David John Wachter

David Wachter Obituary

Name: Funeral Mass for David John Wachter
Start: 2024-03-07T16:30:00.000Z
Location: St. John the Evangelist Historic Church

David John Wachter of Takoma Park, Maryland, died peacefully on Friday, February 23, 2024. He was surrounded by love with his wife and children at his side. Dave is preceded in death by his parents, John J. Wachter and Jeanne Marie Davis; siblings Christine Bonsby, John A. Wachter, Jeanne Miller, Kathy Michos; and brother-in-law John C. Bonsby.

He is survived by his wife Jackie, and children John (Karin), Thomas, Griffith, and Kate; siblings Louise (Jessica) Parker Kelley and James (Kathy) Parker; brother-in-life Peter Michos; and a multitude of loving family members and friends. Dave will remain in our hearts forever.

Funeral Mass will be held on Thursday, March 7, 2024 at 11:30 a.m. at St. John the Evangelist Historic Church, 9700 Rosensteel Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland. Inurnment will be held in 2025 at Arlington National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association and the Disabled American Veterans.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The Washington Post from Mar. 5 to Mar. 7, 2024.

Memories and Condolences
for David Wachter

12 Entries

Padma Soundararajan

Planted Trees

Padma

March 12, 2024

I wish to convey my heartfelt condolences and sympathies to Dave´s wife, Jackie, his children, family, friends, and his community.

I worked at the Department of Education at RSA and Dave and I were colleagues. As so many have mentioned, Dave was full of kindness, compassion, and a commitment to justice and activism. He was always very empathetic. He was great at telling stories.

But the real story for me is personal (and it´s long).

I was a young woman working at RSA and had a future ahead of me when tragedy struck. My entire family: 2 parents and 4 siblings, met with a head-on collision in 2008 while vacationing in India. I was in my 20s at the time. Both of my parents and my two younger sisters died instantly (4 immediate family members). My two disabled brothers survived the crash. One with severe cerebral palsy, the other with Autism. My brother with cerebral palsy did not walk or talk, was wheelchair-bound, and was a complete-care individual. I ended up becoming legal guardian of my two brothers and began a life I never thought would: a full time caregiver/parent to 2 siblings. With 4 family members gone, I could not fathom splitting us up further. I was advised by very well-meaning people to find a good group home for my brother with CP. I took it as an insult; I would always become very defensive and am pretty stubborn to begin with. It took the most simplest of conversations with Dave to convince me to think long-term and about my future. He probably had no idea what impact he made; it was a short conversation, almost in passing, but it was profound. He was the only one who said something effective that reached my core. It was only after that conversation, I started to make moves and think about my future. I had that conversation with Dave 6 years into raising my brothers.

Dave always stopped in to say hello and asked me how my brothers were doing. He also always made the best recommendations of places to visit and I always went!

I left RSA to begin taking courses towards nursing school and he gave me some of Jackie´s books - thank you Jackie!

What a wonderful soul. I wish I saw him after I left RSA. He was genuine, sincere, and thoughtful and I will never forget his kindness.

Ellen Fabian

March 11, 2024

I am so sorry for your loss. I first met Dave when I worked ages ago at the Rock Creek Foundation and saw what a big heart he had. He had a big impact on my life, and I will not forget him. May his memory be a blessing.

American Heart Association

March 7, 2024

May your memories of the wonderful times you shared with your loved one comfort you and your family, today and always.

Gary Donaldson

March 6, 2024

David, you were always true to your heart, care for others and spoke to truth. I have often thought about you over the years and how fortunate I was to know you.

Laurrainne Robichaud

March 5, 2024

I'm so very sorry for your loss. I had the pleasure of working with David at the Rock Creek Foundation when it was in its infancy, in Bethesda. I just loved working with David and am just heartbroken to hear of his passing. He was indeed a treasure. Laurrainne Robichaud,RN,MS