Dave died of a heart attack at Houston N.W. Medical
Center on 5 December 1993 following a period of sickness. He is survived by his wife, Pat, of Spring,
TX and two children, Joel and Mollie.
Dave lived in
Chevy Chase, MD at the time of his interest in the Naval Academy. This proximity to Annapolis probably
influenced his choice to attend the Severn School at Severna Park, MD from
whence he applied and competed for an appointment to USNA. This selection was
fortuitous in that many at Severn would attend the Academy and form a circle of
friends. Later, Dave chose Sebago Lake,
ME as his home of record. At the
Academy, he suffered through many corruptions of his name, including
“lingerie,” which seemed to inflame him. Dave played lacrosse while there and
on one occasion, maybe feeling sorry for the other team, he scored a goal for
them.
Dave elected a
commission in the Air Force following graduation and was sent to Primary Flight
Training at Marana Air Base at Marana, AZ, just outside Tucson. Lieutenant La Jeunesse wound up in
helicopters following basic and helicopter school, and was sent to Presque Isle
Air Force Base, ME for his first operational assignment. Not bad since he had family in Sebago
Lake. Dave departed the service after
this assignment and migrated to the Houston area where he held several jobs,
including working for Texas Instruments.