David George Whittingham

David George Whittingham

February 5, 1938 - January 17, 2026

David George Whittingham passed away peacefully on January 17, 2026, leaving behind a family who always knew-sometimes to the point of embarrassment-how proud he was of them and how deeply he loved them.

Dave served in the United States Marine Corps and carried the discipline, resilience, and standards forged at Parris Island throughout his life. Those values shaped how he worked, taught, competed, and showed up for others.

Dave graduated from Kalamazoo College and Indiana University, building an academic foundation that supported a lifelong commitment to learning and teaching.

For more than thirty years, Dave taught high school mathematics, spending the majority of his career at Steamboat Springs High School, after beginning at Burroughs High School in China Lake, California, where he met Rosemary, who was also a teacher. He loved coaching track while at Burroughs and during his early years in Steamboat, mentoring student-athletes with the same high expectations and steady encouragement he brought to the classroom. Students from the 1960s through the 1990s continued to write to him decades later, a testament to the lasting impact of his teaching and care.

Dave was, at heart, a competitor. He trained hard, raced often, and liked to win. He completed two Boston Marathons and countless road races, approaching each with preparation, focus, and determination. Competition-whether against the clock or the runner beside him-brought out his sharpest edge and greatest joy.

Running also gave Dave clarity. On early Sunday mornings, while his family attended church, he often ran-sometimes all the way into town-using those miles for reflection and quiet conversation, grounding himself before the week ahead.

Dave delighted in his children and grandchildren and never missed an opportunity to brag about his daughters, Sara and Julie. He traveled to nearly every away basketball game and track meet-often driving two to three hours each way-even when the tension of close competition meant he couldn't sit through the most exciting moments.

Camping trips-especially the annual, week-long journey to West Fork Lake, six miles from the nearest road-were legendary. Each year, Dave led his family, along with the family dogs, four horses, and a donkey, on an all-day trek that included a small hut, a camp stove, a canoe, and every luxury of home that could be loaded onto four horses and a donkey. Of course, everyone else walked. The lake was so remote that few were ambitious enough to try, and the fishing made the effort worthwhile-days spent casting and catching fish again and again, sometimes twelve casts in a row. It was classic Dave: determined, imaginative, and convinced it would all work out.

For more than thirty years, Dave and his wife, Rosemary, served together as caretakers of the Steamboat Springs Cemetery. They took great care in keeping the grounds pristine, especially for Memorial Day. Sara and Julie spent their summers alongside them, changing sprinklers, helping with upkeep, and learning the history of their community by reading the headstones of its earliest settlers. It was quiet, meaningful work rooted in respect and stewardship.

In his later years, Dave lived with Alzheimer's disease. Even as his memories faded, his love of mathematics endured-he could still quickly answer questions like, "What's one-third of 27?" Dave documented life carefully-family moments and races-and was determined to get the perfect photo, often embarrassing his daughters in the process, most memorably by showing up to parachute training at the Air Force Academy with his long lens. Known for his strong character and integrity, he also had a mischievous side and often quoted his grandmother: "Don't be too good, or you won't have any fun."

Dave is survived by his beloved wife of 54 years, Rosemary Whittingham; his daughters, Sara Whittingham and Julie Wright; and his grandchildren, Sydney and Grace Langell, and Ashlyn, Jackson, Carter Wright. and sister Sally Landis

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made, if desired, to one of Dave's favorite places: the Steamboat Old Town Hot Springs or the Bud Werner Memorial Library in Steamboat Springs.

Dave's legacy lives on in grateful students and athletes, devoted family, enduring friendships, and stories that still begin with laughter and end with gratitude.