© Copyright 2001-2016 Stockbridge Funeral Home
All Rights Reserved
Stockbridge Funeral Home invites you to post your entries of love and support for the family. All postings are monitored and any inappropriate posts will be immediately deleted. Thank you in advance for your respect for the family.
Visitation -
Saturday, September 10, 201611 am until hour of ServiceStockbridge Funeral Home141 Epping RoadExeter, New Hampshire 03833Celebration of Life -
Saturday, September 10, 20161 pmStockbridge Funeral Home141 Epping RoadExeter, New Hampshire 03833
Return to OBITUARIES
| ||||
S H A R E
David C. Engel, Esq.
On September 2nd, 2016, David C. Engel, Esq. heard the distant bang of a gavel and ascended to take his place in his Holy Father’s courtroom. David was not alone during his final days as his beloved wife, children and grandchildren stayed by his side, sharing love, laughter, tears, and stories.
Born October 6th, 1931, to Robert and Gretchen Engel in New York City, David was blessed to have two sisters and a brother to share his childhood with. He spent his youth in Essex Falls, New Jersey, where he was an Eagle Scout. He had an early propensity for music and history from a young age.
David graduated from Montclair High School in 1950 and then pursued a degree in sociology at St. Lawrence University. He graduated in 1954 and went immediately to NYU School of Law, graduating in 1956.
David wanted to live in a rural New England community and moved to New Hampshire which allowed him to pursue his love of local history and passion for preservation. He worked briefly for the NH Attorney General and then joined Henry Shute’s law firm in Exeter. In later years, the firm moved to Hampton Road in Stratham and was known as Engel & Associates. He retired and closed the firm just a few years ago.
David had five children with his first wife prior to marrying Priscilla LaRoche in 1972 and becoming a devoted father to her four children while the couple had one child together. The blended families quickly became one and shared many an adventure together.
Raising ten children was no easy task and soon required a bigger house and thus the move to Ayers Homestead in Greenland. Fulfilling a lifelong dream of Priscilla’s to have a big, old estate, the two spent many years collecting antiques, restoring the old homestead and creating memories with their children – with the love and help of their beloved Martha – all the while keeping their thriving law practice moving.
Each Engel holiday would be met with excitement and much preparation at the Ayers Homestead. No one loved the holidays more than David did.
His Christmas ritual included setting up his beloved childhood train set around the tree for all the kids to enjoy. The house was always full during the holidays and family was most important to him. Nothing pleased him more than having a house full of kids which grew to 21 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, and 2 more on the way this year.
The Ayers Homestead’s doors were never closed. Friends and family were always welcome and it eventually evolved into a very popular bed and breakfast as the nest emptied. David and Priscilla - ever the consummate host and hostess - welcomed people from all over and regaled them with local New England stories, sharing the experience of life in their beautiful antique home along with a warm bed and a hot cup of coffee. Many lifelong friendships were formed and each walked away with a memorable experience from the Engel’s unique hospitality.
David and Priscilla were central figures in Greenland. David served as a sitting member of the Greenland Planning Board. He and his family attended the Greenland Church, where David sang in the choir. Greenlanders remember David and Priscilla as the inspiration behind Greenland’s Summerfest, which the two of them were instrumental in running for 13 years.
David loved the ocean and was a skilled sailor. His great sense of play could be seen as he bodysurfed with his children. One of his favorite weekend activities was playing ‘kick the can’ around the Greenland homestead. Storytelling and reading to his children were a regular event. His favorite character was Winnie the Pooh. He never could finish a chapter without falling into uncontrollable laughter. Watching him at play, one often wondered who was the adult and who was the child.
David loved history. He and Priscilla collected and restored old cars. In the summer, they were often seen driving around town in their Pierce Arrow with multiple children hanging out of the rumble seat.
David fought hard to preserve colonial buildings in the area. He was one of the founding members of Portsmouth Preservation and was a major
force in developing “The Hill” in Portsmouth, where 13 historical homes were relocated to avoid demolition. He also was instrumental in saving pieces of Portsmouth’s Old State House.
Music was central to David’s life. In his younger years, he was part of a barbershop quartet, The Curbstone Four, and later sang in the Yankee Clipper Barbershop Chorus, which he helped to establish. Up until a few days before David’s death, he and Priscilla sang together. He was an accomplished pianist and especially loved playing Mendelsshon’s “On Wings of Song”.
Although David was a New England boy, his heart was always with his Green Bay Packers football team, which made for many interesting rivalries with friends and family over the years. You could often see him with a Green Bay cap or sweatshirt on and he always had a Packers bumper sticker or wheel cover on the family car. One of his biggest dreams was fulfilled when he attended a live game at Lambeau Field with his sons Peter E. and Peter L.
As a New Hampshire lawyer for over 50 years, David touched the lives of many people. There would be many evenings he burned the midnight oil, working on cases with Priscilla. Besides the birth of all his children, his career was one of his proudest accomplishments.
David leaves behind the love of his life, partner & best friend of 44 years, Priscilla, along with their 10 children: Karen Kearns and her husband Kevin; Peter LaRoche and his wife Tina; Kathleen Engel and her husband Jim; Terri Spinney and her partner Ed; Eric LaRoche and his wife Donna; Susie Klockars and her partner Billy; Julie Booth and her husband John; Peter Engel and his wife Debbie; Rebekah Elmore and her husband Todd; Heidi Engel and her partner Rose; 21 grandchildren: Aly, Anne, Austin, Avery, Bobby, Caelan, Cheri, Danielle, Dillon, Drew, Eden, Hannah, Kris, Laura, Marty, Molly, Sam, Tiffany, Tim, Tucker, Zac; and 13 great-grandchildren plus 2 on the way: Brooklyn, Brynley, Evan, Isla, Jackson, Jennie, Kyleigh, Madison, Mason, Mia, Noah, Scottie, Zuri. David also leaves behind several nieces & nephews along with his sisters Judy Hunter and Elizabeth Engel and was pre-deceased by his brother Richard Engel.
A Celebration of his life will be held at the Stockbridge Funeral Home, 141 Epping Road, Exeter, Saturday, September 10th at 1pm. Relatives and friends are also invited to visit with the family Saturday at the funeral home from 11am through 1pm as we share stories of this extraordinary man.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made in memory of David C. Engel to the Cross Roads House, 600 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth, NH 03801.
