David Joseph Morgenstern Obituary
With heavy hearts, we announce the death of David Joseph Morgenstern (Lead, South Dakota), born in New York, New York, who passed away on September 10, 2018 at the age of 67. Family and friends are welcome to leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family.
He is survived by: his wife Carole; his daughter Zoe of Rohnert Park; his siblings, Judith Kara and Eric; and his nieces and nephews, Jarrod, Avi, Zachary, Allison and Lisa. He is also survived by husband, father, friend.
He was celebrated for his thoughtful writing, his kind, helpful advice to those who asked, and his wry wisdom in facing life and its vagaries: "Understanding the true reality of things lies at the very center of what's truly beautiful, what's sincerely loving, and what connects us to each other and the world at large. We know when something "rings true." That's when we are touching reality." His formula for life was simple: "Find the clarity of the situation, free from illusions, use imagination in coming up with different ideas to solve the problem, use mental discipline in seeing the possible consequences. Intuitively judge your options, then make a decision. Have the guts to be bold. Learn from the consequences. Rinse. Repeat. Sometimes you will be the windshield, and sometimes you will be the bug. But over time, you will get better at doing it." Upon receiving his cancer diagnosis, David faced directly "into the storm" with the same inestimable bravery and curiosity ("This should be interesting; I've never died before," he told Care.) He wrote gratefully about his doctors, the techs, the RNs, and everyone who helped; he wrote amusingly of his radiation treatment, calling himself "a burrito in a microwave oven." He set an example for all of us, with his never-flagging wry, honest, emotional truth: "What I really want is impossible. I want to turn back the clock. I want to reverse time's arrow. I want more order and less randomness. I want my time on earth to be endless, boundless, and cost-free. Endless. Boundless. Cost-free. That was never really true, but it always seemed to be..." He leaves us all his endless, shining light of kindness, thoughtfulness, and love, perhaps summed up best in his speech to his daughter Zoë at her Bat Mitzvah: "Thank you, Zoe, for showing me this way of living a good life in this world—with wisdom, understanding, and compassion. Thank you, Zoë… for showing me, that when it's dark enough, you can see the stars." Donations in David's memory can be made to: Earle Baum Center for Visually Impaired Earle Baum Center of the Blind | Serving People with Sight Loss, Canine Companions Donate to Canine Companions - Canine Companions for Independence, Friends of the Healdsburg Library Healdsburg Regional Library | Sonoma County Library. "I am so grateful for this life and for knowing you all." Services and Internment will be held on Sunday, September 16, at 1pm, at Daniels Chapel of the Roses, 1225 Sonoma Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95405, followed by a gathering at the family home.
