David Lee Connell

1941 - 2025

David Lee Connell

October 22, 1941 – January 31, 2025

David Connell was a man of integrity who approached his family, friends, work, and world around him with honesty and respect. Those who knew him quickly saw that his first loves were his family and friends. His devotion to his wife, daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren was evident from the care he took to support them and share his love and knowledge of the natural world.

Dave was an ardent outdoorsman who loved fishing, hunting (with his loyal Labradors), camping, and backpacking. He also expressed his deep appreciation of the outdoors through his photography, and was an active member of the Nevada County Camera Club, and also Nevada County Sportsmen and Flyfishing Clubs for many years. His love of nature began on the beaches and hills of Ventura, California, where he grew up with sisters Kathy and Annie. His parents Larry and Esther Connell lived in the same house overlooking the Pacific Ocean for seventy years, and they loved joking that their house with a million-dollar view cost them a grand total of $6,000.

Dave's life as a beach bum came to end when he joined the Army Reserves. After completing his time in the Reserves, he headed to Arcata, California as a student at Humboldt State University. There he met lifelong friends and obtained a degree in Game Management. After leaving Humboldt, he headed back to southern California and began working in the Los Padres National Forest as a Wildlife Biologist. During this time, Dave had many adventures, including one that changed the course of history for the critically endangered California Condor. One day, Dave's father was coming home from fishing and saw a very unusual sight: a bird tangled and hanging upside down from a tree. He called Dave, who recognized the bird as a juvenile California Condor that had been abandoned by his parents. Dave and other Forest Service personnel rescued the bird, and after determining it would not survive in the wild, helped rehabilitate it and named it Topa Topa. Topa Topa was integrated into a California Condor breeding program and eventually fathered thirty-two babies who later propagated other California Condors.

Little did Dave know that another adventure awaited him in his hometown. He fell in love with and married Dianna Branstetter, who would be his wife of fifty-seven years. After they married, they moved to Nevada City, where Dave worked in the Tahoe Forest Service for thirty-four years. If you have ever hiked into Loney Meadows, fished in Bullpen, heard the hoots of a Spotted Owl, or walked parts of the Pacific Crest Trail, you were taking part in Dave's legacy.

After retiring from the Forest Service, Dave and Dianna were able to travel with friends and family, having new adventures in Alaska, Switzerland, France, Ireland, Cuba, the Galapagos Islands, Montana, and his beloved California coast. Unfortunately, Dave was diagnosed with Alzheimer's four years ago. With Alzheimer's, routines became very important to him. One of his favorite routines was to go to the Humpty Dumpty Kitchen every day and enjoy the same order of a pecan waffle with double butter and syrup and a root beer. The Connell family would like to thank the wonderful staff at Humpty Dumpty. The waitresses always brought love, kindness, and understanding to his table along with his daily order. Dave adored his waitresses!

Dave Connell was deeply loved and will be missed by his wife Dianna, daughters Tracy Cardenas (Alfredo) and Lisa Connell (Jason), his grandchildren, Nicholas and Olivia Cardenas, and Abigail and Isaac Keesling. The Connell family very much appreciates the support and love of all family members and its many devoted neighbors and friends. A memorial will be held on

June 21 from 11:00am to 2:00pm at the Connell residence.