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David C. Engeldrum
David Engeldrum of Hampton Bays died on Sunday, July 29, just shy of his 46th birthday.
A resident of Hampton Bays for the past 10 years, he was involved in the community and its schools on behalf of his children. He volunteered with his family for Maureen’s Haven at St. Mary’s Church serving meals to the homeless. A graduate of West Babylon High School and Stony Brook University, he earned a master’s degree in fine arts from Long Island University, Southampton Campus. At Southampton College, he became very involved in the Southampton Writer’s Conference where, in addition to being published in their literary journals, his original play was performed at the Avram Theatre.
Music was very close to his heart and he played mostly original songs at a few local venues, including the New Moon Café in East Quogue and Southampton College.
His career at the Post Office Café in Babylon spanned nearly a decade working his way from bus boy to chef. His skills were recognized with the publication of several recipes in Long Island Chefs Food & Dining Magazine. Family and friends over the years had their palettes expanded through his adventurous culinary expertise, survivors said.
Dave had local pieces published in The East Hampton Star and Vox Magazine. He also covered sports for United Press International (UPI). His early work in ecotourism yielded an edited book guiding the tourism industry with strategies and polices for ecotourism development. He was a winner of Inkwell’s fiction prize and a two-time winner of the H.R. Hays Poetry Prize. His poetry and short stories have also appeared in The Southampton Review (TSR), Confrontation, Alehouse, and other literary magazines. His short fiction collection, “Adulterated,” will be published posthumously by Last Light Studio publications in January 2013.
At Suffolk Community College and Stony Brook University, Mr. Engeldrum relished being an adjunct professor, focusing on creative writing courses, developmental writing and teaching English as a second language.
His quiet strength and courage inspired those around him, his family said, as he fought a valiant battle against glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer. He underwent surgery, radiation, various chemotherapies and several experimental trials. One of these experimental trials was at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, where he was the first person in the world to undergo a radical treatment for brain cancer. He was a man of science and, although the treatment was dangerous, he knew a positive outcome would be not only for himself but also contributing to science for others.
He is survived by his wife Christine (Anselmo) Engeldrum; and two daughters, Mackenzie and Zoey Engeldrum; his parents, Rosalie and Philip Engeldrum; six brothers and a sister; an aunt, and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, in-laws and loving friends.
A funeral service was held on Tuesday, July 31, at the J. Ronald Scott Funeral Home in Hampton Bays.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to a fund set up for his daughter’s education. Checks may be made payable to the D. Engeldrum Children’s Education Fund, P.O. Box 1197. Bellmore, NY 11710.
on Aug 7, 2012