David Charles Weintraub

David Weintraub, son of Jerome and Madeleine Weintraub, died Sunday, October 10, 2010, at his home outside Malaga, WA. Dave was born in Providence, RI and raised in La Mesa, CA, where he graduated from Grossmont High School. Dave married Lynn Marie Mueller in October of 1971, and in 1973, they moved to Wenatchee with their new son, Jeremy. Soon after, they settled in the Old Colockum Schoolhouse, where his family still lives today. Dave studied at the Pangborn Airport to become a professional pilot, and worked as a Flight Instructor and Charter Pilot for Magee Aviation and Wenatchee Aero. Later, Dave was hired by Commander Northwest, where he learned the art of aerial wildland firefighting. This job took Dave to Alaska, where he was introduced to an even more challenging task, Aerial Marine Mammal Surveys, by his mentor, Tom Blaesing. These surveys required Dave to fly teams of Marine Biologists to the most remote places in Alaska, often in horrible weather conditions, where they would count different animals from the airplane. One week it would be Whales, the next it could be Sea Lions or Polar Bears. Dave fell in love with this work and, over the years, developed a reputation as a pilot who could get the job done and keep his passengers safe, even when the conditions were extremely difficult. During this time, Dave earned the nickname "Captain Dave", which stuck with him the rest of his life. Before retirement, Dave took great pleasure in teaching his son, Jeremy, all he could about flying in Alaska. During his retirement, Dave became very involved with the local Republican Party and the Malaga/Colockum Community Council. Dave was passionately working on a project to build a community park in Malaga. Early in life, Dave fell in love with Harley Davidson motorcycles. He and Lynn could be found most weekends exploring the back roads and riding with friends. They became fixtures with the local motorcycling community and their home was always known to be open to a travelling rider. In addition to flying and riding motorcycles, Dave loved fishing for Salmon, hunting Deer and Elk, and "playing the blues" on his electric guitar. Anyone who knew Dave also knew that he loved to tell a good story. In 2003, Dave lost his wife, Lynn, to illness. He continued to work and travel until 2008, when he met Nour Villanueva Englis. Dave and Nour were married in September of 2009. David is survived by his mother, Madeleine; his son, Jeremy and daughter-in-law, Tawnya; wife, Nour; brothers, Michael, Philip, Peter, Paul and Daniel; and sisters, Mimi, Martha and Jessica. A Memorial Motorcycle Ride, starting at the Clearwater Lounge and Restaurant in East Wenatchee, will be held at Noon on Saturday, October 16, 2010, with a Fellowship at 3:00 p.m. for friends and family at the family home.