David John Bamber

David John Bamber

1948-2022

David John Bamber was born on July 6, 1948, second son of Ingrid (Eklof) and Edward Bamber, in Norwood, MA. Looking up at him as an adult at his full 6 foot, 3 inch height, his mother often marveled that he weighed only 5 pounds at birth. Dave continued to defy expectations for his entire life.

A favorite tale shared by family about his toddler years was the time he climbed the scaffolding around the nearby Baptist Church. David and his older brother Donald were out playing and Donald was supposed to be supervising David. But, when Donald turned his back, David climbed high up into the church steeple scaffolding. Donald, aghast and chagrined, ran home to tell Edward of David's peril. Edward came out, climbed the scaffolding ladder, threw David over his shoulder, and climbed down with one hand holding David and with only one hand available to grip the ladder. When David was younger, even a barred cover on the crib failed to contain him and a neighbor found him in diapers outside on the street. Another adventure when he was a bit older involved a jump out of a very low window at the Smith Heights cottages in Eastham after he was locked in a room by his siblings who were teasing him. The result was a trip to Cape Cod Hospital with his broken arm jauntily encased in a Playboy magazine, a bit of first aid by an off-duty nurse at the cottages. In high school, David kept a ladder leaning against the house next to the window of his second-story bedroom. That way, being ever the thoughtful son, David could leave the house in the middle of the night without having to go down the creaky stairs and disturb the sleep of his parents.

Dave was handy all his life, having mechanical and electrical skills. In high school he restored a 1932 Model A Ford which he later sold for pocket money along with his stamp collection. He won an unexpected Science Fair prize for building an electric circuit that intermittently turned itself on and off. His high-school yearbook said of David: "His feet are firmly placed on solid ground . . . practical and foresighted Dave keeps his own counsel but stands by his own decisions." Dave became a fan of stock car racing and enjoyed watching races at the old Norwood Arena. Car racing was an interest he pursued his entire life, visiting race tracks all over the US. He made many friends at races and online afterwards, and even met his future wife Diane though car racing.

During his young adult years Dave developed sales skills by working for a postage meter company, and Albert Motors in Needham. Later he was a pioneer in the domestic solar business opening his own installation company in Wrentham, MA, where he and Diane had settled into their first home and had given birth to daughter Jennifer.

When the solar tax incentives expired and that business declined, Dave took his home renovation skills and started a one-person company remodeling kitchens and baths. He advertised it as Bamber Company, 3 generations of fine custom carpentry, honoring his family history. By then daughter Annie had arrived and the family had moved to Dave's childhood home at 365 Walpole Street in Norwood, briefly sharing space with Ingrid and Edward who loved being close to their granddaughters before building their retirement home almost next door.

Anyone who knew Dave knew he loved to talk to people and would make a new friend stopping for coffee, buying gas for the car, or getting groceries. It was often necessary to drag him back to the car when it was time to leave. He had favorite homespun expressions he would share with anyone who would listen, like his description of New England winters as "4 months of winter followed by 8 months of damned poor sledding." Or "it is what is" when something disappointed him. Or his stated belief that "what goes around comes around" when he did a good deed, often for a customer of his renovation business. When it was time on the job to rip out bad work, he'd say, "You can't make chicken salad out of chicken sh*t, no matter how much mayonnaise you add."

Above all Dave enjoyed life. He loved to travel, whether it was to UMass Amherst football games to watch daughter Jen play in the marching band, or to Alaska, Hawaii and the natural beauty spots of Arizona with extended family after he moved there. He loved animals and had three Boston Terriers and several cats during his life. He was well versed in current events and news gleaned from regularly surfing the web. He loved to cook with bread baking and grilling topping his culinary interests. He combined his interest in motors and the outdoors by riding ATVs off road in Arizona for several years with his daughter Annie.

In an attempt to outmaneuver Diane's health problems later in life, Dave and Diane had moved to Payson, Arizona, and eventually Bandon, Oregon, where they retired. After Diane died, Dave was lonely, spending his days driving his beloved Mercedes sedan to the beach where he walked his two dogs everyday. He ground his coffee beans from Rayjen Coffee roasters for his daily coffee, and scanned the internet for news, especially about his hometown. He called his mother regularly on the phone.

Seeing his daughter Annie happily married, Dave decided he wanted to find love again, and met Ruth. They clicked, fell in love and were married almost 5 years. He enjoyed time in Bandon with his second family of daughter Menona and granddaughter Taylor before she tragically died at a young age. He loved the Bandon area, his animals, a bit of gardening, occasional fishing, and his car, and dusted off his tools to build a shed in his backyard not long before he died. He and Ruth experienced a few precious years of happiness in Bandon before Dave succumbed to cancer on July 4, 2022.

Dave is survived by brother Donald and his wife Gail Bamber of San Diego, CA; sister Peg (Bamber) Flood of Orleans, MA; daughter Jen Nicholson and fiance Kyle Fletcher of Edmonds, WA; daughter Annie Bamber and husband Sheldon Benedict of Payson, AZ; wife Ruth Bamber of Bandon, OR; and stepdaughter Menona of Texas. He also leaves behind many cousins and his aunt Joan Bamber of Norwood, MA.