Dr. David John Dreyer

DURHAM - Dr. David John Dreyer died on Saturday, September 24, 2016, in Toronto, Ontario. He was 80 years old.

Born in Boston, Mass., in 1936, David attended Harvard University and Yale Medical School, specializing in ophthalmology. His internship was done at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington D.C. followed by three years in the USAF 99th Bomb Wing as a flight surgeon. During that time he remembered the Cuban Missile Crisis when all of the planes on his base were in the air. His residency was done at Manhattan Eye and Ear in N.Y.

While at Harvard, he met Cynthia Jane Cross and they were married upon graduation. In 1969 the couple moved to Durham, N.H., where they raised their four children, one daughter and three sons. David opened his private practice office in Rochester, N.H., where he worked for 35 years.

David, aka "Doc", loved life and lived large. He and Cynthia traveled the world and split their time between a house in Durham, N.H.; their beloved lake house in New Durham, N.H., and a condo in the Florida Keys. David played the trombone in a Dixie Land band in Durham, enjoyed collecting antique cars and building model ships and planes. He was a lover of the natural world and taught his children to appreciate its beauty and importance.

The sudden death of his wife, Cynthia, in 2007 was heartbreaking for David, but he did reconnect with Sandra Demson, another Radcliff alum, and they were married in 2011. David and Sandra split their time between Canada and the US and also travelled a good deal.

David leaves behind his second wife, Sandy Demson; his brother and sister in law, Philip and Janet of Claremont, Calif.; his four children, Kendel Diane(Troy) of N.M., Mark David of Fla., James Andrew (Sydney) of Ore., and Ian Alexander (Terri) of La.; five grandchildren; two nephews and one niece.

SERVICES: There will be no funeral services, but there will be a memorial service held in New Durham, N.H., at a later date. The family wishes that any remembrances be sent to charity.