TAPS

David van Pelt Yale, 85, of Wallingford, peacefully succumbed to several long term health issues he was struggling with Wednesday evening, October 31, 2018. Dave was born September 30, 1933, a son of the late John "Jack" Lane Yale and Virginia (Broome) Yale. He was predeceased by his wife, Susan (LeVasseur) Yale 26 years ago; and his only sibling John Lane Yale, Jr., approximately 30 years ago. 

Dave attended public schools in Meriden and was a standout athlete at Meriden High playing football and basketball until his father placed him at Cheshire Academy where he also excelled as a student and athlete. Upon graduating from the Academy he attended Brown University on a US Navy R.O.T.C. Scholarship where he played varsity football. While at Brown he was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE) fraternity. He later served his military obligation in the U.S. Army and qualified as a Korean War Veteran. He was a long time member of the Elks Club in Wallingford and a Life Member of VFW Post 591.

He began his working career in the mid-'50s at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft (where he met Susan they were set-up by the then vice president Dwight Tuttle) in Materials, moved to Prudential Insurance in Sales and lastly to Nationwide Insurance in Claims Management where he remained until his retirement in the mid '90's.

Like many young families of the time Dave and Susan resided in the Ridgeland neighborhood where he would often car pool with neighbors who worked at Pratt & Whitney. He later served on the Highland Elementary School PTA for a term. The family home was a constant site of projects and upgrades often with neighbors pitching in to help. He routinely played golf with Nationwide colleagues, especially Jack Drexler. Later he spent much of his time in Matunuck, R.I., where he built a vacation home across the street from his grandparent's summer home where he would row, paddle or motor on Seaweed pond as he had done in his youth when his parents vacationed there regularly. (The History of Matunuck Beach publication has many photographs provided by him of those days). 

He reveled in the successes of his grandchildren whether earning an RN degree, paddling the length of Missouri-Mississippi rivers in a homebuilt canoe, becoming professional engineers and winning product development competitions or achieving high academic honors. When in Matunuck he was the local critic and pessimist where his dry sense of humor and wit was well known in the weekly card leagues/clubs. 

He is survived by his twin sons, Steven Lane Yale and wife Sarah Toles Yale, and Scott van Pelt Yale and wife Nancy Lathrop Kirkpatrick-Yale; his grandchildren, Emily Skidmore Yale, Katherine Toles Yale, Lindsay Lathrop Yale and Hunter Lane Yale; niece and nephew, Robert and Jaqueline (Jackie Yale) Morris and Jeffrey Lane Yale; and in-laws, Barbara Soule (Meriden), James and Michele LeVasseur (Portland) and Richard and Dorothy (LeVasseur) Perry (Meriden) and several nieces and nephews.

A life celebration service will be held at the First Congregational Church, South Main Street, Wallingford, CT, Friday afternoon, November 16, 2018 at 4:00 PM. In lieu of flowers the family suggests that you should save a dog from destruction by adopting or supporting your local animal shelter or make a contribution to vascular research. Arrangements are under the direction of The Wallingford Funeral Home. www.wallingfordfh.co