Dave McGarvey Obituary

David McGarvey, 72, passed away on Thursday, March 6, 2025 at his home in Davidsonville, Maryland after fighting pancreatic cancer for two and a half years. Dave was born on January 28, 1953 in La Porte, Indiana to Wilma and Norman McGarvey. He was the elder brother of Susan and Doug McGarvey. David grew up in Indiana, and ran track and cross country in both high school and college. During his studies at DePauw University, David was an All-American Division III hurdler and a proud member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. While working in Philadelphia, he met his future wife Diann (née Pleiman). They moved to California in 1986, married, and started an environmental business. They began their family and welcomed their son, Brian, into the world. Dave and Diann moved to the east coast in 1995 and settled in Davidsonville with Brian and their new daughter, Anne. David spent the last 29 years of his life in Maryland, raising his family, and building a community of friends that he deeply cherished. David shared his love of sports with his children, rarely missed their sporting events, and even learned how to play lacrosse just so he could practice with and coach them. He coached various sports for both his son and daughter's youth teams, well into their middle school years. Dave loved playing and watching basketball, too. Although he traveled extensively, he rarely missed his beloved Thursday night basketball games with the "old guys" at Davidsonville Elementary. Dave led Brian's Cub Scout Troop and never missed Anne's Girl Scout father-daughter dances. Dave loved being outdoors. With family and friends, David enjoyed skiing, camping, hunting, fishing, and the family's annual trip to Topsail Island, NC. He was Diann's "heavy-lifter" in the many landscaping projects she envisioned. Dave was an enthusiastic and adventurous traveler, both with his family and his business. He loved taking "McGarvey Road Trips", where the destination was not completely known but the journey was always fun. On many evenings, one could find him by his firepit with his family or neighbors, and enjoying an IPA and the many birds flocking to his menagerie of feeders. In 2000, Dave started McGarvey & Associates, a company that specialized in sales and consulting for the petroleum storage and handling industries. He used his 40+ years of industry experience to build a successful company, with the support of his major clients. He was self-taught in complex electrical, mechanical, and regulatory processes, and held 13 patents. David was passionate about his work and remained active in his business throughout his fight with cancer. David was a loving and loyal husband, father, grandfather, friend, coach, inventor, mentor, and business associate who went out of his way to lift others up in both his personal and professional life. He fought a tremendous fight through two and a half years of pancreatic cancer treatment and surgery. His family is incredibly thankful to the many medical professionals who helped him through his cancer journey. David is survived by his wife Diann, son Brian (Carey), daughter Anne, sister Susan (Bill) Toler, and two amazing grandchildren.