David Edward Willwerth

May 2, 1932 - March 12, 2020 Resident of Los Altos Hills

David Willwerth (Dave), age 87, passed away peacefully at his home in Los Altos Hills, California, with his loving wife at his side. He is survived by his wife Dianne Willwerth, his son Michael Willwerth of Campbell, CA, his sister Gail Willwerth Upp of Los Angeles, CA, and his brother Robert C. Knapp of Fort Atkinson, WI.

Dave was born in Oneida, New York. He lived in upstate New York until age 14. His family then migrated West and settled in Colorado. He finished high school there, then joined the Navy and served as an electronics technician during the Korean War. After four years in the Navy, he returned to Colorado for college. He received a BS in Engineering Physics and MS in mathematics from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Over a span of 37 years he applied his engineering expertise briefly to flight analysis projects at General Dynamics in San Diego, CA, and extensively to military spacecraft command and control systems in Sunnyvale, CA. In Sunnyvale he worked at General Electric, TRW, and finally Lockheed Martin where he worked until retiring.

In retirement he much enjoyed traveling, taking frequent cruises and tours. But his real passion was his garden. He did the maintenance of his acre site by himself as long as he was able. Prior to his illness, he took pride in growing organic vegetables, heirloom tomatoes, and heirloom beans. He also liked colorful whimsey in the garden. He was often inspired by what he saw in his travels and made wood and stone pieces for the site.

Dave took an interest in everyone he met. He had a dry wit and charming sense of humor. He will be fondly remembered by family and friends alike.

Dave’s Celebration of Life will be held a later date. The family asks that any donations in Dave’s memory be made to your local Humane Society.