, and hunting. He also learned to expertly shoot every firearm that came his way and there are very few firearms that never came his way. David joined the Boy Scouts of America where he grew in his love of the outdoors and learned the few outdoorsman and sportsman skills that he had not already learned from his father and his grandfather. David continued his association with the Boy Scouts of America for several decades, becoming Scoutmaster for Troop 874 in Ellicott City, MD. David also loved the marches of Sousa and he played the trombone in the Southern Garrett County High School band. Much to his children's chagrin, he later played this same trombone on New Year's Eve and other occasions warranting a loud blasting commotion. After high school, David joined the Maryland National Guard where he mastered radio communications. His service in the Guard also gave wings to his love for military history and strategy. David enrolled at Drexel Institute of Technology in Philadelphia, and as a brother in the Sigma Pi fraternity, he earned his degree in electrical engineering in June 1962. One week after graduation, David married his sweetheart, Wanda, and they moved to Maryland where David began an illustrious and exciting career as an engineer with the space agency NASA. Over the 35 years he worked with NASA, David traveled the globe as a pioneer of communication satellites. He installed radio gear on Jacques Cousteau's marine research shipa�"the Calypso. He was key to the experiment wherein the first satellite phone conversation was made to an automobile. In many other high-profile projects at NASA, he left his mark as a fine engineer. David contributed to other projects such as the Cosmic Background Explorer CoBE which earned the Nobel Prize to its lead scientists.
In his spare time David enjoyed amateur radios, shooting, reloading, and tinkering in all things electrical, mechanical, and systematic. His colleagues, neighbors, and friends often called upon David to find innovative solutions to a wide variety of problems. He could often be heard saying "hang on" just before disappearing into his shop. He invariably returned with solution in hand. David and Wanda's family grew to include three childrena�"Bill, Julie, and Wendya�"their spousesa�"Mayo, Donald, and Arthura�"and five grandchildrena�"Aki, Sarah, Benjamin, Logan, and Lainey. Although David's career and service to the community gave him great satisfaction, it was his family that gave him the most pride and with whom he found the most joy. Recently, David and Wanda moved to Kalamazoo, MI where he became a member of the Southern Michigan Gun Club and First United Methodist Church. The pair could often be seen fishing at Eagle Lake, shooting at the range, or preparing for trips to visit their kids and grandkids. After a short and aggressive bout with abdominal cancer, David passed away at home on Saturday, October 9th. David is survived by his family as well as four siblingsa�"Dick, Tom, Cindy, and Lesa�"and many cousins, nieces, nephews and friends by whom he will be missed. He leaves a large space in the lives of people who knew him. That space is full of love and his legacy of living each moment and constantly learning and tinkering with new possibilities. There will be a memorial service at First United Methodist Church of Kalamazoo at 10:00 on Wednesday morning October 13th. Burial will take place at the Oakland Cemetery in Oakland, Maryland.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that gifts be made to Hospice of Southwest Michigan 269-345-0273 and the Baltimore Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America 443-573-2500. Please see www.langelands.com for online obituary, register book and condolences.