David McWharter

David McWharter, 61, of Centennial, Colorado died on May 10, 2019 after courageously battling both lung and renal cancer for over six years.

Dave was born in New York State, grew up in Pennsylvania, and made his way to the Denver area after graduating from Allegheny College with a BA in Environmental Science. Upon arriving, he became involved with Coloradans for Recycling, canvassing door to door for votes for a bottle bill. The bill didn't pass, but the legacy of that experience left a lifelong soft spot for door to door salesmen. He always opened the door for a salesman, much to the delight of Lenny the roofer and Juan the concrete curb installer.

After working in the environmental testing field for several years, Dave formed his own company, Chemac Environmental Services, mostly performing environmental testing for mining companies. Dave was passionate about many things, among them: fishing, gardening, home brewing, model airplanes, sports, and music. He approached each of them with a unique perspective and desire to expand his knowledge. He learned the ancient art of growing espaliered fruit trees to supplement an extensive conventional garden, built a fleet of model airplanes that he couldn't bring himself to fly because he didn't want to damage his handiwork, and his latest passion was learning the art of bee keeping. He intensely studied up on starting a beehive and eagerly shared his newfound knowledge with family, friends, hospital staff, and door-to-door salesmen alike. He received his first shipment of bees two days before he died.

Dave was also a bit of a contrarian. An avid sports fan, he cherished the times his beloved New York Giants played in Denver so he could root for them amongst a sea of Broncos fans. He coached all of his children both individually and for their teams, sometimes with outsized fervor, and always cheered them on, not just in their chosen sports, but in all the choices they made in life. He loved the mix of reggae, hip hop, and rock that exemplified his favorite band Slightly Stoopid — but when his father, a great lover of classical music, died, he scooped up a number of his records to bring home for a listen.

More recently, Dave returned to his political roots. While dealing with the complexities of his own illnesses, he organized a family trip to Washington DC in 2016 for the Women's March and again in 2017 for the March for Science, this time with friends and family (and a cool t-shirt - Science/Not Silence). In the chaos of these enormous marches, he sometimes had to sit on the ground with a view only of legs, but that didn't matter to him, being there was what mattered.

In addition to Pam, his wife of 29 years, Dave leaves behind his daughter Kristin, sons Dylan and Nicholas, sister Karen, brother Ken, and many other relatives and friends who will miss him dearly. Dave looked for the truth behind the noise. He was a skeptic but not a cynic, and he had a strong belief in what he viewed as just and was always willing to fight to the end for the underdog.