David Shutler

David Frederick Shutler, born February 11, 1953, in Corona, California, passed away peacefully in Dallas, Texas on Saturday, October 21st. He is survived by his wife Kathryn (Katie), and his three sons - Nathan and his spouse Sarah Lechner and their children Zephyrus and Anika, Nolan and his spouse Thuy Nguyen, and Neale; his father Philip and his wife Carole; and his sisters Louise and Charlotte, and brothers Philip, Eric, and Robert and their families, as well as cousins, lots of family, and a whole host of friends, far and wide.
Dave loved to make people around him happy whether by telling jokes, playing a favorite Bob Dylan tune on the guitar, or by giving generously of his time or money and he loved to laugh. He was passionate in all his pursuits and driven to do the right thing regardless of whether anyone was watching. He was an avid skier, a marathon runner, and a dancing fool. His sense of smell was uncanny. Beneath his fun-loving persona, he was a deeply spiritual man, a devout Christian Scientist, who centered himself on the truth that God is Love, and a deep thinker who came up with the Rule of Relative Rarity, which dictates that you should always do the thing that occurs less frequently when having to choose between two events.
In his youth he developed a lifelong love of the outdoors from camping trips with the Boy Scouts, ultimately obtaining the Eagle Scout rank, and then encouraging all three of his sons to do the same. On one such memorable trip, he and his brothers discovered a mountain still in operation and thus thought it wise to call out: Were the Revenuers, and weve come to take your moonshine! Not even the shotgun blasts that followed could deter his love for the mountains of Appalachia, and he would return many summers to walk along the Appalachian Trail.
After graduating from WT Woodson High School in Fairfax, Virginia, Dave attended the Naval Academy from 1970-1973, and then transferred to Duke University, under an Air Force ROTC scholarship, where he met Katie Uhler in the fall of 1973 in a Christian Science youth group on campus. The two lovebirds graduated in 1975 after which Dave reported to Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Illinois, for training as an Avionics Maintenance Officer. Dave and Katie got married in Annville, Pennsylvania at St Marks Lutheran Church on August 28, 1976.
Daves career in the Air Force took them to Valdosta, Georgia; then Carlisle, Pennsylvania (where he attended Dickinson Law School and where Nathan was born); Luke AFB, Arizona (where he served his first tour as a Judge Advocate General officer and where Nolan was born), Fairfield RAF, England; Montgomery, Alabama (for Officer training at Maxwell AFB); Omaha, Nebraska (where Neale was born); Fairfax, Virginia (at the Pentagon); and, finally, Dallas, Texas where he served as General Counsel to the Army & Air Force Exchange Service.
After a distinguished career, Dave retired from the armed forces as a full bird Colonel in 1996 to pursue his entrepreneurial passion and to the surprise of no one who knew him, was a natural salesman. He leveraged his unique acumen for doing business with the government to found Utility Systems Solutions, Inc. (US2) in 2004, in Dallas, which will continue to operate under the guiding principle he instilled in his team: integrity before all else and above all else.
Of his many accomplishments and the acts of service and generosity for which we will remember Dave, perhaps one of his proudest was the publication of his book this past year titled Graduate Debt Free: Escaping the Student Loan Matrix. Having watched his sons take out student loans and then struggle to repay them, he began formulating the idea many years ago and wanted to put together a resource to help young people avoid some of those pitfalls. This was so typical of Dave he was not deterred by the fact that hed never written a book or that it wasnt his field of expertise he worked nights and weekends to make his idea come to life. Similarly, he came up with the idea to make a candy bar with jokes written along the inside of the wrapper, a morale booster designed to go in MRE kits to cheer up the troops. Again, Dave was the sort of person who made things happen, not because they would be lucrative or bring him glory, but because he loved to make a difference for others.
In accordance with his wishes, Daves ashes will be interred at the National Cemetery in Dallas Texas, and Daves Family invites all those who wish to pay their last respects to a Celebration of Life at the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Richardson, Texas on December 9, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. CST so that we can all (as requested) get together and say nice things about Dave. Should you wish to participate but are unable to attend in person you can listen and watch virtually by visiting the Church's website or by Zoom (links listed below).
Inurnment with Military Honors
Friday, December 8, 2023
04:00 PM - 04:15 PM (EST)
Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery
2000 Mountain Creek Parkway
Dallas, Texas 75211
United States
Celebration of Life
Saturday, December 9, 2023
11:00 AM - 01:00 PM (EST)
First Church of Christ Scientist, Richardson
100 Saint Lukes Drive
Richardson, Texas 75080
United States
Buffet Reception
Saturday, December 9, 2023
01:00 PM - 04:00 PM (EST)
Richardson Woman's Club
2005 North Cliffe
Richardson, Texas 75082
United States To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of David, please visit our Tree Store.