David H. Jonassen, 65, died Sunday morning, Dec. 2, 2012, at his home in Columbia, MO, after living life fully--the last two years with advanced stage lung cancer. A funeral mass to celebrate his life will be held Saturday, Dec. 8, at 12 noon at the St. Thomas More Newman Center in Columbia, MO. David was an accomplished man--he contributed to the lives of his family and friends and was world renowned in his professional career. David earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Delaware in 1970 and 1972, respectively and his Ed.D. in Educational Media and Educational Psychology from Temple University in 1976. David has been a Professor of Learning Technologies and Educational Psychology at the University of Missouri since 2000. In 2010 he was named Curators' Professor--the University of Missouri's highest honor for world renowned scholars. Previously, he held professorships at Penn State University, the University of Colorado, Denver, and the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Dave was known to say, "I've made many mistakes in my life, but choice of career wasn't one of them." His scholarly record reflects this. Over his nearly 40-year academic career, he has written 37 books, 182 journal articles, and 67 book chapters. He has made hundreds of invited presentations in the USA and 28 other countries and his transformative work on problem solving and educational technologies has attracted more than 12 million dollars in funding. Dave loved to hike and climb mountains and has "bagged" 50 of the 54 famous "fourteeners" in Colorado, peaks that are more than 14,000 feet in elevation. Dave was an active member of the St. Thomas More Catholic Newman Center and numerous professional societies. David was born September 14, 1947, in Salem, NJ, to Fleta and William Jonassen, both of whom preceded him in death. David leaves his beloved wife of 18 years, Rose Marra of Columbia, MO, and adored daughter Cristen Jonassen Underwood (Eric) of Westminster, CO. In his last year, Dave was blessed to get to know his grandson, Alexander David Underwood. David also leaves brothers Stephen (Chicago, IL), and William (Clearwater, FL), sister Susan Shultz (Columbus, IN) and nieces Kirsten, Caitlin, and Anna, and nephew Brandon. Online condolences may be left for the family at parkerfuneralservice.com
Published in Kansas City Star on December 5, 2012
