David Egee
1936-2021
David Egee of London, England, and Southbury, Conn., passed away peacefully on May 30 at the Danbury Regional Hospice after a short illness.
David was born in Bridgeport, Conn., on December 26, 1936, son of Dr Benton and Gladys Egee. David grew up in Newtown, attending Newtown schools until leaving home for Rumsey Hall, the Loomis School, and graduating from the Wooster School in Danbury, Conn. David graduated from Boston University. He then worked with the International Red Cross in Alaska, eventually receiving a graduate degree from Columbia University.
Soon afterward, David reconnected with and married the love of his life, Dale Richardson. They were married in 1967 and enjoyed an amazing life together for almost 50 years, until her death in 2017. David and Dale’s life was something out of a movie. While pursuing their careers in hospital administration and art, they lived in Lebanon, Libya, Rome, and Dubai, eventually settling in London with summers in their beloved Chateau de Olmet in the south of France. This amazing life was shared with a group of friends, assembled over many years from near and far. No gathering was too small for David to turn it into a real event.
David’s career as a hospital administrator for the Hospital Corporation of America, owner of DaleCare Nursing Homes, and business director of ASN were important to him, but his life was truly lived through his adventures, family, friends, and outside interests. David worked on a dairy farm as a youngster. As an adult, he negotiated with Yasser Arafat, escaped the civil war in Beruit, learned to fly, became a jockey and raced horses, rode a unicycle, ran a jazz club, wrote his autobiography, and most recently drove his 1929 Model A Ford from Massachusetts to California.
David spent much of his life overcoming obstacles, including a number of near fatal diseases and learning disabilities. His lived by the motto “wake up running,” so none of these problems slowed him down for long. David’s was truly a “life well lived.” Even at his death, his calendar was filled for months to come. A more detailed story of David’s life is available in his book Wake Up Running.
In addition to his parents and his wife, David was predeceased by his brother John Egee. He is survived by his siblings, Elaine Pratt, Leslie Woolery, and Paul Egee, as well as his children Corinna Lewis, Adam Lewis, Tony Lewis, and Eliza Dash Egee. He is also survived by three grandchildren, along with many nieces and nephews.
A private burial will take place at the family’s convenience.
Honan Funeral Home, Newtown is serving the family. To leave an online condolence, visit honanfh.com.
I was saddened to learn of the passing of our old friend, David, a famous bon vivant and a wonderful friend and host to our family when we visited David and Dale in London or Olmet. I recently re-read David’s completely charming memoir, “Wake Up Running.” His spirit lives on every page, his voice captured in his graceful writing. So often I had the sense of listening to his recounting yet another amazing Egee experience over a pretty good glass of Vin de Table – a remarkable accomplishment as any professional author will attest. David’s book attests to his deep love of Dale and their children, and his enthusiasm for the adventure of his remarkable life.
David and I met when we were healthcare executives, working for competing international corporations. Then, we became collaborators when our firms joined forces to bid for a multi-billion dollar hospital management contract in Saudi Arabia. David and I formed a new corporate entity, United States Health Services Company, of which we were Co-CEOs (and its only employees.) As it happened, our little venture fell apart, and David’s company, HCA, was awarded the contract. But David and I remained friends, and he invited me and my family several times over the years to visit Chateau d’Egee in Olmet. We have very fond memories of those days with David and Dale, days consumed with preparing and then consuming amazing meals overseen by Dale’s expert culinary eye and David’s flair for presentation. Our young daughters, Molly and Katie, practiced the art of the sous-chef, dealing with whatever fresh produce we would find in the market stalls.
Later, my wife Carol and I visited David and Dale in their expansive romantic flat in Sloane Square, their home and site of Dale’s art studio. The dining room was dominated by large portraits of David and Dale, the work of the portrait painter for the Royal Family, including a famous painting of Princess Diana. Their home was full of art and artifacts of their travels in Europe and the Middle East.
David had a special fondness for bespoke transportation, including a sporty English roadster in which he zipped around London, a SmartCar for Olmet’s tiny streets, and a Harley Motorcycle, for which he acquired a dashing leather cap for rides around the French countryside.
It was exhilarating to walk around London with David on summer days, as he would note in Knightsbridge, Green Park, and Mayfair, David points of historic interest, and also places with scandalous past. He cut a jaunty, stylish figure in the city, and I was honored to be his walking companion.
David’s memoir, “Wake Up Running,” beautifully captures his vivid life, his joy, and his love for Dale.
Hallo, Anthony,
I’ve been searching high and low for your email address.
I’m a London-based Brit who was a close friend of David Egee. I’d like to share with you the David Egee “memorial” that I have put together online. I’ve taken the liberty of posting on the memorial site your tribute to David but you can always replace it with another .
Please get in touch with me – I can then send you a invitation link.
Kind regards,
Stephen Curtis
sacurtis1@gmail.com