David Louis Napier

1934 - 2022

David Louis Napier
October 28, 1934 - November 18, 2022
On a Friday afternoon, with music playing, our dear Dave departed this world. Three weeks prior, he celebrated his 88th birthday with his nieces at his residence in Greenbrae. David was born in Ellsworth, Kansas to Leonilla and Nial V Napier, the second of their four children. Raised in Salina, Kansas he graduated from Sacred Heart Cathedral High School in 1952. Music played an important role in the Napier family; Nial was a music educator and band director, Leonilla was an organist, singer, choir director and taught piano for 60 years. Each child sang or played an instrument and Dave played clarinet in the high school band. After a two plus year stint studying at Creighton University, Dave decided to take a break and enlisted in the Army. He spent three years serving our country, primarily stationed in Germany. When his tour of duty ended, an Army colleague suggested he visit San Francisco. After that trip, Dave was hooked!
He moved to San Francisco in 1958 where he enrolled in evening classes at USF while working in the mailroom at Crown Zellerbach. After graduating from USF, he worked as a claims adjuster at CSE Insurance Group. At a dance, he met Franchesca Boellstorff, another Midwesterner, and married her in November 1965. They built a house at the top of Goodhill Road in Kentfield and moved there in 1974. Together they bought the San Francisco employment agency where Fran worked as a placement counselor and ran it as a team for 19 years. Chevron Corporation became the Abar Personnel Agency's largest customer, so Dave and Fran opened satellite offices in Pleasanton and Concord to serve that client, as well as others. In 1990 they sold Abar and retired.
Their most notable project in retirement was working with Joseph Esherick to build their dream home after demolishing the original on Goodhill Road; the finished house was featured in Architectural Digest. Dave and Fran had 15 years of continuing to travel extensively, entertain their friends and family and pursue their many hobbies before Fran died of cancer in 2005, just before their 40th wedding anniversary. Dave was fortunate to find love again, marrying Marta MacGeraghty in 2007.
Dave was a cheerful, engaged man of many interests; he sailed his own boat, hiked the Sierras, gardened, kept pets, played racquetball, experimented with making his own wine and beer, talked politics, researched his own genealogy, sang in a choir and worked at wood turning. He was famous for his creative cocktails and exemplary cooking, often duplicating dishes he saw on the cover of food magazines without bothering with a recipe. But most notably, he will be remembered for his kindness and generosity including offering nieces and nephews support and a place in his home as they established a foothold in the Bay Area.
Dave was predeceased by his parents and both of his wives. He leaves his brother James, sisters Rosemary Amend and Kathleen Pratt and their families. A special thank you to Aeisha, Zenaida, Esi and Debbie for making his last years comfortable. We hope you will remember him for all the good he did in the world; serving his country, supporting his charities, providing employment to countless job seekers and sharing his talents and good fortune with all of those lucky enough to know him. No services are planned.