Obituary of David W Nast

David W. Nast died suddenly at home in Mendham Township on Friday, September 9th at the age of 84. He was the loving husband of Jane C. Nast. They would have celebrated their 61st anniversary on September 16. Born in Williamsport, PA in 1927 to David L. and Helen Nast, his childhood was spent in South Williamsport, PA and Rochester, NY. At East High School in Rochester he won the 100-yard dash championship in the Interscholastic Track & Field League, was an accomplished jazz trombonist and was the Valedictorian of the class of 1945. He enlisted in the Navy in 1945 and advanced to the rank of Lieutenant JG. In the 1950's, he served in the Navy Reserves. During his four years of active duty, he was stationed on Guam, where he worked with the newly-developed radar and other electronic devices. Upon his discharge from the Navy, he studied at the University of Rochester where he had a full scholarship in Chemical Engineering. However, his Navy experience with electronics influenced his decision to major in Electrical Engineering. He transferred to Cornell University where he completed a five-year work/study program and received a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering Degree, With Distinction. He later earned a Masters at New Jersey Institute of Technology and completed doctoral course work at Columbia University. During his Navy tour of duty he corresponded regularly with a fellow classmate, Jane Cappellino, which led to their marriage in 1950. After graduating from Cornell, Dave took a position with Bell Labs which brought him and Jane to New Jersey where they have lived for the last 57 years. He had a great love for his work and enjoyed his 35 years in the Bell system. During those years, he participated in the development of several interesting projects, including being the Head of the Picturephone Engineering Department in the late 60's. He retired in 1991 as Division Manager in Technology Applications over seeing Transport Systems Design & Characterization. Outside of work, Dave's major interests in life were his family, church, music and computers. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church in Morristown NJ, where he served as church Elder and was a member of the hand bell choir, the Chancel Choir and the Computer Committee. He designed the church's first computer system, and was one of the driving forces behind the initial development of the church's web site. He tirelessly recorded and uploaded Sunday morning services and initiated a sound system in the sanctuary. He was a member and president of the Morris Choral Society and a founding member of Coro Lirico. He volunteered his time to develop and maintain Web sites for several non-profit organizations. He will be remembered as an intelligent, honorable man who was a loving husband, caring father, and loyal friend. Dave is survived by his wife, Jane; son David C. Nast and his wife, Brenda Sheeder; daughter Karen Nast-DiDio and her husband, James DiDio and his wonderful grandchildren, Thomas Nast and Zoe Nast. Arrangements were by the Bailey Funeral Home, Mendham, NJ www.Baileyfuneralhomes.com A memorial Service will be held on Saturday, September 24, at 3 p.m. in the Sanctuary of the Presbyterian Church in Morristown. In lieu of Flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Memorial Fund of the Presbyterian Church, 65 South Street, Morristown, NJ 07960.