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Vail Daily obituary: David Christopher Willis, 1987-2014

David Christopher Willis died on Monday after an eight-and-a-half-year battle with leukemia.

He passed away peacefully at primary Children’s Hospital with his family and friends by his side.

David was born on June 24, 1987, in Vail to Mike and Sara Willis. He moved with his family to Alpine, Utah, in 1995. David graduated with honors from Lone Peak High School and went on to receive a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Utah State University in 2010 while also undergoing chemotherapy treatments.

After college, he worked as an algorithms engineer at Wavetronix in Provo, Utah.

David loved to hang out with his friends and cause a little mischief, ski and bike with his family, play disc golf and cribbage, and try to solve impossible math problems. He enjoyed playing the trombone in high school and later taught himself to play guitar. He traveled worldwide with his family, including spending six months living in New Zealand. Wherever he went, he always wanted to take the scenic route.

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David had such a sweet and gentle spirit. During his battle with cancer, he never complained. His optimism and humor helped everyone around him through all the ups and downs of his journey. He was a very unique and remarkable young man. We are grateful that we got to spend so much time with him over the past several years.

David is survived by his parents, Mike and Sara Willis; sister, Emily (Dan) Christensen; grandmother Emma Willis; and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

A casual gathering to celebrate David’s life will be held Saturday at 632 North Hillside Drive, Alpine, Utah (the neighborhood park). There will be a short program at 5 p.m., followed by visiting and refreshments until 7 p.m.. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in his name to Primary Children’s Hospital, or The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (lls.org).

The family is especially grateful to the doctors, nurses and staff at Primary Children’s Hospital for their loving care and friendship throughout David’s journey. As per his wishes, David’s body was donated to the University of Utah for medical research.


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