David Richard Thistlethwaite Obituary

David Richard Thistlethwaite attended Burlington Community High School in Burlington, IA. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about David Richard Thistlethwaite.

Graduation Year	Class of 1965
Date of Passing	Nov 11, 2010
About	David Richard Thistlethwaite, 63, of San Francisco, California, passed away peacefully on November 11, 2010, surrounded by friends and family. He had been bravely battling cancer for several years. Born on August 24, 1947 in Burlington, Iowa, he was the son of Robert and Nona Margaret Binder Thistlethwaite. He married Carol Anne Armstrong (BHS Class of 67) on August 22, 1970 at the First Presbyterian Church in Burlington, Iowa. David was raised in the family home on North Hill in Burlington, Iowa. He graduated from Burlington High School, Class of 1965, and Iowa State University, where he earned his Bachelor of Architecture in 1971. Dave and Carol moved to Minnesota following graduation from ISU, where he practiced Architecture at several firms in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. In 1978 David and Carol moved to San Francisco, California, where David worked at several San Francisco architectural firms. He then started his own firm (RST Architects) with two partners in 1985. In 1988 he started Thistlethwaite Architectural Group (TAG), focusing on healthcare design projects. He believed that he could better serve humankind by designing healthcare architecture. He always felt it was important to provide patients with a nurturing, healing environment for their care, and to provide caregivers with a pleasant and efficient work space. In 2007 TAG merged with HGA Architects and Engineers, based in Minneapolis. David served as Vice President/Principal at HGA until the time of his death. In addition to being a licensed architect in the States of California and Minnesota, he was one of the first Board Certified Healthcare Architects in the Nation. He was also a member of the National American Institute of Architects, as well as the SF Chapter. Dave was always designing and building, even with legos and blocks. Dave also enjoyed bicycling, cross country skiing, model railroading and driving his red Audi TT convertible. He was a rail fan always looking for the next great train adventure. David is survived by his wife, Carol in San Francisco; his in-laws, Rod and Anne Armstrong of Burlington; his brothers-in-law, Roger (Colleen) Armstrong of Burlington, Eric (Hillary Parker) Armstrong of Carter Lake, IA; his niece Erin (Balam) Armstrong Hernandez of Roseville, CA; his nephews, Roderick and Nathan Armstrong of Fort Worth, TX; his brother, Philip (Cathy Buckley) Thistlethwaite of Chicago, IL, and an extensive collection of loving friends, colleagues and clients around the globe. He was preceded in death by his parents. Funeral services for David Richard Thistlethwaite will be held on Saturday, November 20, 2010 at 1:30 p.m. at Prughâ€™s Chapel. Rev. Deb Miller-Kinney will officiate. Interment will be in Aspen Grove Cemetery. The family will receive friends in Prughâ€™s Chapel on Friday evening from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m.