David Dahm
November 26, 1936 — June 10, 2008
Send a Gift
Past Services
Service Information
David Dahm
__________________________________________________________________________
To view pictures of Dr. Dahm's life, please click the SLIDE SHOW symbol above.
__________________________________________________________________________
David Michael Dahm, 71, of Woodway, Texas, 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, 2008 at St. Louis Catholic Church in Waco, Texas with Father David M. Leibham as celebrant.
Burial will follow in Fairview Cemetery in Hubbard, Texas under the direction of OakCrest Funeral Home of Waco.
Rosary will be recited at 6 p.m., Tuesday, June 17, at OakCrest Funeral Home, followed by visitation with his family.
His Life
David was born on Thanksgiving Day November 26, 1936 in Texarkana, Arkansas, but became a Texan soon after. He grew up in Dallas, and was 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. 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.
David is preceded in death by his beloved wife of 43 years, Jacqueline Rae Dahm and his father, Cornelius G. Dahm.
Survivors
He is survived by his mother, Georgene Dahm of Dallas, Texas; his children Jerusha Dahm and spouse Jen Rausin, of Los Angeles, California, and Anthony Dahm and spouse Kaoru and their sons Spencer, Arthur, and Andrew, all of Vienna, Virginia; sister Martha Koestner and spouse Carl, of Albuquerque, New Mexico; brother Larry Dahm and spouse Charlotte, of Harlingen, Texas, brother Jon Dahm and spouse Mary, of Austin, Texas; sister-in-law Jeanne McFarland; mother-in-law Grace McFarland; brother-in-law Patrick McFarland, all of Waco, and numerous loving nieces, nephews and friends.
Special Thanks
The whole family is grateful for the loving assistance given to them during David's illness by nieces Kelli Anderson and Kathy Smith, as well as Miss Bea Carrizales, Visiting Angel Dolores Jordan, and the nurses and staff at Blue Bonnet Hospice.
An Extraordinary Man
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.
Deep Concern for Others
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.
Pallbearers
Pallbearers will be John Hale, Ben Dent, Carl Koestner, Larry Dahm, Jon Dahm, Anthony Dahm, Luke Simpson, and Spencer Dahm.
Click the SLIDE SHOW symbol below to view pictures of his life.
Click FLOWERS below to send flowers for the services.
Click GUESTBOOK below to send a welcomed message to his family.
To view pictures of Dr. Dahm's life, please click the SLIDE SHOW symbol above.
__________________________________________________________________________
David Michael Dahm, 71, of Woodway, Texas, 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, 2008 at St. Louis Catholic Church in Waco, Texas with Father David M. Leibham as celebrant.
Burial will follow in Fairview Cemetery in Hubbard, Texas under the direction of OakCrest Funeral Home of Waco.
Rosary will be recited at 6 p.m., Tuesday, June 17, at OakCrest Funeral Home, followed by visitation with his family.
His Life
David was born on Thanksgiving Day November 26, 1936 in Texarkana, Arkansas, but became a Texan soon after. He grew up in Dallas, and was 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. 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.
David is preceded in death by his beloved wife of 43 years, Jacqueline Rae Dahm and his father, Cornelius G. Dahm.
Survivors
He is survived by his mother, Georgene Dahm of Dallas, Texas; his children Jerusha Dahm and spouse Jen Rausin, of Los Angeles, California, and Anthony Dahm and spouse Kaoru and their sons Spencer, Arthur, and Andrew, all of Vienna, Virginia; sister Martha Koestner and spouse Carl, of Albuquerque, New Mexico; brother Larry Dahm and spouse Charlotte, of Harlingen, Texas, brother Jon Dahm and spouse Mary, of Austin, Texas; sister-in-law Jeanne McFarland; mother-in-law Grace McFarland; brother-in-law Patrick McFarland, all of Waco, and numerous loving nieces, nephews and friends.
Special Thanks
The whole family is grateful for the loving assistance given to them during David's illness by nieces Kelli Anderson and Kathy Smith, as well as Miss Bea Carrizales, Visiting Angel Dolores Jordan, and the nurses and staff at Blue Bonnet Hospice.
An Extraordinary Man
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.
Deep Concern for Others
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.
Pallbearers
Pallbearers will be John Hale, Ben Dent, Carl Koestner, Larry Dahm, Jon Dahm, Anthony Dahm, Luke Simpson, and Spencer Dahm.
Click the SLIDE SHOW symbol below to view pictures of his life.
Click FLOWERS below to send flowers for the services.
Click GUESTBOOK below to send a welcomed message to his family.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of David Dahm, please visit our flower store.
Past Services
Service Information
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
St. Louis Catholic Church
Photo Gallery
Guestbook
Visits: 0
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
