David Bressler

David Wilson Bressler was born in San Francisco on 7 Sept. 1923, the 1st of 3 children born to David and Marguerite Bressler. He attended Polytechnic High School, graduating in 1940, and then hopped a freighter to China. He enlisted in the Coast Guard immediately after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, operating a landing craft on the troop carrier USS Leonard Wood for the entire war, serving in the European theater, North Africa, and the Pacific. He was honorably discharged in San Francisco in October, 1945. He married Corrinne Roosman in 1949. The G.I. Bill enabled him to work toward an advanced degree; he received a PhD in mathematics from UC Berkley in 1957. He taught at the University of British Columbia for 14 years, 1 year at Tufts University in Boston, and 5 years at the Istituto di Matematica in Florence, Italy. He moved his family to Davis, California in 1978, and taught at Sacramento State University. During this time, he received a Third Mate Deck Officer's License, with which he made two 3-month voyages, one of them around the world. Proximity to the San Francisco Bay allowed the family to maintain a boat there, the more than 100 year old 45' gaff rig sloop Polaris, from which he derived much pleasure. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, his daughters Anne and Elsa, grandson Medric, sister-in-law Patricia Bressler, son-in-law Norman Riley, nieces Linda, Wendy, and Cindy, nephews David, Robert and Rodney and their respective children. "A wonderful family," he said often. A memorial service will be held at The Episcopal Church of St. Martin's (640 Hawthorn Lane Davis, CA 95616) on 26 July 2013 at 230pm.

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Previous Events

Memorial
Friday, July 26, 2013

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