Obituary

He was a husband, first and foremost, a dad, a grandpa, a great-grandpa, brother, uncle, friend, and co-worker. Dave wore many hats, but none so willingly as husband and father. He was great at all of the above. As a father, he wanted his children to enjoy learning and went all out to present fun learning opportunities. He even had the neighbor kids asking if he could come out to play! Wanting to give every chance for his children to follow their dreams, he provided boxing lessons, horses, cars, researched right alongside them, and was just as excited to learn as the kids were.

Dave LOVED fishing, and that was a great bonding time with friends and family. Getting up very early to go fishing and/or camping with Dad was an exciting time for the kids, and even better for Nita who was able to relax if she wasn’t going!

Dave was an incredibly smart man who picked up knowledge and ideas very quickly. He was able to figure out how almost anything worked and put things together or fix any issues with the house.

Dave was born in Bellingham, WA. He worked at Boeing for about 40 years. That job took him all over the United States and Europe traveling with his brood, or with Nita. In 1991, they finally retired and came back to roost for good in Bellingham.

Dave was a volunteer extraordinaire, in many different cities, and many different places. The latest, in Bellingham, were the Meals-on-Wheels program and the Whatcom County Museum where his daughter Nancy Grinstead worked. He kept them on their toes down at the museum and built several items for exhibits and was a great help.

Dave had his strong opinions about how things should be and freely shared those opinions with family and sometimes friends. He loved music, country (old-time only, thank you!), gospel, and most any fun, danceable music. Dave and Nita loved to go out dancing. Patsy Cline was a favorite of Dave’s, but in the last few years running close was Ashley Grinstead’s saxophone playing, especially her rendition of Danny Boy.

Dave and Nita were world travelers, Dave providing opportunities and Nita navigating everything from roads to foreign currency and language. They were a great team. And now, one-half of the team has gone on to ‘check the place out’ and be waiting.

Dave was very human and very wonderful, and he leaves a hole in the hearts of many. His wonderful loving wife of nearly 68 years Nita (Juanita MacArthur); children Larry & Linda Grinstead, Barb & Danny Englander, Charmie Gilcrease, and Nancy Grinstead; grandchildren Heidi (Darrell), Lisa (Chris), Jeni, DJ, Landon (Andrea), Quinn (Heidi), James, Steven, Jamie, and Robyn (Brad); and many, many great grandchildren.

Many of his siblings, great friends, and co-workers have preceded him in death and will be there to welcome Dave home!

In lieu of flowers please consider donating to the Fire Fighter / EMS / 911 fund who provided lifesaving support, WTA who was so helpful in providing free rides for us in the past year, and Whatcom County Hospice who are angels in disguise, or a charity of your choice.