David Pickett

David Robert Pickett, 55, of Salem, NH lost his valiant fight against cancer on April 9 and has gone to his Heavenly home.

Born in Springfield, MA, son of Helene L. Pickett and the late James Willard Pickett, David grew up in Wilbraham, MA where he graduated from Minnechaug Regional High School. He received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and his Master's Degree from Boston University.

David was a born engineer. Even at an early age, he was curiously disassembling clocks, doorknobs, and other household items to learn how they worked. In high school, David got his first computer, which he promptly took apart and reassembled at his dad's work bench. Not long afterwards, David began creating computer games and even founded his own small business while still in high school. In the mornings before school, David studied the latest computer language books, and after school and on weekends, he worked at the Small Computer Company in East Longmeadow, MA.

After college, David began his Software Engineer career at Digital Equipment Corporation and eventually moved on to start his own company. Always up for a challenge, he worked on the Alexa project through Amazon, for BAE working on missile tracking programs, and PriceStats, tracking international economic price trends. His most recent position at Novartis put him into the epicenter of large data collection, searching, ironically, for the cure for cancer. He will be dearly missed by an amazing team of engineers who are all working to improve our health.

David had a lifelong passion for classical and sacred music. He was an accomplished pianist and self-taught organist. During high school, David played the carillon at Wilbraham United Church. He loved pouring over out-of-print hymnals to rediscover seldom-heard classic hymns, much to the delight of the congregation. He sang in the church choir and performed in many Gilbert and Sullivan operettas with Wilbraham United Players. At age 15, David rode his bike to Springfield, determined to try out for a spot in the Springfield Symphony Orchestra chorus, which he earned. David's parents were impressed, but David's humble response was only, "Well, of course I got in; I'm a tenor! They always need tenors!" David later joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra Chorus and also performed with its Tanglewood Festival Chorus under conductor Seiji Ozawa. Most recently, David shared his gift for music and his deep, abiding faith as the organist and choir director at First Congregational Church of Salem, NH.

David had many other interests, including calligraphy, woodworking, and oil painting. He delighted in a challenge and embraced with joy the prospect of learning something new. One evening his wife came home to see him with a pile of old locks. David had found an instructional video of how to pick locks and he thought that looked like fun! His New Year's Resolution every year was to learn something new, resulting in his airplane pilot license, learning how to sail, picking up Spanish, plucking away at a ukulele and so much more. He was a true Renaissance man.

Besides his mother, David leaves his beloved wife, Jenny (Kimpton) Pickett who made his long bout with cancer a great deal easier for him to bear; his daughter, Hannah of Windham, NH; step sons, Caleb of Windsor Locks, CT and Nate of Hadley, MA; his brother, Bradford and wife Linda of Bakersfield, CA, and sister, Nancy of Wilbraham. He also leaves two nieces, Ashley Pickett and Brittany Bryant; nephew, Christian Pickett, all of Bakersfield, CA; and two cousins, Patricia Richardson of Worcester, MA and Kenneth Ellis of Newburyport, MA. He leaves his in-laws, David and Margery Kimpton of Dunstable, MA; brother-in-law, Peter Kimpton of Londonderry, NH and Peter's son, Sam. David will be deeply missed.

ARRANGEMENTS: Services will not be announced at this time. Assisting the family with arrangements is the Cremation Society of NH, Manchester. To view David's Online Tribute, send condolences to the family, or for more information, visit www.csnh.com.