SVENDSEN, David Of Newton, 74, passed peacefully in his sleep Monday, September 25th. He was the beloved husband of Guna Svendsen and dearly cherished father of Dr. Sasha Svendsen. David is also survived by his sister, Judi Benson, and brother, Paul Svendsen, and the nieces and nephews of the Svendsen and Benson families. He was a son of Needham from birth and was treasured by his family and many friends. David was a graduate of Needham High School, Class of 1961, The University of Maine and went on to graduate work at Boston University. He poured his love and energy into service of the town and was widely recognized and welcomed by the community because of it. In his heart and soul, David was an educator who believed in building community through social activism. Most of all, David had a love for life and a special gift for sharing his passions with young people. He was a big thinker who lived large and truly believed that we could all make a difference, one person at a time … and he was grateful to be one of those people. Visiting hours will be held in the Eaton Funeral Home, 1351 Highland Ave, NEEDHAM, on Thursday, October 5th from 4-8pm. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend. A memorial celebration of his life will follow on Friday, October 6th at 11am at The Congregational Church of Needham, 1154 Great Plain Ave, Needham. Those planning an expression of sympathy may wish to consider Engaging Schools (www.engagingschools.org), formerly known as ESR. For full obit, directions or to share a memory of David, please visit www.eatonfuneralhomes.com Eaton Funeral Home 781-444-0201

Published in The Boston Globe on Sept. 27, 2017

Thanks to Stan Gibson for alerting us to Mr. Svendsen's passing.  Stan remembers him as a student teacher and coach during our years at NHS.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bostonglobe/obituary.aspx?n=david-svendsen&pid=186769444&fhid=15270