David McClanahan's Obituary
It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of David C. McClanahan on July 11, 2021, in San Jose, California, ending a heroic battle against cancer, shortly after his 65th birthday.
David (Dave) C. (Clarence - but you didn’t hear it from me) McClanahan was born in Portland, Oregon on July 1, 1956, to Mark and Faye (Wheeler) McClanahan. He was the second son of what would become a family of five children, and grew up with two brothers and two sisters.
A case could never be made that he was the most boring of the McClanahan children; he managed to be the subject of quite a high percentage of fun household stories, from being involved in the violent ending of front teeth to the identified culprit of switching out the breakfast sugar bowl with salt. As one of the older siblings, he was both an active and good-natured teaser (knowing and never crossing the “mean” line), but also a kind big brother who would let his younger siblings tag along on his adventures, teach them to drive stick shift, and even take them on rides up to Council Crest on his motorcycle if they saved up enough gas money. He was an instrumental team member in recapturing a number of little white creatures subsequent to an event the McClanahans referred to as “the Great Escape” (where the boy and girl mouse cages spilled and there were a number of young mice roaming the house for months, much to delight of the house cat, Smokey). Guided by life-lovers Mark and Faye, Dave had an active childhood in Portland, spending a great amount of time outdoors, be it on horseback, skiing down mountains, or in the water. From an early age, he had a soft spot for animals - he always spoke fondly of the family childhood dog, Sammy, even in his final weeks of life, and went on to own many cats (only about half of which were bestowed from his daughter).
After graduating from Wilson (now “Ida B. Wells-Barnett”) High School in Portland, Dave attended college first at the University of Oregon, but soon set off to explore the West Coast during his time in college, traveling and living in many new spots including Hawaii, San Diego, and Los Angeles, working at different “Old Spaghetti Factory” locations as he traveled. Eventually, he made his way to Silicon Valley, which would ultimately be his home for the majority of the remainder of his life, graduating from San Jose State with a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science. After graduating, Dave found his career in technology as a Software Engineer.
In the 80s, Dave’s daughter, Kelley, was born and he proved to be a great father (and uncle). Similar to how his parents raised him, Dave raised his daughter to thrive outdoors and tackle new adventures, with an extra sprinkling he’d come up with on his own of a knack for mischief. He took horseback riding lessons with her, had her traveling on planes solo at the age of 7, shepherded her and friends through many trips to Hawaii, coached her basketball team, and took her down Black Diamonds in Tahoe on one of her earliest ski trips, forgoing the pizza - french fries method altogether. A single father of an only child, he did a wonderful job navigating a Silicon Valley career and fatherhood; he never missed extracurricular events or denied his daughter any new hobby. He also made sure trips home to Oregon to visit the grandparents, aunts/uncles, and cousins were plentiful, allowing memories and relationships to be built over Christmas and pool parties with the McClanahans (and Wolfes), even moving up to Oregon during Kelley’s high school tenure.
Dave was fun. His goal for every get-together seemed to be seeing how many folks he could make smile and laugh (and sometimes roll their eyes). He outwitted nearly everyone he came across in good-natured (but never mean) banter, and constantly kept entire rooms on their toes waiting for the next “zinger.” His charismatic presence left him to be frequently defined as “the life of the party,” from family Christmases to outings with coworkers. Although he was a private person, his family meant the world to him; he loved both of his parents dearly, and maintained his relationships with his siblings through the years, his brother Ed (and eventually wife Melanie) being one of his closest lifelong friends, frequently visiting his siblings Craig and Julie in Oregon for holidays and other special occasions, and luckily in his final few years Kathy as well, who had moved back to Oregon.
To his social circle, he was a great and steadfast friend, the best a person could ever ask for, and he truly enjoyed an excellent beer. He almost exclusively maintained an optimistic attitude, facing whatever challenges life brought his way with determination, and was considerate and kind nearly to a fault. A former colleague described him as the team CEO (“Chief Entertainment Officer”). A man of habit, he frequented Nick’s Pizzeria before it closed, but the spot most special to his heart was Humboldt Tobacco Company, where he would go every Saturday to listen to live music and have a glass of wine. His glass of wine was so renowned that the musical talents of Humboldt Tobacco Company actually wrote a song that included a verse about it; the song was frequently on the lineup of their Saturday performances.
He traveled all over the world, including a gorgeous cruise to Alaska in his later years, and attempted every activity known to man (he was an excellent skier-on the lake and on the mountain, he scuba dived, he ice skated, he horseback rode, he cycled, and many more). He enjoyed watching sports too, and spent much of his time watching football (and sometimes American football too), steadfastly supporting the Trail Blazers during his time in Oregon during the times of Damon Stoudamire, Bonzi Wells, and Rasheed Wallace. The spine of every book in his house was absolutely destroyed - he loved a good book.
He was a special Dad, and his time with Kelley intangibly instilled in his daughter the instinct to love and enjoy the beauty of life. For much of her childhood, he was his daughter’s best friend, learning the words to every Disney song to sing in the car, nerding out over Star Trek and Star Wars (and then debating which was better). Into adulthood, their companionship remained, although attempts to outwit and out-banter him remained futile. He was able to celebrate his daughter’s wedding, walking her down the aisle, delivering a speech at the reception, and of course through a lively father-daughter dance. Through the years, as life carried him through many paths, but through it all, he always loved Kelley with his whole heart.
Notable Dave Quotes:
“Growing up with 5 kids… 3 were always happy.”
“...and then there was the first-of-the-morning ski run down to the Hood River Meadows parking lot… a decade before it was built… We made it back… by lunch time.”
“Does anyone want a cat?”
"Why don't you use a bigger brush?" (- as Dave watched Ed battle against algae in the pool. Let's just say when the neighborhood was in the news and a helicopter did a flyover, there were fears of being declared an EPA Superfund site).
“Grab life - and live it to the fullest.” [At Kelley’s wedding]
“You were a good Mom, but I won’t admit that. Uh, yeah we put you through Hell. But you held up pretty good! … And we didn’t all turn out that bad!” [At his mother’s 90th birthday party]
He leaves behind... His siblings, Craig (& Ruth) McClanahan of Tualatin, OR, Julie McClanahan-Baugh of Tigard, OR, Ed (& Melanie Burger) McClanahan of Danville, CA, and Kathy (& Doug) Wolfe of Portland, OR. His Aunt Rema White of Fallon, NV and her brother-in-law Don Griesmeyer of Tacoma, WA. His nieces and nephews Matt McClanahan of Tualatin, OR, Amy (& Jason) Perez of John’s Island, SC, Nate McClanahan of Clearfield, UT, Tim (& Marlene) Wolfe of Berkeley, CA, and Heidi (& Ryan) Noon of Sahuarita, AZ, and grand-niece and grand-nephew Ellen and Wyatt Wolfe of Berkeley, CA. A number of cousins of the Griesmeyer clan, located in CA, OR, WA, and NM, with whom Dave’s family spent many holidays and family occasions throughout the years. A number of great friends, some of whom were able to visit him during his final weeks in the hospital. And, his daughter, son-in-law, and grand-dog, Kelley Ryan McClanahan Gallaher (& Andrew Gallaher) and Kuzco.
RIP Dad/Dave. You showed us the way to live, and not just “be alive.” You were taken from us too soon, but we’re thankful for all the moments - the smiles, the adventures, the challenges - that we were lucky enough to share with you.
Flowers can be provided at the link herein. Services will be held on July 31, 2021, at Skylawn Memorial Park (Hwy 92 at Skyline Blvd. San Mateo, CA 94402), between 12 PM and 5 PM, and will include a Memorial and Remembrance of Life Service, Interment, followed by a Reception, where drinks and refreshments will be provided. Masks will be required at the service when not eating or drinking. A Celebration of Life will be planned subsequently.
What’s your fondest memory of David?
What’s a lesson you learned from David?
Share a story where David's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with David you’ll never forget.
How did David make you smile?