David Corbett

1930 - 2021

David Corbett
6/27/2021
David Everett Corbett died peacefully in his Exeter, New Hampshire home after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his loving wife, Barbara, and his three children, Elizabeth (Grant) of Cranston, RI, Margaret (Everett) of Wilbraham, MA, and Christopher of Duvall, WA.
David was a Dalesman at heart, born in the shadow of the Yorkshire Dales in 1930 in northern England. After a stint in the British Army in Kenya, David returned home as an apprentice reporter in Harrogate. Then at the [Manchester] Guardian, he sharpened his sense of curiosity upon which he would base his profession. His skill set as a journalist enabled him to broaden his horizons and immigrate to the United States as an editor at the Tulsa Tribune. During a Scottish sword-dancing lesson in Tulsa, OK, he stumbled (literally, --he had two left feet) into a Yorkshire lass, Barbara, who was to become the love of his life. His assignments as a journalist took him to Washington, DC and then Cambridge, MA, where he became a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University.
On the strength of his thesis on the rise of multinational corporations, it wasn't long after that IBM swept up his talent in Armonk, New York. The family settled a home base in Greenwich, CT and Barbara went back to teaching elementary school. Together they reared a family, cultivating the same thirst for discovery of knowledge and passing it on to three future generations. They enjoyed volunteering and contributing to various non-profits and cultural initiatives and provided an eclectic and multi-cultural outlook to the children during this time.
In 1976, while still at IBM, David relocated the family to Paris, France for four years, and not long after returning to the United States, Barbara and David set sail (this time without their grown children) to live in Tokyo, Japan, for a further three years.
After leaving IBM, he hung his own shingle with a successful consultancy Executive Communications Strategies until 1996. Then, he and Barbara, who he now affectionately referred to as "the chef of my life," left Greenwich to retire to Exeter and immediately became active in the local community, especially with their second family, the Christ Church parish. They also volunteered as University of New Hampshire Marine Docents and with many other non-profit and local activities such as Seacoast Family Promise, Leadership New Hampshire, Exeter Public Library, Exeter Chamber of Commerce, the American Independence Museum, local art galleries, and the Shakespeare Society.
Throughout his life, David had been an avid singer with a booming bass register. As a youngster who enjoyed hiking through the Yorkshire dales with his five brothers, he sang his way through local pubs. In Greenwich, David became a pillar of the Choral Society. He then rose to international stardom (ahem) after auditioning for and performing with the famed Choeur de l'Orchestre de Paris under the tutelage of Daniel Barenboim. During retirement, David sang as part of the Newburyport Choral Society, Christ Church Choir, and still enjoyed a pint at local pubs but relegated his singing to the Seacoast Chantey Singers.
A memorial service will be held at Christ Church Exeter, 43 Pine St., Exeter, NH 03833, on Saturday, July 10th, 11 a.m. Use of masks are optional inside but welcome. Per his wishes, the family invites donations to Seacoast Family Promise in place of flowers; donate to Seacoast Family Promise | Exeter, NH.
In addition to his immediate family, he is survived by a brother, John, of East Grinsted, UK, and an extended family around the world that includes eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.