Dave Weisman
With infinite grace, Dave Weisman, a life-long educator, fisherman, father, and friend who spent his life epitomizing the love and beauty of his Santa Barbara lifestyle, has passed. He was 68. He died peacefully at home December 15, 2021 from long-standing struggles with MS and cancer.
Dave was the youngest of four children raised by Betty and Ed Weisman. He inherited his parents’ love of boating, fishing and living near the coast. Growing up around the Santa Barbara harbor and yacht club, and instilled with Betty’s adventurous New Zealand spirit, all the Weisman children developed a life-long joy of the water. Dave was always most comfortable when asked to captain a boat, teach the art of fishing or simply be on the water with friends and family.
Dave enjoyed the comfort and familiarity of having life-long friendships that came from growing up on the Mesa, attending local schools and with his wife and best friend, Anne, raised three wonderful children in Santa Barbara. Dan, his oldest, has inherited the clever mind of his dad and is pursuing a film and animation career. Ben, his middle child, is an enthusiastic outdoorsman and athlete like his father. His youngest, Carly, possesses her father’s human instincts in her love of art, animals, and theater. There are no words that can adequately express how proud Dave was of his beautiful children. Never far from his heart were his three surviving siblings; sister Judy and brothers Rick and Gary who each in their own way have been a part of his journey.
Dave enjoyed a large circle of close, life-long friends that included neighborhood pals, school mates, work colleagues, and most importantly, a group of ‘second families’ that he cultivated from years spent on family vacations at Lake Powell. It was also at Lake Powell that Dave caught the eye, and ultimately the heart of his wife, Anne. They were married in 1982 on the lake and have shared a 40-year marriage filled with so many laughs and love that it almost seems unfair to the rest of us.
Maybe it was his formal education, with studies in psychology from Santa Barbara City College and a degree from San Diego State University, but the prism of life that Dave looked through always included a foundation of logic and expressed in a way that always ‘just made sense’. It’s no wonder that the Star Trek television, where Spock and Data brought the logical perspective to many episodes, was his favorite show.
Dave retired recently after a career in education and administration. Upon graduation, his first job was instrumental in fulfilling the admissions and care for many physically and mentally challenged children and adults at the Devereux School in Isla Vista. But it was the final 23 years at the Santa Barbara Charter School (SBCS) where Dave touched the lives of so many Santa Barbara families and young students. As a founder and Director of Operations, Dave was the proverbial heart and soul of this band of like-minded teachers, staff and families who set out to educate children in the three R’s, but also in the art of fairness, compassion, and empathy.
We are all shattered to have lost our friend, Dave Weisman.… but somehow, we’ve been given the important reminder that life is beautiful… in all that we touch, see, and live. The finest memories never pass. And we are very thankful for you, Dave, to have shared your life so generously. For families and friends alike, it seems fitting to paraphrase a poem by David Ritter.
If someone should ask for me,
tell ‘em heaven is where I’ll be.
I’ve finished all my life’s chores,
and now I fish on heaven’s shores.
And if the fish no longer bite
Or seem no longer worth the fight,
‘cause it’s me that you are missin’,
don’t worry-be happy-I’ve gone fishin’.
A celebration of life is planned August 28. For details email Anne @dbdandanne@aol.com
Those who wish to donate in Dave’s name, please consider, VNA Hospice and Ridley Tree Cancer Center