Remembering David
David Worthley of Huntington, VT, died peacefully on April 22, 2022 following a sudden illness and hospitalization. He spent his final days at the McClure Miller Respite House surrounded by his loving family and under the care of the compassionate staff, in the same room ‘Moose’ where his beloved wife Debbie spent her final days in 2020.
David was born in Claremont, NH on December 30, 1943, with his parents crossing the river from the family home in East Corinth, VT. His father Glenn was a storekeeper and butcher, and at the age of five the family made a huge move across the country to Danville, California, just east of Oakland. Glenn opened a neighborhood meat market, and David grew up playing baseball and basketball, with his mother Madeline working in an administrative position in the school and keeping an eye on David and his younger brother Greg. After high school, David headed back east, attending art school at the Silvermine School of Art in New Canaan, CT. and the School of Visual Arts in New York. While attending art school, he landed a summer job at the Bonny Oaks Resort on Lake Morey in Fairlee, VT.
One evening he and several of his fellow waiters piled into an Oldsmobile and drove over to the Rutledge Inn across the lake for a blind date with some young women employed there. The five guys stepped out of the car and paired up with the ladies; that’s where Dave met Debbie. Debbie was from nearby Bradford, VT and had just finished her freshman year at UVM. Dave and Debbie traveled back and forth between New York City and Vermont during the rest of Debbie’s years at UVM, and were married in Bradford on June 11, 1966. After the wedding Debbie joined David in New York, living in Queens and David started a long and successful career in advertising, with his first job on Madison Avenue at the Arthur Litoff Studios.
In 1969, Dave and Debbie moved back to Vermont, first renting a house in Westford, then purchasing their long-term family home in Huntington. Their son Aaron was born in 1970 while they lived in Westford, and Justin in 1972, shortly after moving to Huntington.
Upon arriving in Vermont, Dave worked as a line cook at Howard Johnson’s as he started Reed/Worthley, the first of several successful ad agencies he owned and operated, this one with partner Damon Reed who was the husband of one of Debbie’s college friends. Among their more notable clients, they worked on the inaugural campaigns for both Senator Patrick Leahy and Governor Richard Snelling.
In the late 70’s David entered a new partnership with copywriter Charles Burch, and together they started the Burch & Worthley advertising agency with an office on Church Street in Burlington. David and Charlie were a dynamic creative team. In addition to many local clients (including launching the inaugural ad campaign for JogBra), they attracted national and international clients from Montreal, Fort Worth, New York, and more, and worked on campaigns as far away as Australia and Tokyo including the introduction of KFC in Japan. They were active members of the blossoming Burlington business community, they won a haul of local/regional Pegasus awards, and were nominated for the national Clio Awards, the Oscars of the ad world.
In the 80s, David moved on to a new partnership, this time with William (Bill) Wheeler, forming Worthley & Wheeler. They opened a thriving office in the (at the time) recently restored Maltex building on Pine Street in Burlington, and they too found award-winning success with local and national clients including the newly established Tri-State Megabucks lottery. After closing his agency in the 90s, he would go on to art direction jobs with KSV, UVM, and Controlled Energy (later Bosch) where he had a short overlap with his son Justin. Dave also formed Public Voice which provided reduced-cost and pro-bono creative services to a number of local nonprofits.
Dave’s passions included golf, fishing, the Red Sox, supporting the Huntington community in a variety of capacities (including Selectobard Chair), and later in life he sparked new passions for woodworking and maple sugar making. He made many friends on the links at Burlington Country Club and Cedar Knoll, and numerous other courses throughout Vermont. Dave and Debbie were avid tennis players for many years, and regulars at the Stark Mountain Tennis Association in Starksboro, where they made close and lasting friendships. The family spent many summer vacations with friends and family at Ricker Pond, Lake Groton and Martha’s Vineyard as the boys were growing up. Dave was also a music lover with diverse tastes. In the 1990’s he took up the bass guitar and for a few years played with his sons in an informal rock and roll band, including performing a few songs at Justin & Cara’s wedding.
Dave was most proud of his family, which has continued to grow and expand. Both sons were married in the backyard in Huntington, first Justin to Cara (Douglass), and later Aaron to Dori Barton. David became ‘Papa’ in 1991 with the arrival of Hannah and was a natural and beloved grandfather. Asa and Meadow soon followed and brought him great joy and pride. He and Debbie devoted themselves to building deep relationships with all three grandchildren, creating everlasting memories, experiences and bonds. The family expanded again when Hannah married Adam (Kinney) in 2017, and David immediately began lobbying to become ‘great’. Ivy and Jane arrived soon thereafter to fulfill this wish, and the Kinneys recently moved to Vermont from Colorado, and David took every opportunity he could to bond with the two new additions to the family.
In 2011, David and Debbie built their retirement home on Blackbird Swale in Huntington’s lower village. David loved the new home, and immediately set to work building gardens with Debbie, and churning out an impressive lineup of woodshop projects. He and Debbie loved to travel and took many trips over the years across the US and to Europe. Debbie was diagnosed with cancer in 2019, and together they undertook a valiant fight over the course of nearly a year. Dave learned a bevy of nursing skills and was by her side at every twist and turn. Adjusting to life without Debbie just as the pandemic clamped down was hard. He spent much of 2020 and 2021 plotting a cross-country RV trip with his brother Greg, which they undertook in late summer 2021. They saw MLB games in Chicago, Seattle and San Diego, visited many National Parks, dropped in on family and friends, and got to re-know each other after spending their adult lives on opposite coasts. This was a spectacular experience.
Dave was a steady patriarch of his family. He led with logic and compassion, always willing to give the benefit of the doubt and let his family figure things out for themselves. As a team, Dave and Debbie instilled honesty, hard work, community service, and most of all, love in their children, and grandchildren. He wasn’t one to say too much, often communicating his values quietly in his day-to-day interactions, and more often in what he didn’t say. His sense of humor was understated and always present.
David was predeceased by his parents, Glenn and Madeline (Forgue) of Daytona Beach Florida, and by Debbie, his wife of 53+ years. He is survived by: his brother Greg of San Antonio Texas; his son Aaron, wife Dori , and daughter Meadow of Huntington; his son Justin, wife Cara of South Burlington, their daughter Hannah, her husband Adam and children Ivy and Jane of Richmond, and their son Asa of Williston. In addition David leaves many cousins, in-laws, nephews & nieces, professional colleagues, golfing partners, and a good many friends.
David’s family is grateful for the skilled care he received in the Surgical ICU at UVMMC, and for the compassionate care in his final days at the McClure Miller Respite House. Those wishing to give a memorial donation in David’s and/or Debbie’s name are encouraged to make a financial contribution to the McClure Miller Respite House, 3113 Roosevelt Highway, Colchester, VT 05446.
A service to remember David will be held in summer 2022. Please visit https://davidworthley.com for more information and to sign up for notification of service details once available.