On February 13th, David Gilmore Quill passed away at the age of 87 in Silver Spring, Maryland. He was born on September 18th, 1932 in South Weymouth, Massachusetts to Gilmore and Emma Quill.
David graduated from Moorhead High School in Moorhead, Minnesota in 1950 and enlisted in The United States Air Force. In 1952, while stationed in England, he met his wife Rosemary; they were married on December 28th, 1953 in Frolesworth, Leicestershire, England.
David was honorably discharged in August of 1954 and the couple moved to Fargo, North Dakota where he enrolled in North Dakota State University. He was a member of the varsity tennis team and won the 1957 National Doubles Championship. While in Fargo, David & Rosemary had two children, Martin and Diana.
Upon graduation, the family relocated to Chicago where David accepted a position at Kemper Insurance Company. In 1964, the family welcomed daughter Margaret.
While in Illinois, David and Rosemary discovered a mutual love for camping and the outdoors, traveling throughout the United States with family in tow, visiting campgrounds from coast to coast. David also joined a barbershop quartet, thus beginning a lifetime of singing in choirs, on road trips, while camping, and everywhere in between.
In 1966, the family moved to Rockville, Maryland where David accepted a position at Smith-Sternau Insurance, which was soon after acquired by Marsh & McLellan.
In 1969, David and Rosemary welcomed son Joe. In 1974, the family moved to Highland and built their dream home upon three acres on Mink Hollow Road where they would spend the next 28 years and make countless friends and memories.
The years on Mink Hollow were dedicated to family and friends in all aspects whether it was 4H, Pony Club, Thursday poker nights, Saturday morning tennis, golf, fishing, popup trailer and RV camping, or being active members of the St Mark’s Episcopal community.
David retired after 35 years at Marsh & McLennan in 1997. David and Rosemary moved to Fayetteville, Pennsylvania in 2004.
In their retirement, they traveled the world including countless family-filled Hawaiian adventures, safariing in East Africa, trekking Machu Picchu, cruising Alaska, and sailing down the Amazon.
In 2018, David and Rosemary moved to Riderwood Village in Silver Spring.
David is survived by his beloved wife of 66 years, Rosemary, and their four children: Martin Quill and wife Karen, Diana Maguire and husband Tom, Margaret Cowan and husband Ted, and Joe Quill and wife Marcy.
He had fourteen grandchildren: Sarah Quill, Lauren Armstrong and husband Scott, Graham Quill and wife Carly, Caitlin Patel and husband Kesal, Julia Henderson and husband Luke, Greg Cowan and wife Jordan, David Maguire, Emma Cowan, Charlotte Maguire, James Maguire, Sammi Cowan, Max Quill, Ian Quill, and Helen Quill. He was a great-grandfather to Wyatt Armstrong and Livia Quill.
His sense of humor, his smile, and his love of music stayed with him until the very end.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org) to support dementia research.
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