SULMAN, David Lear Of Weston passed away on Saturday, December 10th, surrounded by his loving family. He is survived by his beloved wife of 45 years, Rose-Jane (Bendetson) Sulman and his children Daniel Sulman of Cambridge, Kimberly and Jonathan Starkman of Longmeadow, Joseph and Heidi Sulman of Needham, and Julie and Jason Baer of South Burlington, Vermont. He was the dear brother of Sheila and Edward Doctoroff of Belmont and Margot (Nechama) and Lawrence (Aryeh) Cheses of Newton and the uncle of many nieces and nephews who loved and admired him. He will be so missed by his adored grandchildren Sam, Jacob, Ben, Gabe, Sydney and Lila who have beautiful memories of time spent with him in Weston and at his beach house in Falmouth. David was born in New London, CT to the late Dr. Morris and Doris Lear Sulman. He graduated with honors from Yale in 1965, and received an M.S. in electrical engineering from MIT in 1969. He spent his entire career at Teradyne developing automatic test equipment for semiconductors, rising to Executive Vice President. However, if asked what he did, he always simply stated that he was an engineer – a job he felt allowed him to use his intelligence, creative mind, and problem solving skills to their fullest. When he first started working people had no idea what he did for a living. He was happy that by the time he retired most had heard of computer chips and this was no longer a problem. As he wrote for his 50th Yale reunion, he considered himself very fortunate to have had "an inside seat at the computer revolution that changed the world." After retiring at age 57, David found great happiness in finally having the time to appreciate, enjoy, and feel pride in the large, loving family he created with his wife. Services will be held at Temple Aliyah, 1644 Central Ave, Needham, at 11am on Monday, December 12th. Burial in Beit Olam East Cemetery 42 Concord Road, Wayland. Shiva immediately following at his family's home until 9 pm; Tuesday through Thursday 2-5 pm and 7-9 pm; Friday 11 am-1 pm, and Saturday 6-9 pm. with Minyan 7:30 pm daily, except Friday. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to MIT Annual Fund, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 600 Memorial Drive, W98-200, Cambridge, MA 02139-4822. Levine Chapels, Brookline 617-277-8300 www.levinechapel.com

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Published by Boston Globe from Dec. 11 to Dec. 12, 2016.

Memories and Condolences
for DAVID SULMAN

12 Entries

Jacob Starkman

May 17, 2025

I am David's Grandchild, and He was a good grandfather, I was only 8 or 9 when he died (I am 17 now) but he got me into computers and now I am studying how to be a cybersecurity pentester. It still stucks I never got to know him when he didn't have ALS.

Nancy Burdick

December 31, 2016

As a high school classmate of Dave's, everyone knew he would do great things! He was always a shining star with his intelligence and friendly manner. My most sincerest sympathies to his entire family.

Phyllis Gruskin

December 28, 2016

Remember Dave well, growing up together in New London. Our sympathy to his family and may their memories sustain them at this difficult time.

Brad Robbins

December 13, 2016

My sympathy and condolences for your loss.

I worked for Dave when he was General Manager of the Industrial Consumer Division and later when he was an EVP at Teradyne.

Dave's relentless curiosity and passion for getting the details right led our team to produce some truly great products. He was not afraid to tackle the unknowable. Twice he led the division to fundamentally change direction, each time calling an industry shift correctly.

He taught us all a lot about asking deep questions, following logic to conclusions and spending the time to get the key elements of products defined right.

We would joke that you knew you had a good plan when Dave stopped asking questions. Of course, that only lasted a day or two and he would be back probing into more details.

I learned a lot from Dave. He was always willing to spend time with you. He was a great mentor and it was a privilege to have worked for him.

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steve lyons

December 12, 2016

My condolences to the family of Dave Sulman. It was sad to hear of his passing as he was quite a remarkable man.

Dave Sulman was always seemed to me to be an engineer first but he was also a great technology leader evidenced by the accuracy of his predictions about technology trending and the success of the products that he envisioned.

Dave was also a great leader and motivator providing the most entertaining presentations that always combined factual reporting with a good dose of predictions for technology trending. Dave's analyses were always backed with impeccable logic and solid common sense. His presentations were not to be missed.

To give an example of Dave's leadership style I can tell you how lucky I was to be a young engineer in his organization. Even though I was the most junior engineer Dave would find the time to give me direct feedback on my work. I can't tell you what that meant to me. I admired his enthusiasm, his optimism, his intellect, his ability to motivate, to excite and to unleash creative energy. Thank you Dave.

Best regards,

Steve Lyons D.Eng.
Applications Engineer
Teradyne Inc.

Steve Lyons

December 12, 2016

My condolences to the family of Dave Sulman. I was very saddened to hear of his passing.

Dave Sulman had a unique and prescient vision of technology that was unmatched at the time.

I was a very young engineer and worked under Dave's organization and although I was the most junior engineer in the group he took the time to provide his personal feedback on my work. I can't tell you how much that meant to me.

Dave had regular engineering update presentations that were not to be missed for their entertaining blend of status reporting and predictions/trending of where technology was headed. He had the courage to stand behind his predictions and inspired confidence into his listeners that we were on the right track.

Thank you, Dr Steve Lyons D.Eng.

Joe Lewey

December 12, 2016

Rose Jane my deepest sympathy to you and your family. I worked with Dave for a short time after he joined Teradyne and found him to be a very bright and inquisitive guy. I really enjoyed the time I spent with him working on problems. I'll keep Dave, you and your family in my thoughts and prayers.

Craig Mael

December 12, 2016

Rose Jane, our deepest sympathies to you and your family on your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this time.

Craig, Dorothy, David and Alex Mael

Mark Jagiela

December 12, 2016

I extend my deepest sympathy for your loss. Dave made tremendous contributions to Teradyne. As the General Manager of Teradyne's Industrial Consumer Division in the 80's and 90's, he reshaped the test industry through the development of the A5 series and Catalyst series of mixed-signal testers. Under his leadership, Teradyne re-emerged as the industry innovator. Dave was an engineer at heart, full of curiosity, tenacity, and insight. He would spend hours with his team exploring ideas and wide ranging alternatives until the best direction emerged. As a design engineer in my 20's, Dave would take the time to visit me in the lab during high-pressure debug sessions to offer advice or just show support. We are all heirs to his contributions.
Mark Jagiela
CEO Teradyne, Inc.

December 12, 2016

I am so sorry for the loss of your loved one. Please find peace and comfort in Psalms 119:76.

December 12, 2016

Dearest Rose-Jane and Family, We send our profound sympathy to the entire Sulman family. David was a gifted man----blessed in many ways,with an outstanding career and a family extraordinary! May good memories, a strong faith, and love for each other help you in this time of sadness. You are in our prayers and thoughts.
Shalom and L'chiem,
Dorothy,Richard and Mark Tatelman

December 11, 2016

We are saddened by your loss. David was exceptionally capable. He was a remarkable man who lived a remarkable life. We shall remember him with fondness and admiration. We send our special love to Rose-Jane, Margot, Sheila and families.
Karen & Michael Sanders

Showing 1 - 12 of 12 results

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