David Elliott Bottorff

David Elliott Bottorff passed into the Kingdom of Heaven on Monday, October 20, 2025, in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
David was a native of St. Joseph, MO. His father, Glee, was a pharmacist and his mother, Gladys, was a nurse. He graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1959 and married his high school sweetheart, Marjorie Ann Ward, in 1960.
David and Marjorie traveled the world together and visited 6 of the 7 continents. On his own, David visited McMurdo Station in Antarctica in his never-ending support of Seabees around the world. His 37-year career in the US Navy included two tours in Viet Nam as Executive Officer of the 133rd Seabee Battalion (NMCB 133). He retired from the Navy as a Rear Admiral after serving as the Chief of Civil Engineers and Commander of NAVFAC. Other duty stations included Thailand, Hawaii, Mississippi, California, Virginia, and South Carolina.
During his naval career he also earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a master's degree in civil engineering from Stanford University and master's in business administration from Stanford University.
After retiring from the Navy, David became a Senior Vice President for the engineering firm Metcalf & Eddy and later President of Metcalf & Eddy Federal Services. Additionally, he joined Tidewater Skanska as Vice President for Design/Build and Joint Venture Operations. Anyone who has traveled across the Cooper River Bridge in Charleston, South Carolina has experienced one of his many successful projects.
David was a devout Christian for over 40 years and considered his love of Jesus Christ as one of his greatest accomplishments. He attended Kempsville Presbyterian Church for many years where he served as an Elder and was actively involved in conflict counseling. David was an avid golfer and played courses all over the world including Pebble Beach and St. Andrews. As an enthusiastic gardener, he particularly enjoyed flowering perennials and often shared his favorites with friends and family.
He was predeceased by his wife of 58 years, Marjorie Ann Bottorff, in 2019. He is survived by his two sons, David S. Bottorff (Jody) of New Bern, NC and John W. Bottorff (Suzanne Hume) of Springfield, MO. David is also survived by a grandson, Captain Alexander Bottorff, USMC (Bekah) of Woodbridge, VA; a granddaughter, Amanda Bottorff of Santa Rosa, CA; and a sister Juliann Bottorff of Virginia Beach, VA.
David's family wishes to acknowledge and thank his friend and former caregiver Audry Jones; the staff and caregivers with The Key; the staff and caregivers at Arden Courts, and Trinity Hospice.
A funeral service will be held 11am, Friday, October 24, 2025 at Kempsville Presbyterian Church. The family will receive friends at the church one hour prior to the service. Interment will be held at later date in Arlington National Cemetery. Hollomon-Brown Funeral home, Kempsville Chapel is handling the services. Condolences may be offered to the family at www.hollomon-brown.com.