David Johnston Desmond, Sr.

It is with great joy and sadness that we said goodbye to David Johnston Desmond, Sr., aka “Poppy,” a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle and father figure and friend to so many whose lives he touched. Dave passed away on the morning of September 26, 2023, at the age of 92 with his son David by his side. He now joins our Lord, and the love of his life Jackie, in eternal rest along with a crew of family waiting with open arms in heaven.

Poppy is survived by, and lived with, his son David, his daughter-in-law Lorrie, and their family in Colorado. He especially loved his grandchildren, Cole and his wife Casey, Ian, Jillian, and Will, and was blessed to welcome his great grandson Mac to our family in July of this year. He is also survived by his sisters, Helen Story Smith (Tori), and Sister Janet Eunice Desmond, BVM, and many nieces and nephews in Milwaukee, WI and across the United States.

Dave and Jackie made their home in the San Francisco Bay Area, raising their son David, in Danville, California. After retiring as the Vice President of MIS for the Schlage Lock Company, Dave and Jackie settled in Penn Valley, California, in the Sierra Nevada foothills, for twenty-four years where they built their forever home and were blessed with many great friendships and became an integral part of the St. Canice Parish in Nevada City. One of Dave and Jackie’s great joys was spending time in Lake Tahoe in the summer.

Poppy was an avid skier, skiing blue-black diamond runs in NorthStar, Lake Tahoe at the youthful age of 86. He loved taking care of their five-acre property in Penn Valley, taking long walks, telling grand stories, and laughing, especially with his sister Tori on their daily phone calls. He graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

A Mass of Christian burial will be held on Friday, October 27, 2023, at 11:00 AM, at Our Lady of Loreto Catholic Church in Foxfield, Colorado.