David Hope Kirkpatrick

On June 13, David Hope Kirkpatrick departed this life and was reunited with his parents, the soprano, Hope Miller Kirkpatrick and the pianist, John Kirkpatrick.
Born on April 22, 1947, in Ithaca, New York, David had two sisters, Daisy and Mary Paul. He graduated from Kent School in 1964. After prep school, he studied at Cornell University but left early in 1965 to join the U.S. Navy and serve in Viet Nam. He met Maureen Moscrip at the Officer's Club in Naval Station Great Lakes north of Chicago. David and Maureen were married in 1966 and went on to have two children, James Eric and Laura Hope.
David was honorably discharged in 1967 and began studies at University of Connecticut in Hartford. He graduated with a Bachelor's of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1972, phi beta kappa, summa cum laude. He started his first job at Gleason Works in Rochester, New York, as a Mechanical Design Engineer. David and Maureen were divorced in 1980. In 1981, he met Prudence Campbell, of Aurora, New York in the church choir. They were married in 1982 and had three children, Sarah Campbell, Lydia Whitmarsh, and John Haviland.
David also worked for Kodak and ITT as a Senior Design Engineer. He briefly taught classes at the University of Rochester, and held four patents during his career. He was on the team that assembled the Chandra Telescope and delivered it to Florida. David and his children attended the launch of the Space Shuttle carrying the Telescope in July, 1999. He also contributed to the development of the James Webb Space Telescope. He sang tenor in the choirs of The Episcopal Church of the Incarnation in Penfield, and Christ Church Rochester. He also played his Sunburst Fender bass in the Kentones musical group while in prep school, in the Penfield Rotary Band, and contributed his talents at bass, guitar, and musical composition to various folk and music events.
David developed Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia as a consequence of his service in Viet Nam. In 2008, he retired early to his residence in Brighton, New York to be a grandfather and to fix every mechanical problem in his path, including his wife's long-arm quilting machine. He was known for his sharp wit, "Dad jokes", bad puns, crossword puzzle trivia, and harmonizing or tapping along to every song on the radio.
David is survived by his loving wife, Pru; his five children; eight grandchildren; his two sisters; and two grieving church congregations. Services will be held at Christ Church Rochester later this summer. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in his name to Friends of Music, 141 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14604, and the Alzheimer's Association Rochester & Finger Lakes Region Chapter, 200 Meridian Centre Blvd Suite 110, Rochester, NY 14618.