David Thurston

David W. Thurston
Of North St Paul and Naples, Florida

Died peacefully on April 28, 2012 at the age of 74 from complications of Leukemia, diagnosed one week prior. Born April 7, 1938, in St. Paul. Predeceased by parents Dwight and Hazel Thurston, brothers Bruce and Robert and sister Marilyn Goergen. Survived by loving wife of 52 years, Jacqueline; children John (Larisa) Susan, Pam Schultze (Doug), David (Erika), Christianne Conners (Brian), grandfather of 14 grandchildren; Jack, Levi, Eric, Brian, Jordan, Peter, Caitlyn, Madelyn, Collin, Caralyn, Nolan, Evalyn, Avery, Garrett, sister-in-law Janice Marabella of Mesa, AZ and many nieces and nephews. David attended Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary for 2A½ years and graduated from St. Paul Central in 1956. He earned his B.A. Degree in 1960 and a J.D. in 1962, both from the U of M. David opened his own law office in the fall of 1962 and remained a sole practitioner until his retirement in 1996. In 1967 David was appointed Special Municipal Judge in North St. Paul which office he held until 1975. He was an active member of the Jaycees for ten years. David was president of the Board of Education for St. Peter's Parish School and served for ten years on the Parish Council, four of them as Chairperson. David and his wife were strong supporters of Hill-Murray H.S. from which their five children graduated. David was a member of the Hill Murray Board of Education for sixteen years including seven years as Board Chairperson. David was an avid birder since he was in the 5th grade. He enjoyed the "chase" for a rare bird and particularly liked visiting birding spots around the country to see how many different species of birds he could find in a given year adding to his "life list." Mass of Christian Burial at ST. PETER CATHOLIC CHURCH, 2600 No. Margaret St., No. St. Paul on Friday, May 4 at 12:00 p.m. visitation one hour prior to Mass. Burial at St. Mary's Cemetery in No. St. Paul. Visitation AT THE CHURCH, Thursday, 4 - 8PM with Prayer Service at 7:30PM.