David Alan Streight
Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy
David was born on 20 October 1968 and raised in Gambrills, MD, by his parents Jim and Lynda Streight. They spent many, many years getting up at o' dark thirty every morning to cart him to swim practice. He grew to become a nationally ranked swimmer, and has records that stand to this day.
Growing up just outside Annapolis, David dreamed of attending the U.S. Naval Academy from the time he entered the sixth grade. He was granted admission to all four military academies, as well as a number of Ivy League schools... but the Naval Academy it was, and they were lucky to have him. He majored in both physics and English, and managed to graduate in the top ten percent of his class of 1000... all the while traveling as a member of the swim team for his first two years of college, and with the cycling team for his two years as an upperclassman. Being a Midshipman is no easy feat for anyone, and David certainly had his complaints during his four years at The Boat School. Even so, his love of the Academy and the pride he had about being a graduate were things he held dear for the rest of his life. He had an incredible love and respect for the history and tradition that are such a foundation of the Naval Academy, and he always took great joy in running into a fellow 'ring knocker' during his travels. He graduated with the Class of 1990.
David spent 11 years on active duty with the U.S. Navy as a cryptologist. He traveled the world on ships too numerous to name, and even endured a legendary journey across the equator. He had quite an eventful meeting with King Poseidon during that cruise, and took enormous pleasure in carrying his official 'Shellback' card with him at all times.
In those early years, when he was on dry land - which wasn't very often - David managed to earn his MBA by going to night school. By day, he was the EMO at an installation in Imperial Beach, CA. All these many years later, he still talked about how much he loved his time there... that it had been his favorite job in the Navy because of the incredible opportunity he had to lead... and the memories of the people that he was so fortunate to work with stayed with him forever.
After a few years in San Diego, David was accepted at the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, CA. He was beyond thrilled to be a full-time student again. He had an insatiable quest for knowledge, and it didn't hurt that NPS students only had to wear a uniform one day a week. While at NPS, David's program of study was Electrical Engineering. I'm sure you can imagine the incredible course load that comes along with such a subject, but that wasn't enough for him. He earned his MSEE and also managed to earn his EE degree. As if that wasn't enough, he completed all of the necessary coursework for his doctorate. And let's not forget, our first child, Reilly, was born during that time. David had only held a baby one other time before Reilly's birth, yet he took to fatherhood like a fish to water, and loved that boy with everything that he had.
Next, it was off to Virginia for a tour at the National Reconnaissance Office... another job that David greatly enjoyed. He was lucky enough to again be surrounded by incredible colleagues whom he respected beyond measure, and he worked on amazing projects that filled him with pride. He was so excited to be working as a 'real engineer,' as he liked to say. Give him a soldering iron and a face mask and he was a happy guy. He even carried a picture of one of the satellites that he helped to design and build in his wallet. He called it his baby. During that time, he also wrote and defended his dissertation, and was awarded his Ph.D in the Electrical Engineering of Space Systems.
David left the Navy in 2001 as a Lieutenant Commander. It was an exciting, yet scary time as he transitioned to the civilian world. He quickly found his stride though, and loved the challenges that came along with being out on his own. His greatest joys in his professional life occurred in just the last few years. As the Co-founder and President of SDSI, Space & Defense Systems Inc., he was able to expand his knowledge even further and delved into the world of neuroscience. He loved going to work everyday... he loved the projects he was working on... and more than anything, he thought of his colleagues as family.
During those SDSI days, our own family grew with the birth of our second son, Rory John. It was such a treat to watch him be a new daddy again, 8 years later. He was so much more relaxed and at ease, and honestly loved being a father. Above all of the other things he accomplished in his life, being a dad meant more to him than anything else, without question. He was always the soccer coach, the lacrosse coach, the dad who went on the class field trips, the dad who helped with scouts, the dad who never missed a teacher conference. He loved taking the boys on bike rides, out fishing and even camping in our backyard. He and Reilly went on some incredible adventures together. Their most favorite trip was to the 2006 World Cup in Germany. They saw 5 games all over the country, and then spent a couple of weeks exploring England and Ireland. Once they rode the entire 202 mile length of the C&O Canal in one week, camping along the way. There were sojourns to Vermont, West Virginia, and a fabulous family Disney Cruise in October of 2007 that we will always remember with joy. Rory was able to make a couple special trips with his daddy, but their favorite thing to do together was to go up to Brunswick and watch all of the coal trains come and go. Of course, their days fishing together were some of their happiest times.
David truly believed that his most important job on this earth was to be a good dad. He used to say, "If I fail at that, then nothing else matters." He most certainly did not fail... he loved his boys from the depths of his soul, and they loved him right back. He was a god in their eyes... and could do no wrong. Never before was a daddy so loved, so admired, so cherished by his children.
David was a lover of knowledge... of pizza... of all animals, great and small... of mowing for hours on his goofy old tractor... of a perfectly poured pint of Guinness... of lazy days fly fishing in silence with his best friend of 37 years, Rick... of playing the drums badly... of brie smeared on crusty sourdough... of riding his bike on the W&OD trail... of Carmel-by-the-Sea and the Monterey Bay... of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, especially Ben & Jerry's... of Monty Python... of tossing around the a lacrosse ball or soccer ball with his boys... of swimming lap after mindless lap in the pool... of tie dyed shirts and flip flops... of music from all genres... of hummingbirds... of the art of George Rodriguez... of overseas travel... of his children.
David Alan Streight was a true original. We spent half of our lives together and knew each other better than anyone else ever could. We were partners, we were best friends. We often finished each other's sentences and with one little look, one instantly knew what the other was thinking. We had the same twisted sense of humor, and used that to get through some of our roughest times. As cancer wreaked havoc on his body and in our lives, we remained committed to putting our children first. I am so proud of the way that we worked together and so happy that Reilly and Rory will always know that we had a great love and respect for each other... and that no matter what, we were a family and loved them with everything that we had. We already miss him more than words could ever express.
Dr. David A. Streight died in Ashburn, VA, on Tuesday, 29 June 2010, after a valiant battle with cancer that lasted almost two and a half years.
He will be missed by his wife, Shannon Streight; sons, Reilly and Rory Streight; and parents, James and Lynda Streight; brother, Christopher Streight and friends.
Bio by Shannon Streight.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=88789091
