WESTFIELD – David Albert Bannish, 68, of Westfield, passed on February 10, 2019, after a mercifully short illness surrounded by his loving family. David leaves his wife of 34 years: Ruth Aborjaily, his children: David of Arlington, VA, Catherine of Billerica, MA and Andrew of Westfield, his siblings: Diane Sutton and her husband Larry Griffith, Martin Bannish and wife Sandra, Veronica Wojcik and her husband Lester, Tom Bannish and his fiancée Kristen Hodges, Jeffrey Bannish and his significant other Lisa, Marcy Caulkins and her husband Dave, his sister-in-law Joann Bannish, and his extended Bannish, Buynicki, and Aborjaily families with all the cousins, nieces and nephews. He now joins his parents: Thomas & Anna (nee Buynicki) Bannish, and elder brother Victor Bannish.
Never one to conform for conformity’s sake, David lived by his own convictions and enjoyed living life his own way. Born on July 18th, 1950 in Westfield, he first made the Westfield papers as a 4-year-old standing by a family cow who had just given birth to twin bull calves. He attended Holy Trinity Parochial School and was well prepared to flourish at Westfield High School (Class of ’68). His WHS Guidance counselor dissuaded him from a career in computers, so he pursued a classical education in Ancient Greek and Latin at Drew University, NJ and then doctoral graduate work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC. Unfortunately careers in his chosen field were few, so he entered the restaurant industry, working at Mexican and fine French restaurants. At 30, the pull of family and farm was extremely strong. He returned to Westfield in 1982 to study Computer Science at Westfield State. He met Ruth at the family farm, married, and raised a family. He became a long-serving City Councilor at Large while serving as a computer analyst for various local and regional companies including the Hampden County House of Corrections, and finally the State of CT CORE IT where he served for over 19 years and had many friends.
He had a passion for farming, cooking, language, and music. The house was always filled with the Beatles, Jaques Brel, Mozart, Beethoven, Chad Mitchell Trio, or Tom Lehrer, except when CarTalk or “Wait Wait don’t tell me” was on, or he was making his weekly calls to closest friends and family members. The house was equally filled with produce from his family farm; from flowers, vegetables, herbs, the sweetest of corn and blueberries to the hottest of peppers. These would inevitably be made into a wide variety of canned goods, pastries, pies, and spicy dishes, leveraging his French and Mexican cooking skills. He could always be found on a Sunday with his three newspapers, reading the Comics and working on the Crossword, Sudoku, or other brain puzzles. When not partaking in his more solitary hobbies, David enjoyed gathering with his early-morning coffee crew at The Good Table or Dunkin Donuts, coaching his children in baseball and soccer, and enjoying discussions with friends and family about politics, religion, language, and life. Occasionally, David would leave the comfort of Westfield to travel with his wife to far-away states and countries, but was always relieved to return home.
Though too soon, David passed knowing that his family loved him, that his beloved teams were both Champions (Go Pats! Go Sox!), and that Beethoven’s 6th Symphony-The Pastorale would guide him through his last moments. Upon reflecting on his life, his final quip was; “I should have listened to my wife!”
Calling hours will be on March 2, 2019 from 1-3pm at Firtion-Adams Funeral Service, 76 Broad St., Westfield, MA. Burial with be private. Memorial gifts can be made to the renovation fund at Westfield Athenaeum, 6 Elm St., Westfield, MA 01085.
