David Lee DeGeorge, 78, of Charlottesville, Virginia, died May 30, 2022, at home surrounded by family after a brief battle with cancer.

David was born 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 United States 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 degree in math, then attended Wesleyan University and Yale University, earning a Ph.D. in mathematics. He taught at Rutgers University, then worked for the Institute for Defense Analyzes (IDA) in Princeton, New Jersey, from 1983 until his retirement in 2017. Whenever asked about his work, David always said he liked it but he couldn’t say what he did.

David met Dora Coleman, his “first” wife of almost 53 years, in San Francisco, California. They married on August 23, 1969 and later moved to Plainfield, New Jersey while David taught at Rutgers. During this time, they welcomed their 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 New Jersey Battleship in Camden. David and Dora moved to Charlottesville, Virginia in the summer of 2020 to be closer to their grandchildren, whom David lovingly referred to as “the babies.”

David always had the latest technology, was a skilled chef, taught himself to read music and play many instruments and loved Small World Coffee, the New York Yankees and traveling with his wife and close friends. Kershners. He was actively involved in amateur radio (known by his call sign WQ2Q, which he personalized on all of his personal effects) and recently served as the National Training Officer for the Army’s Military Auxiliary Radio System. air (AFMARS). David was a special person to all who knew and loved him. His charm, witty jokes and kindness will be sorely missed.

In addition to his parents, David was predeceased 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; his 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 relatives and friends who loved him very much.

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 the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.