Obituary of David C. Mackwell

Obituary for David Clark Mackwell:

David Clark Mackwell, 84, passed away peacefully on October 14, 2024, after a courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He is survived by his beloved wife of 59 years, Diantha Helbig Mackwell; his sons and daughters in law, David Arthur and Marcie Mackwell of Billerica, MA and Christopher Joseph and Melissa Mackwell of Canton, MA; and his four grandchildren, Olivia, Nathaniel, Cassidy, and Lilian Mackwell.

David was born on January 5th, 1940, to Arthur and Mabel (Mulford) Mackwell in Saint Louis, MO. Arthur was in the retail industry and David spend his early childhood with siblings Arthur and Joy, in St. Louis, Seattle, Cincinnati. The family settled in Glenn Rock, NJ where David spent his middle and high school years. During this time he forged many lifetime friendships including Gerry Counihan and John McSweeney, as well as his high school sweetheart, Diantha.

After High School, David Spent four years in the United States Army. He became a medic and was stationed in Germany. Upon finishing his service to the country, David studied electronics and gained employment at RCA Laboratories. During this time, he reunited with Diantha and the two were married on May 22, 1965.

Together, they built a life rich in adventure and love. They quickly moved from New Jersey to Chelmsford Massachusetts where they raised Christopher and David while he achieved success in starting his own company, MPS Electronics. However, it was the thrill of exploration that truly defined him. Dave embraced the great outdoors through camping, hiking, skiing, boating, and flying. He shared this passion with his family. Also, there are countless happy memories with family (Wolf’s, Davis’ and Smith Families) and friends (Wolf’s, Davis’ and Smith Families) at the on Squam Lake in New Hampshire. There were also river and camping adventures to remote areas like Newfoundland, Labrador, Ontario, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. During the late 80’s and early 90’s Dave channeled much of his adventurous energy into his new passion, windsurfing.

In 1998, after chasing the wind all over the hemisphere, Dave and Diantha made a life-changing decision to retire and move to Maui where his passion for windsurfing could be

most realized. They spent over 25 years in Maui starting with a condominium in Kihei and eventually buying a home in Pukalani.

While in, Dave became very involved in local issues. These included designing and constructing a beach cleaning machine that removed seaweed while not removing the sand. He became a member of Kihei planning commission and was a founding member of the Maui Coastal Land Trust where he played a vital role in the organization’s growth and preservation efforts. He developed many great friendships in Maui, most notable with Dale and Marge Bonar who shared his passion to preserve Maui.

While windsurfing in Maui was his main activity, he did not forget his passion for adventure travel. He kept a van on the west coast for travel. He spent many winters skiing with his close friend, Mert Bell in Jackson Hole, or in Whistler with Tom Davis. Dave would drive the van from Seattle to Utah to join sons Christopher and David along with their friends on short ski trips, then travel alone for before returning to Maui. David and Diantha spent many months traversing all over the western United States and Canada. These adventures include rafting trips on the Colorado, Snake and Tatshenshini Rivers. They visited most, if not all, of the national and provincial parks in the west. They did two trips all the way Alaska going as far as the arctic circle. It could be said that he attempted to drive every dirt road and tour every campground ever constructed.

Following his Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Dave made extraordinary efforts to save himself, however he slowly declined with the disease. He was able to do one last ski trip with his son David in 2020. He continued to struggle in Maui until 2022 and he returned to Massachusetts to be close to his family, who provided him with love and support during this challenging time.

A memorial service will be held at Burns Funeral Home, 354 Boston Rd., (Rt. 3A), Billerica on Monday October 21, from 4:00 - 7:00 PM. Following the Memorial Service, family and loved ones are invited to gather at Garrisons located at 303 Boston Road in Billerica.

In remembrance of Dave’s adventurous spirit and dedication to the outdoors, please enjoy the beauty of nature.

In the words of John Muir, “The Mountains are calling and I must go.”