| Sources |
- [S888] Social Security Death Index 1935 - Current, (www.ancestry.com).
Name: David Michael Dahm
Last Residence: 76712 Woodway, Mclennan, Texas
Born: 26 Nov 1936
Died: 10 Jun 2008
State (Year) SSN issued: Texas (1953)
- [S926] Find-A-Grave, (www.findagrave.com).
David Michael Dahm
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Birth: Nov. 26, 1936
Death: Jun. 10, 2008
David Michael Dahm, 71, of Woodway, passed away Tuesday, June 10, 2008. A Requiem Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the 1962 Missal will be celebrated 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 18, at St. Louis Catholic Church with Father David Leibham as celebrant. Burial will follow at Fairview Cemetery in Hubbard. A rosary will be recited at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 17, at OakCrest Funeral Home, 4520 Bosque Blvd., followed by visitation with his family.
David was born on Thanksgiving Day in Texarkana, Ark. but became a Texan soon after. He grew up in Dallas, and graduated valedictorian from Jesuit High School in 1954. He studied mathematics at the Rice Institute, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1958. He earned a PhD in mathematics from Princeton University in 1962. For the majority of his career he worked for Unisys Corporation (formerly Burroughs) in Pasadena, Detroit, France, England, and Mission Viejo until his recent retirement.
After retiring he moved with his family to Waco, Texas. Pancreatic cancer took him from his family much too soon, but mercifully a stroke saved him from much of the expected suffering during his last days.
Dave Dahm was an extraordinary man, described by colleagues in the computing industry as "a genius" and "the most brilliant mind" they had ever known. His passing is "a loss to the world of computers and to mankind." He was often asked to troubleshoot particularly thorny and intractable problems. Operating systems for mainframes were his specialty. As Director of Software Research he designed the pioneering B5000 compiler and operating systems, introducing generative techniques to Data Base Management. In 1986 he was honored as the first Burroughs Fellow. He patented a number of software programs and authored several papers published in industry journals such as Communications of the Association for Computing Machinery. His interests were wide ranging, including the history of Revolutionary and early 20th century France, topology, game theory, fractals, chaos theory, and natural history and the development and refinement of the theory of evolution.
Over the years David and his wife Jackie opened their home and hearts to many people. His quiet, stoic demeanor often masked a man who cared deeply for others and was always willing to extend his generosity and guidance. He followed politics with equal parts fervor and skepticism, loving to debate issues of historical and current interest. Travel was another passion of his. David and Jackie lived for extended periods both in France and England, and visited Europe, the Soviet Union, Japan, Korea, and China. Just this year he toured Machu Picchu, Peru with other Rice alumni. He was an excellent cook, and his barbeque sauce may never be adequately replicated. His smoked meats had to be tasted to be believed. David M. Dahm will be sorely missed.
David is preceded in death by his beloved wife of 43 years, Jacqueline Rae Dahm; and his father, Cornelius G. Dahm.
He is survived by his mother, Georgene Dahm, of Dallas; his sons, Jerusha Dahm and wife, Jen Rausin, of Los Angeles, Calif. and Anthony Dahm and wife, Kaoru, of Vienna, Va.; grandsons, Spencer, Arthur and Andrew, all of Vienna, Va.; sister, Martha Koestner and husband, Carl, of Albuquerque, N.M.; brothers, Larry Dahm and wife, Charlotte, of Harlingen, Texas, and Jon Dahm and wife, Mary, of Austin; sister-in-law, Jeanne McFarland, of Waco; mother-in-law, Grace McFarland, of Waco; brother-in-law, Patrick McFarland, of Waco; and numerous loving nieces, nephews and friends.
Waco Tribune-Herald: 6/11/2008 - 6/15/2008...Z2
Family links:
Spouse:
Jacqueline Rae McFarland Dahm (1934 - 2006)
Burial:
Fairview Cemetery
Hubbard
Hill County
Texas, USA
Created by: Ruth M. Brown
Record added: Jun 11, 2008
Find A Grave Memorial# 27475469
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1936 - 2008 (71 years)