Obituary of David Andrew Columbia

David Andrew Columbia, born 17 May 1957 in the Bronx, NY, passed peacefully while surrounded by his Family on 30 December after a valiant, four-year battle with cancer. An honest, hard-working entrepreneur, David began as a vendor at Yankee Stadium at the age of twelve. He went on to join his future father-in-law’s machine shop at 18, eventually running its operations, and ultimately became one of the most sought-after framers for developers of high-end homes in Rockland, Orange, and Bergen counties.   David never asked a worker to accomplish something he could not demonstrate himself and always delivered the framing project ahead of schedule. He was a loving husband of thirty-six years to Linda (née Tondo), an affectionate and committed Dad to David, Jr., & Kyle, adoring Pop Pop to grandchildren Mikayla, Ryhli, Allyette, & Jackson, and exceedingly grateful recipient of his daughter-in-law Suzanne’s (née Robinson) dedicated attention & affection. He counted among his friends fellow poker player the late Billy Martin, was a confidante to Lawrence Taylor, and was on one occasion a pal of George Plimpton.   Yet nothing outshone the affection he had for the girls at the Airmont Diner and for his employees. His gruff exterior purposefully repelled the shallow but masked a uniquely generous heart and a very empathetic soul. David was predeceased by his Father Peter, Mother Patricia (née Leary), and twin brother Edward, who succumbed early in the AIDS pandemic. He will be missed dearly by many people for many reasons, particularly for his piercing honesty and unshakable loyalty.   Most especially, he will be missed by his siblings and his extended family: Stephen (Sarah & Edward); Alyce (Douglas Wallace & Alix); Patti Columbia-Walsh (Meg, Brennan, & Patricia); Donald (Ashley & Nicholas); Brian; Andrew; Peter (Monique, Bianca, Ryan, Riley Devon); and Regine Sivan (Avi, Yarden, Eden, Adie, and Linoi). David had a keen sense of fairness, a fierce awareness of his own mind, and a great sense of humor.   “Not for nothing,” he never hesitated to share his certitude nor his unshakable belief in the New York Football Giants.   One evening before a Giants vs Redskins game in Washington, D.C., he stood up on his chair in the Palm Restaurant and gave an impromptu lecture to a dining room full of architects on the folly of designing buildings with no consideration for how framers like himself might accomplish their whimsical ideas, particularly round windows & openings. David never complained during his battle with cancer, not once.   He never failed, notwithstanding excruciating pain, to have only the kindest and most appreciative words for the legion of nurses and medical staff who provided for his care. He was an example of dignity we will all be hard- pressed to emulate. Viewing is scheduled for 2:00 – 4:00 & 6:00 – 9:00 the afternoon and evening of Tuesday, 2 January, at the Vander Plaat Funeral Home (www.vpfh.com), 257 Godwin Avenue, Wyckoff, NJ and a 10:30am Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Saint Paul’s Church, Two Hundred Wyckoff Avenue, Ramsey, NJ. David’s Family firmly requests that -- in lieu of flowers -- donations be made to the American Cancer Society, 20 Mercer Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601.