grave import

Obituary

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's 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 health care design projects. He believed that he could better serve humankind by designing health care 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 Health Care 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. Davis 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, Phillip (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 Prugh's Chapel. Rev. Deb Miller-Kinney will officiate. Interment will be in Aspen Grove Cemetery. The family will receive friends in Prugh's Chapel on Friday evening from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. David initiated and designed a project to bring model trains into a children's health care facility in the Bay Area. This project is now being built. A memorial has been established in his memory to continue similar projects in additional facilities. Memorials may be sent to Prugh Funeral Service, 317 N. 4th St., Burlington, Iowa 52601. Early next year, 2011, there will be a "Celebration of Life" held in the San Francisco Bay Area for his many friends and colleagues.