David Richardson TAPLIN

TAPLIN, David Richardson   David Richardson Taplin passed away on February 16, 2019 at his home in Tucson, Arizona. David was born January 1, 1947 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Richard Delbert and Irene Maguire Taplin. The family moved to Tucson later that year. David is survived by his wife Natasha, his sons, Carlos (Lori) and Kit (Paola), granddaughter, Camille and his sister, Sallie Soto (Jimmy) of Tucson. He is also survived by his nephews and nieces, David Soto (Eugenia) of Brooklyn, New York, Matthew Soto (Ashley) of Colorado Springs, Colorado and Julia Soto of Phoenix, Arizona, great-nephews, James Timothy and Mateo Xavier Soto and numerous loving cousins, aunts and uncles. He was preceded in death by his parents, Richard D. and Irene M. Taplin, his brother, Charles Joseph Taplin and great-niece, Charlie Jane Soto. David graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in business administration. In 1970, David became an exhibit technician at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. It was at the museum where David met his mentor, Merv Larson, the then director of the museum. In 1976, Merv founded The Larson Company where he and David perfected techniques of creating artificial rockwork and environments. The Larson Company's first big breaks came from Sea World exhibits and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. From there, they created magnificent exhibits all over the world. David maintained many friendships throughout his career, especially Mo Morris, David Knipe, Scot Chandler, David Hutson, John Challis, Stan Spears and countless others. David will be remembered as the ultimate host, king of the kitchen and barbeque baron. The kitchen was David's man cave and everyone benefited from his passion for cooking and entertaining. David had a unique way of making friends with anyone he encountered, whether they spoke for a few minutes or a few hours. If someone had an open ear and time to spare, he would make them feel like they had been lifelong friends. David was a fervent Arizona Wildcat fan, and would often call friends and family during nail-biters, hoping to influence the outcome of a game. David was Tucson's Yogi Berra and could fire off his own "David-isms" with a frequency that was unparalleled. David's quips will always be remembered - if anyone asked David how he was doing he would answer "If I was any better, I would be you". A celebration of David's life will be held on Saturday, March 2, 2019 from 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. For more information, contact: carlostaplin@gmail.com.