David Tonelli Obituary

David Tonelli

David Tonelli, 65, died on January 14, 2014 after a brief illness. Born in Oakland on January 28, 1948 to Jerre and Alfred Tonelli, David graduated from Skyline High School in 1966 and then attended the Chris Borden School of Broadcasting in San Francisco. From an early age, David was fascinated with radio, and in high school he and friends formed the Bay Area Radio Network (BARN), which broadcast popular music and school announcements. In 1969, David built his first FM multiplex stereo transmitter totally from scratch. Happily, it worked, and David continued to broadcast on his home-built equipment. The FCC was impressed but not amused, and shut down his FM station in 1971.

David worked as an instructor and recording engineer at the College for Recording Arts in San Francisco for nearly 20 years. In 1971, David met his life partner, David Leinbach, and "the Davids" formed a realty partnership with holdings in Oakland and San Diego. David's other love was jazz. He had an incredible ear, a fabulous memory, and an encyclopedic knowledge of the subject that he was delighted to share. David assembled a vast collection of jazz recordings, purchasing them both locally and on his world travels. In the mid-1980's, David established KRKD-FM Jazz Radio, which broadcast jazz on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons from his home studio, with devoted listeners throughout the Bay Area.

In addition to his partner of 42 years, David is survived by his brothers Steve of Fresno, Dan of Oakland, and Jeff of Santa Cruz. Memorial contributions can be made to the San Francisco Jazz Center (sfjazz.org) or the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy (savewright.org).

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by San Francisco Chronicle from Feb. 7 to Feb. 9, 2014.

Memories and Condolences
for David Tonelli

12 Entries

Michael Golds

March 17, 2022

I was one of those guys that would drop off stuff to David downstairs to be repaired. I felt that knowing David and being aloud to have him help me was this treasured secret. There was no one better, no one more knowledgable, and he wouldn't work on just anyone's stuff. I didn't let others in on the secret, he was "my repair guy" and you can't have him! I play the vibes and knew about jazz and especially Latin Jazz. One day, David showed me a Cal Tjader 10" record he had - it was purple vinyl, and it simply said "Tjader plays Mambo." The holy grail of all Cal Tjader vinyl albums. I went crazy when I saw it, he had a great jazz collection. The kindest, sweetest, person. I was here at the Jazz School where I work, and I thought about David. He was far more then the best audio person in the world, I have a thousand questions I wish I had asked. Thanks David for helping me.

Jim Korn

February 1, 2022

David T. was so athletically active and so physically fit; I believed he would outlive all of us. So sorry I was wrong. My thoughts are with David L, whose loss I cannot fathom.

Lisa B Hammond

May 5, 2020

David's Jazz Radio show was something special and brought much joy to my father for many years.
Today, my father passed away and I wanted to reach out to David to Thank him for his gift. I learned he passed on my father's birthday January 14. They obviously had a connection. I know my father greatly admired David.

March 6, 2014

Dear David,
We send you our deepest sympathy and will certainly miss the very talented David T.
Diana and Paul Smith

March 5, 2014

Dear David, We are so sorry and send you our deepest sympathy.
Isabel and Peter Malkin

Ken Katz

February 22, 2014

I'm truly saddened by this news. I'd talked to David a couple of times in the past several months and he was more often than not returning from a run. He seemed as energetic as hell and full of life and enthusiasm. My deepest sympathies.

Jim Korn

February 21, 2014

David T. was so athletically active and so physically fit; I believed he would outlive all of us. So sorry I was wrong. My thoughts are with David L, whose loss I cannot fathom.

Nancy Cancilla

February 16, 2014

So sorry to hear the sad news. We had a lot of fun playing in your radio station you set up in Montclaire when we were very young.RIP

February 15, 2014

Thomas Vallecillo

Jean Markosen

February 12, 2014

David, you have my sincere sympathy. David will be truly missed by all of us who knew him, however tangentially. He was so talented and upbeat, always a super guy.

February 11, 2014

David, So sorry to hear of David's passing. It has always been a pleasure working with the both of you and will miss seeing him.
Marco Bellelli

Sharing David's passion for tunning.

Dan Tonelli

February 9, 2014

It's still hard for me to believe my brother is gone. David was healthy and lived a healthy lifestyle. Call it a reality check for one's own mortality as good health is no guarantee for longevity. I will miss David and I wish we could have run together as we both shared the same passion for running.

Showing 1 - 12 of 12 results