David Self

1940 - 2024

David Self
05/19/1940 - 06/17/2024
David Self passed away peacefully with family by his side on June 17th, 2024.
David was born in Columbia, Missouri. After tragically losing his father at age 5, his mother Lilah raised him with endless love and attention. He became a committed Boy Scout and adored playing with his dog, "Matey", named after his brother Phil in the Navy. After moving to Palm Springs for high school, he worked hard to become an Eagle Scout and eventually student body president of Palm Springs High. But he'd say his greatest achievement in Palm Springs was the purchase of the first love of his life: a motorcycle.
David remained in Southern California after earning a full scholarship to Pomona College. He was voted Freshman Class President and later Pomona's Student Body President. Well known as a prankster, he delighted in telling his children how he had taken the furniture out of his friend's dorm room and suspended it on ropes high above the dorm's central plaza. While at Pomona, David met and eventually married the second love of his life, Susan (Hutchinson) Self. After college, he attended Harvard Law School and then practiced municipal law in Oakland, California. He rose to become the City Attorney and then City Manager of Oakland, and for a time worked both jobs simultaneously.
In private practice following his career in public service, David fought the good fight to bring the Raiders NFL team back Oakland after they defected to Los Angeles In 1982. Although David's novel eminent domain theory was upheld by the California Supreme Court, Oakland eventually lost the case, and with that, the Raiders. One adversary that David clearly defeated, however, was Type 1 Diabetes (since age 17), a lifelong condition unknown to all but those closest to him. He would live to become one of the longest surviving Type 1 Diabetics in Northern California.
David was well known for being the life of the party, and his humor was infectious. He jumped through fireworks, put a tutu on his pet pig for a friend's dinner party, and raced his Buick Grand National (with the addition of nitrous oxide) at Sears Point, to name a few. He loved his old cars and spent hours tinkering with their failing parts. He enjoyed many yearly traditions with his close friends and family, including Christmas Eve at the Petty's, New Year's at the Peterson's, Easter at the Lee's, summer camping in the California Redwoods, and 4th of July at the Lange's.
In addition to his wife Susan of 65 years, David is survived by children Christine Watkins (husband John) of Sacramento, Cherie Green (husband Don) of Santa Rosa, and Daniel Self of Austin, Texas. He was extremely proud of his 3 children and 7 grandchildren (Christian, Johnny and Micah Watkins; David and Sophia Green; Hutch and Lilah Martinez-Self). David thrived around his grandchildren, the apples of his eye. He will be sorely missed.