David Martin Warren

David Warren, 73, of Las Cruces, NM passed away on Aug 3, 2025 in Mesilla Valley hospice after a valiant fight against prostate cancer. His loving wife and caregiver, April Ulery, was by his side. Dave was a brilliant man with a great sense of humor and a wonderful attitude towards life. He will be missed by all of the people he worked and played with over the years.

Dave was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana to Robert and Catherine Warren on June 14, 1952. He grew up in various towns including Fort Wayne, IN, Whittier, CA, Beaverton, OR, and finally Anaheim, CA where he attended Fullerton College. His years studying geology at FC were some of his best and he made life-long friends on field trips and in lab classes. He graduated from Cal State University, Fullerton with bachelor's degrees in both physics and earth sciences and went on to work as an underpaid electronics engineer in Sacramento.

While the work at Bailey Scientific was rewarding and the culture of west Sacramento endearing, Dave decided that he couldn't live on $650 a month, so he returned to Anaheim and started working at Rockwell International, where his dad also worked. The two of them often had lunch together and complained about bureaucracy, HR, and the usual work stuff that engineers and scientists don't like to deal with. Dave was great at his job and often spent many hours getting things just right. Apparently, he didn't know the meaning of a 40-hour work week. He really enjoyed working with the lab crew and having extra "moms" looking after him. When he moved to Litton Data Systems in Van Nuys, he was again working with a fantastic lab team who continued his education in engineering and partying. After that program ended, he returned to Rockwell, which had been bought by Boeing. Dave spent a year at the Charles Draper Lab in Cambridge, MA facilitating the transfer of technology and working with brilliant scientists and engineers. He returned to southern California until 1999 when he moved to Honeywell in Minneapolis where again, he worked with incredible colleagues, technicians, and wonderful friends. He stayed at Honeywell until December 2022 when he retired and moved to Las Cruces.

Dave met his wife, April, on a geology field trip in 1980, and she was smitten! She shamelessly and relentlessly pursued him until they finally bought a house together in Chino Hills, CA and he married her in 1986. While they didn't have any children, they rescued many dogs and spent their weekends camping, rockhounding, winetasting, and working on various projects (most of which were never finished). One thing Dave and April (a soil scientist) shared was their professional drive, which took them to separate states - Dave to Minnesota and April to New Mexico. They still managed to be together a few days every month and on holidays - some have suggested that this was a recipe for a perfect marriage!

Dave was preceded in death by his parents, Bob and Catherine (Schonefeld) Warren, and his brother, Gary. He is survived by two sisters, Susan Lamb and Marcia Warren, his brothers-in-law Michael Lamb, John and Mark Ulery, sister-in-law Maggie Warren, nieces Megan Lamb, Devon Warren-Kachelein, and Kaylin Warren, and his nephew, Jay Lamb. He also leaves behind many lifelong friends who appreciated Dave's humor and intelligence.

Dave was grateful for all the friendship and support of so many wonderful people throughout his life and especially during his challenge with cancer. The caring and generous spirit of the doctors, nurses, therapists, and aides really touched him (who doesn't love a good sponge bath?). He was kind-hearted, generous, and funny - his one-liners and quirky outlook will be missed by many.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date in southern California. If you would like to make a donation, please send it to a charity of your choice or to the Mesilla Valley Palliative Care and Hospice https://www.mvhospice.org/