David Lewis McChesney, beloved husband, father, brother, friend, and optimist, died at home with his family as he had requested. A virulent cancer was discovered on May 8th and he won his eternal reward on June 4, 2022. David was born in Springfield, MA, on February 5, 1942, the second of five children of the late Herbert and Charlotte (Miller) McChesney. He was a graduate of Ludlow High School in Massachusetts, earned a BFA from Utah State University, and a teaching certificate from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He taught for two years in California, after which he and his wife, Judy, spent four exciting years teaching at the Joint Embassy School in Jakarta, Indonesia, and traveling throughout Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Back in the States, he earned a Master of Library Service at Rutgers, and was employed as a Business Reference Librarian at the University of Connecticut in Storrs for 27 years.
Dave and his family traded Dave’s job, their home and their car with a British librarian from Portsmouth Polytechnic in 1987. They lived in England and traveled in Great Britain for 13 wonderful months. Traveling internationally remained a life-long love, and was what first attracted Dave and Judy to each other. Dave loved motorcycles, and in 2010 he drove his Honda cross-country and back, followed by Judy and his father-in-law, John Cignoni: six adventurous weeks seeing the country and visiting family and friends. After retiring, he pursued his interest in flying, piloting small planes as a student aviator. When he realized his insurance rate as a certified pilot, he switched to building and flying model aircraft. He was a long-time volunteer at the Ramsay Research Library at the New England Air Museum, serving as director of library volunteers for many years. His religious life was centered on St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel in Storrs where he and Judy worshipped for 43 years.
David was a devoted and loving husband to his wife Judy, and a terrific Dad to his son, Michael (Lisa), and daughter, Megan. Also left to cherish his memory are his brothers, Charles (Ruth Ann), and Robert (Connie), sisters, Martha Pike (Tony) and Susan Dupont (Bill), sister-in-law Patricia Losito (Chuck), many nieces and nephews, and a cadre of long-time friends with whom he bicycled, Sunday-suppered, flew model planes and laughed often. His family and friends were the core of a rich and loving life, one he genuinely appreciated and prized.
Family and friends are invited to gather at Potter Funeral Home, 456 Jackson Street, Willimantic, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. There will be a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel on the UConn campus, 46 North Eagleville Road, Storrs, on Wednesday, June 22, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. with internment to follow in Storrs Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family would encourage donations to Windham Area Interfaith Ministry, 866 Main Street, Willimantic, 06226 or the American Cancer Society.
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