David L. Whitehead

1936 - 2016

David Leo Whitehead, formerly of Wakefield, MA died Oct 1, at the age of 80, at his home in Easton, MA after a brief but courageous battle with cancer. A native of Wakefield, Dave graduated from Wakefield High School and the United States Coast Guard Academy with a degree in Engineering. David was very proud of his service aboard the USCGC Eagle and USCGC Humbolt. After marrying and starting a family with his wife Irene, Dave lived in Great Britain for a number of years before returning and settling in Wakefield. Dave worked as an Electrical Engineer in the electronics industry for many years for Honeywell, AMP, Transitron, Teradyne and D.G. OBrien. Dave was very active in the First Parish Congregational Church of Wakefield and enjoyed his service as a Deacon, singing with the choir, involvement with the Retired Mens Group, Alpha Program, Gideons International and many other church groups. Dave enjoyed sailing with the Quannapowitt Yacht Club, antiquing, traveling and camping with his family. Dave spent his last few months visiting and vacationing with friends and family, boating and even began flying lessons. Dave is survived by his wife Irene (Lovett) Whitehead; daughters Sara (Whitehead) MacKenzie, Janice Whitehead, and Wendy (Whitehead) Gabriel and her husband David; and his son Neal Whitehead and his wife Regina (Clark). He is also survived by his sister Sandra (Whitehead) Dickinson, her husband Arthur and their children Pam (Dickinson) Eddy and Robert Dickinson. David cherished times with his nine grandchildren: Rachel, Heather and Cameron MacKenzie; Alexander and Jonathan Whitehead; and Colin, Nicholas, MacKenzie and Jacob Gabriel. David was pre-deceased by his parents Leo S. and Annie (Piper) Whitehead and also his dear son-in-law Edmund MacKenzie. His funeral service will be held at the First Parish Congregation Church, 1 Church Street, Wakefield on Thursday at 11 a.m. Visitation for relatives and friends will be held at the funeral home on Wednesday from 5 - 8. Interment will be at Lakeside Cemetery, Wakefield. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Davids name to First Parish Congregational Church Remembrance Fund, 1 Church Street, Wakefield, MA 01880 or to Alpha New England/Vision New England 401 Edgewater Place, Suite 360 Wakefield, MA.