Posted on 04/23/2019
David John Henninger 58, of Glenside, PA, passed away Saturday, April 20, 2019. Beloved forever to Beth Lambert, and father to Christian (Jessica) and Kylie (Robert Semmens), David was the second son of Frank Jr. and Therese Henninger (Oravec). He is survived by his father, brother, Frank III (Karen), sister, Paula (Dundee) and Tucker. David also leaves behind many nieces and nephews: Keith (Janet), Brian (Sarah), Jude, Luke and John, to whom he strived to be the favorite Uncle.
David was born Aug. 26, 1960 at the military hospital in Cherry Point, North Carolina. His family settled in Bensalem, Pa. He made many visits to his parent's childhood home in Lansford, Pa. and enjoyed those surviving relatives: (Oravec) Antonia, John, Mary, Anna; (Henninger) Charles, Norton, Elmira, Archie, Marsby, Olga, Norma, Francis, Edward and Yvonne.
David's family were founding members of Saint Ephrem Parish. It was at Saint Ephrem (4th grade) that he wanted to become an astronaut. He was an avid reader, targeting the lives and careers of the first astronauts. This eventually guided his interest in the Naval Academy as he attended Bensalem Senior High School. He joined the newly formed USMC JROTC, achieving the rank of Colonel under the tutelage of Master Gunnery Sergeant George Wilson and winning an appointment at the U.S. Naval Academy. He distinguished himself by captaining the National Champion Rifle Team and performing with the Silent Drill Team. David initially set his sights on a career in the military, to follow his father's footsteps, a Vietnam War Hero in the Marine Corps. David made lasting childhood friendships with the Nonemakers: Theresia, Philip, Glen and Sheila.
David initially went on to the Naval Academy. However, he followed his heart to pursue a career in Computer Science. He went on to Penn State and finally settled at Drexel University. He made lasting friendships with his school buddies: David Bartholomew, Ken Keating and Mike Ranson.
He began and built his beautiful family with Beth Coombs. He loved his children beyond measure. He encouraged them to love, laugh and learn as much as they could master. He took great pride in helping them succeed and find happiness. He adored and found joy and happiness with his grandchildren: Tyler, Elliette, Thomas, and the newest arrival Liam. He loved his two dogs, Digger and Toby.
David spent the latter half of his life with his best friend, Beth Lambert. He made a permanent mark with his extended family consisting of her two daughters, Allison (Tyler) Alderman and Megan Lambert. David has a fifth grandchild from the Lambert side, Harlow Alderman. He leaves them with wonderful, loving memories.
At heart, David was an entrepreneur and a leader. He cofounded On-Board Computer and held jobs at Automatic Data Processing, Standard & Poor, Amtech, United Healthcare before revisiting start-ups via Gemkey and Event Zero. He consulted with Law School Admissions Council before finishing his career at Starr Restaurants. David's second passion was his work. He had a keen vision for all-things computers, but he really focused on building relationships with the teams that he led. He strived to make his team members stronger than when they started, developing their natural skills and became part of their personal growth journey. He truly cared about people and made many lasting friendships: Mike Cunningham (Deb), George Fedun, Manny Lorenzo (Dawn), Shauna Morrison, Tom Gartner and the entire Starr Restaurants IT staff (to name a few).
The family would like to extend their heart felt thank you to the Hospice Holy Redeemer staff: notably RuthAnne, Blanca, Jackie, Dana, the on-call night nurses, volunteers: Portia, Pat and Stuart, the personal aides: Denise, Meghan, Anitra and Sabrina, the Glenside neighbors: Rick, Rose, John, Abby, Kelley, Caitlin, Bernie, Linda, Maria, Myriam, Bob, Eliana, Jason, Jen and Bonnie. Special thanks to John Stuetz and the entire Starr Restaurant IT staff for your caring and bringing Dave home.
For those who know Dave best, after he said his goodbyes, as he looked forward into eternity: "Open the Pod bay doors Hal, I am going home."
Relatives and friends are invited to attend his Funeral Mass at 11 a.m. Friday, at the Olde St. Andrew Church, 135 S. Sycamore St., Newtown, Pa. Burial will be at All Saints Cemetery. Friends may call from 9 to 10:15 a.m. Friday, April 26, at FitzGerald-Sommer Funeral Home, 17 S. Delaware Ave., Yardley.FitzGerald-Sommer Funeral Home, Yardley (fitzgeraldsommerfuneralhome.com)
Published in Bucks County Courier Times on Apr. 23, 2019