David Aldinger
July 24, 1939 - May 5, 2019

David Mills Aldinger, 79, passed away peacefully in his Fernbridge residence on Sunday, May 5, 2019, while in the loving care and companionship of his wife, Marie Tilstra Aldinger. David was born July 24, 1939 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to John and Genevieve Aldinger, and he spent most of his childhood in St. Louis, Missouri. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Washington University in 1965, and then settled in Northern California, where he lived for the remainder of his life. David received his teaching credential from Humboldt State University in 1977 and went on to teach in Mendocino, Trinity and Lake Counties, before returning to Humboldt County to teach in Fortuna in 1993. David retired from teaching in 2000, shifting his finely honed counseling skills to the Humboldt Alcohol Recovery Treatment program, helping others in their journey to recovery from addiction.

David was a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Hayfork from 1981-1989, in Lakeport from 1989-1993 and in Fortuna from 1993-2019. He was a teacher and principal with the Northern California Conference from 1986-2000, teaching in Hayfork, Lakeport and Fortuna.

David is lovingly remembered as a dreamer, storyteller, adventurer, philosopher, intellectual, theologist, artist, teacher, counselor and spiritual adviser. He provided a flare of comedy for every life he touched. David was an avid musician and multi-instrumentalist. He developed a passion for the cello in his 40s and went on to play with the Shasta, Lake County and Eureka symphonies. In his retirement he continued to play and teach string music as well as fundraise and advocate for local musical groups. He loved traveling and appreciated diverse viewpoints, cultures and cuisines.

David is survived by wife Marie; brothers Jay and Tom and their families; sons Matthew, Lucas and their mother Dixie; daughter Sarah and her mother Sally; daughter Jean and husband Nathan; son Thomas and wife Julie; and grandchildren Asher, Olivia, and Abigail. They look forward to the next adventure with him.

A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 29, at the Fortuna Seventh-day Adventist Church, with a celebratory reception and meal to follow. David’s family invites all who would like to join in remembering David’s life. In lieu of flowers, donations in David Aldinger’s name can be made to the Eureka Symphony.

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