David Leslie Farnsworth

OSWEGO – David Leslie Farnsworth, 88, died on June 14, 2026, in Asheville, N.C. He was a gentle giant; a devoted husband, father, and grandfather who never stopped learning, evolving, or caring for his family.

Dave was born on June 11, 1938, in Syracuse, N.Y. He was raised in Canandaigua, where he was a proud Boy Scout and a bus boy at Kellogg’s Pan-Tree Motor Inn and Restaurant. He was also a three-sport varsity athlete, playing football, basketball, and baseball. During his senior year, Dave helped lead his basketball team to a 21-0 record and a sectional championship. Scoring a total of 1,009 points during his high school career, he later became one of the inaugural members of Canandaigua Academy’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

Dave graduated in 1956 and matriculated at Dartmouth College, where he studied history and was a member of Casque & Gauntlet, Phi Delta Theta and, later, the Ripley Society. But his greatest college memories — and friends — came from his time on the basketball team. Together with his teammates, Dave took home two Ivy League championships and even reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament.

After earning his bachelor’s degree in 1960, Dave pursued a master’s in education at Syracuse University. Upon finishing, he became a high-school social studies teacher: first at Rush-Henrietta outside of Rochester, and then at Jamesville-Dewitt back in Syracuse.

Around that time, Dave met a young woman named Mary at church. He asked her to a football game in Buffalo — and it wasn’t long before they married. They’d remain by each other’s sides, their shared faith carrying them through all of life’s ups and downs, for almost 62 years.

The couple moved to Cazenovia, where they began raising four daughters, and where Dave spent more than a decade in the positions of vice principal and principal at the local high school. He then became the superintendent at Schroon Lake, in the Adirondacks, before a career change took him to Baldwinsville and Liverpool. For the last dozen years of his career, Dave was the director of personnel for the Oswego City School District.

When Dave retired in 1998, he and Mary decided they were ready to say goodbye to harsh winters. Dave joked that he was going to “put the snowblower on top of the car and stop in the first place someone asks what it is.” The couple ultimately settled in Fletcher, N.C., where Dave found himself busier than ever: volunteering with the Methodist Church, Blue Ridge Literacy Council, Men’s Garden Club of Asheville, and Haywood Street Congregation. Ever a hard worker, he also held a few “retirement jobs”: substitute mailman and U.S. Census worker.

While Dave automatically commanded attention when he entered a room — he was 6’9,” after all — he never sought the spotlight. He didn’t have a showy bone in his body, with a personality that almost seemed designed to offset his size. He was reserved, kind, and calm; a great listener whose family referred to him as “Switzerland” because he was so even-keeled. He was fastidious and thrifty: a lifelong member of the Clean Plate Club who never left a single grain of rice on his plate. That said, he wasn’t overly serious; he was witty and sharp, with a great sense of humor.

Dave was curious, a lifelong learner: He loved nothing more than spreading a big map across the kitchen table, magnifying glass at the ready, to explore its roads and rivers. He adored word play and collected idioms like they were going out of style. He was a third-generation Red Sox fan whose most prized possession was his signed Ted Williams baseball. He enjoyed traveling and trying new foods, exploring Europe and Southeast Asia, as well as driving across the U.S. and visiting nearly every state.

Dave also showed that old dogs can, indeed, learn new tricks, becoming much more liberal and open-minded in his later years. He wrote a letter to the editor supporting gay marriage — and, in his late 70s, even got his first tattoo. Still, he remained as upright of a citizen as ever: never drinking or cursing, instead using “holy mackerel!” and “son of a gun!” as his preferred phrases.

Above all, Dave was a family man. He did anything to provide for those he loved, including, at times, working two jobs and, for five years, visiting his sick mother twice a day. He traveled annually to see his extended family, as well as calling them regularly and sending detailed Christmas letters. Later, he became the ultimate grandfather: holding tiny hands at Disney World, going down the water slide as many times as was requested, and building magnificent sand castles. Most importantly, he never judged his children or grandchildren, even when he may have disagreed with their decisions. Instead, he offered endless support and acceptance.

Now that he is gone, we will remember Dave every time we pass a souvenir shop and wish we could buy him a T-shirt (the odder the location, the better). Every time we savor a scoop of ice cream — though, unlike his college self, we probably can’t eat a half-gallon in one sitting. Every time we hear the satisfying swoosh of a basketball, and every time we watch the Red Sox play. But most of all, we will remember him in the quiet moments, when we miss the steadfast and loving presence he brought to our everyday.

Dave was predeceased by his parents, Alton and Frances Farnsworth; and beloved family friend, Philip Sandom. He is survived by his wife, Mary Chatfield Farnsworth; his brother, Craig (Marie); his daughters, Ellan Barber (Walt), Brenda Farnsworth, Rachel Palmer (Rich), Lesley Wood (Coty); his grandchildren, Josh and Alex Barber, Justin and Jack Bihr, Katie Fischer, and Enzo Wood; his great-granddaughter, Anya Bihr; his bonus daughter, Murielle Kervizic de Wekker; his lifelong friends, Howie and Tammy Keys; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, September 5, at the Fletcher United Methodist Church. An ice-cream filled reception will follow. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes in-memoriam donations to the Haywood Street Congregation, the Four Seasons Foundation, or MemoryCare. Arragements are under the caring guidance of  Nelson Funeral Home.