David Reavill III

1961 - 2021

David Allen Reavill III, age 60, passed away unexpectedly on October 10, 2021, leaving a wake of grief behind him. David was the beloved husband of Marilyn Cullen-Reavill for 21 wonderful years; loving father of Jessica (Michael Uchida) Reavill, Emily (Zachary) Taylor, David Allen IV (Janell Shah) Reavill, Danielle (Andrew Jedlicka) Reavill, Stephen Reavill and Rachelle Cullen-Reavill. He was the dearest son of Virginia and David Allen Reavill II; cherished grandfather of Brody, Molly and Elizabeth; dear brother of Drury (John Robertson) Reavill; fond nephew of Robb Reavill and Drury Spurlock, and friend and colleague to countless others.

David spent his early years nestled between the potato fields of Idaho Falls with his parents and sister. It was here in his formative years that he developed his love for physical activity and competitive sports, at which he excelled in baseball, swimming, basketball, and track and field. Early on, David also developed a lifelong curiosity for the natural world and all the creatures in it. He kept a meticulous collection of insects in which he could recite the genus and species of every individual, and - to the great dismay of his parents - kept a secret collection of reptiles and amphibians tucked into every possible hiding-hole of his room. His natural curiosity and tenacity led him to accomplishing an impressive educational career, beginning after graduating Skyline High school, and then attending the University of Idaho to complete a dual Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry and Bacteriology. He continued on to complete his Masters Degree at the University of Colorado, spending many long days in the sun catching and radio-tracking bull snakes. His formal education culminated with the completion of his PhD from the University of Northern Colorado studying Applied Statistics and Research Methods. However, his love for learning never ceased, and he dedicated the later part of his career to instilling his vast wisdom and knowledge to his students at the Richard J. Daley College in Chicago, IL. His never-ending thirst for knowledge continued as a member of the Chicago Herpetological Society and American Statistical Association.

David was so much more than a accumulation of impressive professional achievements to his friends and family. He had a wonderfully cheerful and goofy personality with which he could bring a smile to any face with one of his infamous dad jokes. He was also the true rock to his family, providing endless support and motivation for all his children in achieving whatever wild dreams they came up with. The words unrealistic and impossible were not in his vocabulary, unless of course it was in the context of beating him in board games, which he reminded everyone was quite literally impossible.

In recent years, David solidified himself as the family rock, especially with the isolation we all felt in the last two years. He made it a point to organize and initiate monthly family zoom calls - despite a pandemic he was able to somehow bring us all even closer together, from all corners of the country. David was extremely attentive to his aging parents' needs over the years and functioned as the primary family lead for anything they might need; the wake of his loss is reverberating throughout the entire family.

Most recently, David found himself happy and content in a well-suited position as a Mathematics professor. He was an exceptional professor, as is demonstrated by all the sticky notes and scribbles about lesson plans and the educational needs of specific students scattered around his desk that we're writing this from. Just a short few months ago, he bought his dream home with his soul mate Marilyn, and although they hadn't had time to fully unpack, they had already established a long list of plans and goals to make it their forever home. His love for Marilyn knew no bounds, and they were the epitome of a true loving partnership, which only grew stronger each passing decade. Even on his last day he demonstrated this never-ending affection for his beautiful wife. As he was getting ready to go on his bike ride, he saw her struggling to start the lawn mower (which she always struggles with) and stopped to tease her and offered to start it. Of course, she wouldn't let him, but he always made sure he was there to help when needed. Unbeknownst to him, even this small act, probably insignificant to him in the moment, encapsulated the essence of his being. Services were held in Chicago, IL on 10/16/21.