David R. Thaxton

1940 - 2017

David R. Thaxton, of North Stonington, passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, January 26, 2017.
David enjoyed life to the fullest and enjoyed sharing it with others. His ideas were big and he acted on them, observing, "lots of people have ideas, the key is to do something with them!" In addition to starting two successful businesses, he and his family lived and traveled overseas, he rafted down the Colorado River, dove the Great Barrier Reef, played the Royal and Ancient course at St. Andrews, and took up fine woodworking and furniture making. As a fitting motto for his life journey, he enthusiastically adopted the words of his oldest granddaughter (as she was pulling a wagon-full of dolls behind her): "Hold on tight, my friends!"
David felt his life's greatest accomplishment was his family. He and his wife, Kathleen Lathrop, spent 51 wonderful years together and raised three children; Mickey, Missy, and Jamie. He was proud of his children, and delighted in his grandchildren; Katie, Maddy, Molly, Pippa, David, and Théa. They brought tremendous joy to his life and he modeled for them his conviction "to care for others, care to finish your work regardless of task, care for the values each of us hold on the circle of life's journey, care for family, home, and church. Care… for one another."
He was born August 7, 1940 in Clayton, N.M., the son of Ben and Elizabeth Thaxton. He graduated from Austin High School, El Paso, Texas, in 1958 and received a Congressional appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy in the class of 1962. He excelled academically at Navy, lettered in four sports, and played on Navy's 1961 Orange Bowl team. After graduation and commissioning he attended submarine school in Groton, Conn. and served 20 years in the Navy in submarines; he was executive officer of USS Salmon (SS 573), and commanded USS Tang (SS 563).
In 1985 he founded Ocean Analytics, which was acquired by United Nuclear Corporation. In 1995 he co-founded U.S. Helicopter with his business partner Dick Joyce, and led it for ten years before it was acquired by Bell Helicopter in 2005.
In addition to his naval service and his entrepreneurial efforts, David was also active in the community and lived out his conviction that "we matter, and all others matter." He was involved in local government, business organizations, and his church in which he led the effort to make North Stonington Congregational Church an open and affirming church.
The Thaxton family would like to extend their gratitude to Dr. David Schwindt of Integrative Medicine and Dr. Barry Shea at University Medicine for the exceptional care, compassion, and skill they provided David, as well as the kindness they showed to the family.
A service of remembrance will be held at North Stonington Congregational Church on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 11 a.m. Private interment will be held in the spring. The Thaxton family will meet with relatives and friends immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers, donations in David's memory may be made to North Stonington Congregational Church, 89 Main St., North Stonington, CT 06359 or EcoAgricultural Partners, 1100 17th Street N.W., Suite 600, Washington, D.C., 20036. For obituary information or to share a note of remembrance or condolence with David's family, please visit dinotofuneral.com.