David Wills

November 6, 1950 - June 8, 2017

David Wills died at his home in Berkeley surrounded by his family and friends. The youngest son of Elizabeth (Babette) Bertron, a native of France, and Michael Wills, of Santa Monica, CA, he grew up in Portola Valley, Northern CA, lived a period of his life in France, traveled all over Central America with his backpack, and was a long-time Berkeley resident where he met his wife Victoria Párraga of Bilbao, Spain, and where they raised their son Mikel Párraga-Wills.

David was an artist with a keen eye for detail, who worked as a photographer, builder, and carpenter. He trained at The School of Visual Arts in New York City and worked as a professional photographer primarily in New York and Nicaragua. In the Bay Area he built and remodeled many houses, including his own home in West Berkeley and those of many of his beloved friends. David was a skilled, patient, demanding, and loving teacher of his craft to others.

He loved Northern California’s natural landscapes, where he tended his family’s land in Mendocino County, scuba dived, went salmon fishing, and cultivated his prolific backyard garden. Together, David and Victoria loved to cook for and host friends and family at their Berkeley home—their door always open to drop-in visitors who were welcomed with great company and amazing food.

In addition to his wife Victoria and son Mikel, David is survived in the US by his older brother, Jacques Ullman, his sisterin-law Muriel, niece Claire, her husband Mike, and their son, Hayden. In Spain he is survived by his brother-inlaw Goyo Párraga, nieces Barbara, Aitana, and Elena, and nephew Ricardo. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in David’s memory to: Options Recovery Services, 1835 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94703.