David Norman DeSchamp Sr. of Brownsville, VT, our beloved husband, father and grandfather was carried home peacefully by Jesus while surrounded by his family on September 30th after enduring a long battle with Kennedy's Disease. He was the oldest of five sons, born on April 14, 1942, to Walter and Thelma (Watson) and was raised in Quincy, Massachusetts. As a child, his parents drove him to Nova Scotia every summer to spend time with his dear Great Aunt Annie and Uncle Harv on their farm in Annapolis Valley. He shared stories of the fun he had with his cousins, haying, riding horses and exploring. Dave contracted Polio in 1955 at the height of that epidemic and was hospitalized for six weeks. Despite being told to walk with canes, he put on his ice skates after discharge and went to hockey practice. He excelled in sports and loved playing baseball, hockey, bowling, swimming, water-skiing, tennis and golf. He graduated from North Quincy High School in 1960 and continued many life-long friendships with his classmates. Following his graduation, he enlisted in the Army Reserves and attended boot camp for six months in Georgia; participating in training duties for many years. Upon completion of his military service, he graduated from Northeast Institute of Industrial Technology where he studied construction drafting and estimating. His first position at George A. Fuller Company on Beacon Hill in Boston was his most loved, and his career as a construction drafter and estimator continued until his retirement in 2000. In 1964, he married his true love, Kathleen Walbridge, and raised their 4 children in Scituate, MA, until October 1978 when they moved to Brownsville, VT. Dave was filled with pride for his four children and loved them dearly. An avid sports fan, he was a fixture at his children's school events and games which he thoroughly enjoyed. Annual family camping trips to Ossipee Lake were a highlight for him, and he aptly earned the nickname "Camper King". He learned to ski at age 36 and worked as a technician at the Mt. Ascutney Ski Shop on weekends. He made many friendships and was involved in community and school events including the famous Brownsville Baked Bean Suppers where he washed dishes and entertained everyone working in the kitchen. He was a gifted storyteller and was never at a loss for words. Discussing politics in the DeSchamp household was not allowed since Dave was outnumbered 5:1, but because his voice was the loudest, he had the last word and was convinced he won. When he retired, he was a regular at the Brownsville General Store for daily breakfast and lunch. He found great joy spending time with his grandchildren; especially watching them swim in the pond and play in the yard. He loved being at home and caring for his property, mowing, gardening, and home projects. Ever the handy man, he rarely read directions and relied on duct tape and coat hangers to "MacGyver" things that needed fixing. He hand-crafted a bread box which never saw a loaf of bread but instead became his toolbox and medicine cabinet among other things. Dave had a wonderful sense of humor which remained strong even through his years of physical disability. He was determined and survived too many falls to count. We often said he had more lives than a cat! He had an analytical mind and a knack for mathematics. He was an avid player of Words with Friends with many and never used a crossword dictionary. He enjoyed doing crosswords and watching the Hallmark Channel, Star Trek, Skip and Shannon: Undisputed, and Friday Night SmackDown. He was a life-long Boston sports fan; dedicated to watching the Red Sox, Patriots and Bruins. Dave was a Tom Brady fan 'til the end and was happy he lived to see Tom win one more Super Bowl, even if it was in another jersey. In his later years, he traveled with Kathy to many states and enjoyed family cruises to the Caribbean.

He is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Kathleen (Walbridge), his 4 children all of Brownsville, VT: Kathleen Hall (Dennis), David Jr., Laura DeSchamp, Greg (Colleen) and his seven grandchildren: Dylan and Sarah DeSchamp, David and Harrison Hall and Olivia, Henry and Andrew DeSchamp. He is also survived by two brothers, Paul (Jean) of Summerfield, FL, and William (Katie) of Quincy, MA. He was pre-deceased by his parents and his brothers Wayne and Walter. He was the beloved brother-in-law of Joseph Walbridge (Gail) of Hanson, MA, Roy Walbridge of Celebration, FL, and Marie Walbridge of S. Weymouth, MA. He was pre-deceased by his brother-in-law Richard Walbridge (Dorothy) of Scituate, MA, and his sister-in-law Judith Stempleski (Patrick) of Norwell, MA. He was also a favorite uncle of many nieces and nephews.

Family and friends are invited to a Funeral Mass at St. Francis of Assisi Church, Windsor, Vermont, on Saturday, October 16, at 11:00 am, followed by a Celebration of Dave's Life at the West Windsor Historical Society Grange Hall. (Due to COVID guidelines, masks will be required.)

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Kennedy's Disease Association, P.O. Box 1105, Coarsegold, CA 93614-1105, kennedysdisease.org or to Bayada Hospice, 316 Main Street, P.O. Box 1590, Norwich, VT 05055, www.bayada.com