David John Reed, Jr.

David J. Reed Jr. March 5, 1943 - May 6, 2019 San Diego David J. Reed Jr. passed away on the morning of May 6, 2019 at the Sharp Hospice Care home in Del Cerro, following a two-month battle with pulmonary fibrosis. He was born on March 5, 1943, son of David Reed Sr. and Alice Hastings Reed, at Mercy Hospital. A third generation native of San Diego, Ca, he was raised in Point Loma, where he resided for much of his life. As a boy, David learned to love sailing, surfing and fishing: which he would later pass on to his sons. He participated actively as a junior sailor at the San Diego Yacht Club and enjoyed surfing the waves of Sunset Cliffs. He also worked part-time varnishing San Diego area yachts, during a time period when beautiful wooden yachts were being built at the Shelter Island boatyards. He graduated from Point Loma High School (his great grandfather Hastings had built the original), in 1962 and went on to San Diego State University. While an Aztec, he was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, graduating 1966. In 1966 David enlisted in the United States Navy and served our country until 1970. His primary responsibility in the Navy was weather forecasting, a skill which he would later use very successfully as an offshore yacht racer. Following his honorable discharge from the Navy, he crewed on racing sailboats and travelled extensively. He raced in and won many offshore yacht races including Trans-Pacific and Trans-Atlantic crossings. He met his future wife Thea, in Barbados in 1972, while returning from a Trans Atlantic race. They were married on December 15 1973 and travelled the world living in various places until returning to San Diego. Upon return to San Diego, David began a career in the cored composites industry. As a founding member of the company that manufactured Divinycell, David was on the leading edge of a rapidly growing technology that was applied to yacht racing (including victorious America's Cup boats), commercial marine, and aerospace industries until he retired in 2005. David was a loving father and husband and passed his love of the ocean, sports, craftsmanship, and travel on to his sons. He and Thea exposed the boys to travel with trips to Europe, Mexico, Hawaii, and across the United States. He is survived by Thea, his wife of 45 years, and his two sons Tybur and Dylan. A memorial service will be held at All Souls Episcopal Church, located at 1475 Catalina Blvd. in Point Loma, on June 8, at 10:30 AM. Reception to follow. That evening, there will be an informal gathering at the SDYC bar to share memories. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in David's name to the San Diego Yacht Club Sailing Foundation, Reed Family Endowment.

Published by San Diego Union-Tribune on Jun. 2, 2019.