David Brecht Staiger

David Brecht Staiger, 85, of Newtown, Pennsylvania, passed away on Thursday, August 14, after a lengthy battle with cancer. David was a loving and generous father, and was appreciated by all who knew him for an offbeat sense of humor, intellectual curiosity, and ironic perspective on the human condition.

David was born on August 30, 1939 to Jacqueline Bates and William Staiger in Erie, Pennsylvania. David attended East High School and was a member of the wrestling and football teams, graduating in 1957 as a member of the National Honors Society. He joined the Army Reserves and then entered Edinboro State College, majoring in Chemistry. Attending Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland, Ohio, on a grant from the National Science Foundation, he earned a Masters degree in Organic Chemistry. During this time, he also taught Chemistry and Math at Lawrenceville and Fairview High Schools in the Erie area, and coached the wrestling team.

In 1962 David married Barbara Jean Gallina, of Erie, PA, and the couple had their first child, Jeffrey, in 1963. The couple relocated to the Philadelphia area in 1967 when David took his first job as a chemist at Merck & Co. In 1973, he began work as an analytical chemist for the Smith, Kline & French Corporation in Philadelphia, where he spent the rest of his working career. In that same year, the couple purchased the house in Newtown that they were to occupy for the next five decades. Their daughter, Michele, was born in 1977.

In 2004, David retired and spent his time traveling, walking and bicycling, playing games with family, doing puzzles, listening to music, following world events, and reading about science and history. He enjoyed spending time with his beloved family and pets; his grandchildren especially appreciated his creative doodles. David is survived by his wife Barbara, his son Jeffrey, his daughter Michele, and two grandchildren, Darwin and Tycho. Details of the memorial service will be announced shortly.