David B. Carmichael

David Bass Carmichael
June 21, 1931 - August 31, 2025
After living a very full, charmed life, David Bass 'Duck' Carmichael died peacefully at the age of ninety-four on August 31, 2025. The youngest of five, he was born in New Bern, North Carolina and spent his formidable years in the south, mostly North Carolina and Virginia. In his teens he worked as a counselor and diving instructor at a camp in the Sauratown Mountains of North Carolina and participated in the construction of an Episcopal church at the camp. After graduating from high school in Falls Church, Virginia he would go on to serve in the army and then attend college at Georgia Tech. David found early success as a salesman for Hill- Rom. Based in Seattle and selling hospital furniture across the northwestern United States instilled in him a love of the rugged pacific northwest and Dungeness Crab that he would eat slathered in mayo. He would boat to the University of Washington's Husky Stadium and watch football on Lake Washington. Later, he would relocate back to North Carolina and then to New Jersey, always selling; microfilm, real estate and then office furniture. Throughout his life he enjoyed Cadillac convertibles, very dry Bombay Sapphire martinis and physically challenging himself, consistently jogging and swimming. He enjoyed traveling with his wife of fifty years, recently celebrating their big anniversary with a large gathering of family and friends. He also loved playing with his beloved Border Collie, watching Rays baseball, reading The Tampa Bay Times and spending many happy retirement years in Palm Harbor. At the young age of seventy, he ventured to Montana with his daughter to canoe ninety miles of the Lewis and Clark Trail, satisfying a fascination he'd enjoyed for years.
David is preceded in death by his parents and four older siblings as well as a son, David Henderson Carmichael. He is survived by his loving wife of fifty years, Pauline Carmichael of Tampa, FL, a daughter, Makayla Carmichael of Winston-Salem, NC, three step-kids, Todd Wickner (Rita) of Tampa FL Sherrie Brady (William) of West Chester, PA and Robert Wickner (Cindy) of Tampa FL. He is also survived by six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren as well as many nieces and nephews.
A celebration of David's life will be held at 2:00 on September 5th at Curlew Hills Memory Gardens. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the ASPCA or Feeding Tampa Bay.