David Russell Wells
               April 26, 1931-July 29, 2017
                               Palo Alto, California

David Russell Wells, 86 died peacefully at home on July 29, 2017. David was born and raised in Palo Alto to James Bertrand Wells, Professor of Engineering at Stanford University and a 1907 Palo Alto High School Graduate and Claire French Humphries.  David was the fourth of five sons: Ted, Jack, Alan and Richard.

David remained a lifelong resident of Palo Alto after attending Lytton Elementary School 1938-1944; Jordan Jr. High School 1944-1947; Palo Alto High School 1947-1950; and Menlo College 1955-1956. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1951-1954 in UA-125 Air Squadron at NAS Miramar. His squadron was deployed on the USS Oriskany and the USS Boxer during the Korean War. 

David worked as an experimental machinist in the Labs at Hewlett Packard for 34 years until his retirement in 1990.

He was an avid automobile enthusiast. He raced his Chrysler 300 at the local drag strips and was a chief mechanic for a car that participated in the SCCA San Francisco Region. He owned nearly 50 cars in his lifetime and was often seen over the years driving around town in his 1941 Plymouth Business Coupe.

He loved spending time at his cabin in Lake Tahoe and for many years he took his family and friends out on his boat teaching them how to water-ski. He also loved fine wine and dining and made many trips to Paso Robles over the years. He was an expert on Palo Alto history was revered by his neighbors. We will miss his love of life and sense of humor.