David Alan Gustafson

David Alan Gustafson, 73, of Amston, CT, passed away on December 5, 2018, at Douglas Manor in Windham, CT. Born on December 22, 1944 in Little Falls, MN, he was the son of the late Edwin A. and Vivian M. (Schlee) Gustafson. David?s family members were very active in the First Lutheran Church in Little Falls. He grew up living across the Little Falls golf course, where he and his parents played golf and David won several trophies in competitions. David attended Little Falls High School, from which he graduated with honors in 1962. While in high school, he also played football and, in the summer, played baseball. He completed his first semester of college at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, and went on to receive a B.A. degree in political science from St. Cloud State College (now University) in 1967. At St. Cloud, he was a member of the Phi Sigma Epsilon fraternity and the accounting Business Club. During the summer of his college years, he performed manual labor, repairing the local railroad tracks, and he worked in the Charles Lindbergh State Park in Little Falls. In 1966, he began law school on a regional scholarship at the University of Mississippi School of Law. At Ole Miss, he was selected by the law professors for membership on the Moot Court Brand to mentor other students on their circuit and appellate court cases. He was also a member of the legal fraternity. During the summer of 1969, while he was attending summer school, he met his future wife of 46 years, Frances Sandra Burdison, a second-year law student working in the law library. In January 1970, David graduated from Ole Miss ranked in the top 20%?(8th in his class). That same year, he was admitted to the Mississippi State Bar, and soon thereafter was admitted to, and practiced before, the US District Court for the northern district of MS and the US District Court for the Western District of TN. Later in 1970, he started law school at the New York University where he worked for one semester on a master?s degree in Labor Law. In 1971, he returned to?northern MS to work for North MS Rural Legal Services, and shortly thereafter, opened his law office in Southaven (DeSoto County), where he engaged in the general practice of law. While practicing, he was the attorney for the North Mississippi Board of Realtors and the Pleasant Hill Water Association. From 1972 to 1983, he was associated in practice with several other attorneys. In 1983, he was offered a management position with a company that served as a third-party administrator for other companies to process worker?s compensation claims filled by their employees. David was the manager for the company?s office in Memphis, TN, until 1985, when he was offered a management position involving more responsibility in Hartford, CT. During his years in CT, David worked for several companies from 1985 until his retirement in 2009. He continued to specialize in processing and defending worker?s compensation cases and frequently appeared at hearings before the Worker?s Compensation Commissioners, defending the companies for which he worked. Prior to 1985, while still living in MS, he was an active member of the Southaven Jaycees and a Sunday School teacher at the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. In CT, he was a past member of the Men?s Club at Chanticlair Golf Course in Colchester. During his youth, David enjoyed traveling with his parents in Canada and the midwestern States. Later, he enjoyed traveling with his wife and daughter in the northeastern US, Morocco and many of the Caribbean Islands. He especially enjoyed traveling to many areas of Mexico, where he adored the spirit and hospitality of the Mexicans so much that he began collecting stamps that represented the older historical aspects of Mexico. He and his family traveled frequently to Ixtapa, where they had a time-share at the Ixtapa Palace and he enjoyed playing golf. After moving to CT in 1985, David became an avid Boston Red Sox fan and attended many games at Fenway Park. He also followed the Minnesota Vikings and Twins. David and Sandra learned to appreciate ?hopping the Metro North train into Grand Central Station? to spend two or three days a year in Manhattan at the art galleries and museums and attend?the Broadway shows. David was predeceased by his parents, his infant son, Alan, who died in 1982 at 8 months of Krabbe disease, and his granddaughter, Rose Caroline Sugarman, who died in 2014 at age 6 from a tumor on her brain stem. David is survived by his wife, his daughter and son-in-law, and his grandchildren, Drs. Shannon and Jeffrey Sugarman, and Ella and Nathaniel of Atlanta, GA. The family thanks Dr. Paul Schwartz, neurosurgeon, and the entire dedicated staff at Hartford Hospital, who cared for him during his many admissions. The family also thanks the caregivers at Salmon Brooks Center, Glastonbury, and Douglas Manor, Windham. Many thanks also to the very professional care he received during his final days in hospice from Masonicare in Wallingford and Mystic, CT. Memorial contributions can be made to the First Lutheran Church, Little Falls, or any of the facilities that provided excellent care to David during his final days. An interment was held on June 12, 2019 in Oakland Cemetery in Little Falls. To leave an online condolence, please visit www.shelleyfuneralchapels.com , or www.potterfuneralhome.com .