Dave Haworth, 79, of Freeland passed away on Oct. 9 after an accidental fall at home.
Dave was born to Prent and Marge Haworth in Detroit, Mich., the oldest of four children.
He grew up in Westfield, N.J., graduating in 1957 from Westfield High School. In his words, the most important event of that period was “the high school band concert in February 1956, when a cute sophomore, Sue Knight, was attracted to my bobbing bow tie as I played the French horn.” Dave and Sue recently celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary.
After high school, he earned his bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and did a then-standard tour in the Army at Fort Eustis, Va. He later received his MBA in finance from New York University, while working in downtown Manhattan.
His early career in the New York area included a variety of financial roles at Equitable Life, Singer Co., and TWA. The family relocated to Seattle in 1969 for a better quality of life, where he took on a variety of financial consulting and management roles at Arthur Young, NBBJ Architects, Matthew G. Norton Co., and finally with the University of Washington, as the metropolitan tract representative.
The family moved to Whidbey Island in 1980, with Dave braving the Seattle commute until his retirement in 2000.
Dave took on a number of charitable and civic leadership roles: Seattle Chamber of Commerce board member, Downtown Seattle Association, Seattle Center Advisory Commission, Whidbey Island Transportation Association, and the Governor’s Commission on ferry labor law. After retirement, he served on various boards: South Whidbey Parks and Recreation, South Whidbey Schools Foundation, Bayview Beach Water District, Useless Bay Colony, and the Island County Board of Equalization and was also active in South Whidbey Rotary.
Outside of work, Dave had a passion for competitive rowing. At Cornell, his freshman crew won the national collegiate rowing championship and his junior year his boat barely missed qualifying for the 1960 Olympics. He went on to win medals at the masters level in national and international competitions at Henley, Vienna, Bled, and Budapest. He was an original member of Seattle’s Ancient Mariners rowing club.
His long-distance event accomplishments include rowing around Manhattan Island in 1969, a 65K church boat race in Finland in 1998, a 115-mile Corvallis to Portland race in 2000, and a 20-mile row from Lake Union around Mercer Island and back in 2003. Son Dave Jr will always remember the 70-mile row and pub crawl they did together in a double down the Thames River from Oxford to Windsor in 1999, honoring Dave’s 60th birthday.
Music was also a constant theme in his life, singing in the Whidbey Chorale and Langley United Methodist Church Choir, performing at Langley’s iconic Clyde Theater as Schroeder in “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown,” and singing in the chorus of a “Fools” production, and in his words, joining “some goofball outfit of old guys singing sea chanties,” the Shifty Sailors.
Dave was a loving husband and was devoted to his family. He treasured the many gatherings with “the kids” and grandson Prestin. Friends and family fondly remember his sense of humor, including a talent for corny puns. His openness and intelligent thoughtfulness drew a “greater family” of friends. Folks in Langley will recall seeing him hanging out regularly at Useless Bay Coffee and South Whidbey Commons Café & Books over lunch, with his latte and New York Times crossword puzzle, always ready for a chat.
Dave is survived by his wife Sue; his three children Lauren, Dave Jr., and Kristin; his grandchild Prestin; his brothers Allan and Steven; his sister Jean; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
A celebration of Dave’s life will be held 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21 at Useless Bay Country Club. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the charity of your choice to honor the many ways Dave contributed to the community at large.
