DAVID A. BRISTOL
1934-2020
David Arthur Bristol, age 85, passed away peacefully following a very brief illness in Houston on Thursday, the 2nd of January 2020. Dave was a devout Christian, loving father, grandfather and husband of 60 years. Dave was known and loved for his kind, humble, and generous nature and he will be dearly missed by family and friends. Dave was born the 10th of August 1934, to Mr. and
Mrs. Franklin B. Bristol II in Waterbury, CT. He grew up in a family of 4 generations of engineers and followed that path as well. He attended The Taft School in Watertown, CT and then went on to Lehigh University where he majored in Mechanical Engineering and was also a collegiate gold medal winner on the university’s fencing team. Following his graduation from Lehigh in 1956, he met his future wife Barbara in the church choir of the Middlebury Congregational Church. They married in
July 1959 and moved to Marblehead, MA then settled in Lynnfield, MA. Their son, David was born in Lynnfield and Barbara and Dave lived there for 53 years.
Dave had a fulfilling career as a mechanical engineer, first with the General Electric Company in Lynn, MA, where he was issued numerous patents related to pressure measuring devices and worked on cockpit instrumentation for 1970’s era commercial planes. Later he worked for the Hewlett-Packard Company and then Agilent Technologies, in Waltham and Chelmsford, MA, where he was responsible for designing and developing medical instrumentation products.
Throughout his life, he had a never-ending desire to tinker and modify things as an engineer.
Along with his wife, Dave enjoyed traveling through many parts of northern New England over the years. He loved fishing and was constantly exploring lakes and rivers in the region, ultimately finding his perfect summer cottage on a lake near Ellsworth, ME. He had a deep interest in the conservation of rare and endangered woodland wildflowers in New England and around his home he enjoyed gardening alongside his wife. Dave loved classical music, especially George Frideric Handel, Joseph Haydn, and Franz Schubert and enjoyed attending pipe organ recitals. Dave was a long-time and devoted member of West Congregational Church in Peabody, MA where he served on the Board of Trustees and on the Missions Committee. In recent years, he spent time in Brenham, TX with his wife while visiting his family in Houston. Upon his relocation to Houston in 2017, he attended various churches until his health no longer permitted him to do so.
Dave is pre-deceased by his loving wife, Barbara F. Bristol, his parents, Franklin B. Bristol, II and Phyllis H. Bristol, his sister Nancy B. Allen and his brother Franklin B. Bristol, III. He is survived by his son, David A. Bristol, Jr.; his daughterin-law, Marcelite B. Bristol; his granddaughters, Isabelle and Louisa, all of Houston, TX. He is also survived by his brother-in-law, Harvey C. Fruehauf Jr. and wife, Susanne M. Fruehauf of North Palm Beach, Fl; and his 10 nieces and nephews and their families: Franklin B. Bristol IV, and his wife, Janet, of State College, PA; Robert D. Bristol, and his wife, Kathy, of East Haddam, CT; William B. Bristol, and his wife, Lori, of Paoli, PA; Cynthia A. Engels, and her husband, Larry, of Marietta, GA; Duncan B. Allen, and his wife, Dale, of LaGrange, GA; Phoebe Allen of Greensboro, GA; and Peter B. Allen, and his wife, Andrea, of Marietta, GA.; Lisa F. Prast, and her husband, Albert, of Winter Park, FL; Martha S. Fruehauf of Charlottesville, VA; and Julie F. Mariouw of Ann Arbor, MI.
Very special thanks go to Dave’s wonderful caregiving and support team of the last 2.5 years based at the Eagle’s Trace Senior Living Community: Daisy, Tawanna, LaCynthia, Nory, Lucy, Jovelyn, Janice, and Phil. Without their collective love and tireless support, and his friendships within the greater Eagle’s Trace Community where he lived, Dave would not have had the wonderful final years that he did.
A memorial service is to be conducted at three o’clock in the afternoon on Thursday, the 16th of January, at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 717 Sage Road in Houston, where the Rev. Jonathan V. Adams, Associate for Pastoral Care and Outreach, is to officiate.
Immediately following, all are invited to greet the family during a reception to be held in the nearby Bagby Parish Hall.
In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests memorial contributions be directed toward The Native Plant Trust,180 Hemenway Rd., Framingham, MA 01701 (http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/visit/gardenwoods/); or to The Stanwood Wildlife Sanctuary, P.O. Box 485; 289 High St., Ellsworth, ME, 04605 (www.birdsacre. com); or to The Houston Arboretum & Nature Center, 4501 Woodway Dr., Houston, TX 77024 (www.houstonarboretum.org).
Please visit Mr. Bristol’s online memorial tribute at www.GeoHLewis.com where memories and words of comfort and condolence may be shared electronically with his family.