David

Geddes

David William Geddes, 85, of Wheaton, Illinois passed away peacefully on November 5, 2026. Dave was born on June 21, 1941, and grew up in Aurora, Ohio. When he was a child, he picked up a trumpet and never seemed to put it back down again. His trumpet teacher was the principal trumpet in the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, and Dave took the skills he learned to various bands, orchestras, brass quintets, and choirs he participated in over the course of his life. He practiced religiously and was often asked to play “Princess Diana Gets Married” by his daughter, Suzy, when she was old enough to make song requests. He was fondly known as The Trumpet Guy at the churches he attended over the years.

Dave met his wife, Marsha Eklund, at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana during his senior year in 1963. They married a year later on June 20, 1964, and eventually settled in Wheaton, Illinois where they remained. However, they went on many adventures over the years. For a few years, they had a pick-up truck and trailer they used to tour the Western United States. They loved to compare their trailer mishaps to the movie “The Long, Long Trailer” starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz: unlocked refrigerator doors with the resultant mess, break downs, and needing to back the trailer down narrow mountain roads. They took many photos, slides, and movies on their travels, and eventually showed them to their children during movie nights. Over popcorn and the hum of a projector, Brian and Suzy would request their favorite movies be played on the portable screen in the family room.

Their sense of adventure was passed onto their children, Suzy and Brian, during many road trips to places like the Badlands of South Dakota, The Field of Dreams in Iowa, Colorado, and the Mississippi River. During one of these family trips, Dave earned the nickname B.S. Bob when he claimed he was going out to hunt for breakfast, came back with a box of donuts, and declared he had shot the centers out of all of them. Dave and Marsha often returned to the Mississippi River to see fall colors, eat at their favorite steak house, and watch the boats go through the locks. Dave loved a good lock.

Dave meticulously recorded gas prices in a book that was always in his car. He noted every stop at the pump, and this led to pictures of gas prices being sent to him when his children traveled. He was also endlessly fascinated by the weather, and earned the nickname Doppler Dave. Suzy gifted him many home weather monitoring systems over the years, and he checked them regularly. He often called or texted after a particularly powerful storm to let us all know how much rain was in the rain gauge. I have had my dad’s contact information saved as Doppler for at least twenty years.

While some may have thought Dave could be a bit grumpy or impatient, he was always in on the joke or up for some tomfoolery. When Marsha was teaching at Harper Community College on Saturday mornings, Dave would take Brian and Suzy Leprechaun hunting at the Morton Arboretum. While hiking, he would randomly throw woodchips into the woods and yell out, “Did you see that one?” On snowy days, he’d load Brian and Suzy into the car and do donuts in the Hadley Junior High parking lot. He once patiently waited on the roof of the house with a camcorder for Suzy’s junior high band to march by so he could take a video. (The band director obliged him by stopping in front of the house and having the band play while kids yelled, “Is that your dad?”) He loved going to 2 Toots restaurant in Glen Ellyn with his granddaughter, Charlie, and asking if his meds could be delivered by model train along with his hot dog.

Dave would agree that his favorite of all the nicknames came to be Gramps. He proudly attended Charlie’s swim meets while he was able, and followed along with updates when he could no longer make it to the pools. He bragged to anyone and everyone about how fast his granddaughter was in the pool. He was also happy Charlie picked up the clarinet in junior high to carry on the music tradition in the family. Gramps watched Charlie’s band concert livestreams, and raved about how amazing they sounded.

Dave was greatly affected after the unexpected death of his son, Brian, in 2017. Dave and Brian would often go see movies together, would go out to eat, and would talk about baseball, basketball, and football. They both loved the Chicago White Sox, Bulls and Bears. I like to think my dad and brother are back together, celebrating the amazing season the White Sox just had, and are raving about the Bears’ success this season. They also discussed politics and history endlessly. I’m certain they are celebrating the election results from Tuesday.

Dave is survived by his wife, Marsha, daughter, Suzy (husband, Adam Thomas), and granddaughter, Charlotte (Charlie) Thomas. He is preceded in death by his parents, E. Theimer Geddes and Laura Ewing Geddes, as well as by his son, Brian Geddes.

A celebration of life and music will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 14, 2026, at First Presbyterian Church of Wheaton, 715 N. Carlton Avenue, Wheaton. Reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers, Marsha and Suzy request that you go out and have an adventure. Walk a woodland trail and look for leprechauns. Drive to the Mississippi River--it's not that far--and watch a barge loaded with grain pass through the locks on its way to the Gulf of Mexico. Practice your music--find the song that only you can sing. Walk in the rain. Take a different road home. Find a dark spot in the road far enough from city lights that you can see the stars. Go out in the yard and play catch with someone. Sit outside and watch the trees change color. Collect Fall memories that will carry you through winter storms. Put a bird feeder in your yard and see who shows up. Extra points if you see a hummingbird. Play your favorite song as loudly as you can stand it. If you want to play a song for Dave, he loved “Desperado” by The Eagles, anything by The Carpenters, and “Orinoco Flow” by Enya.

If you would like to make a donation in his memory, Marsha requests they be made to First Presbyterian Church of Wheaton for their building campaign. Give Now or checks can be mailed to First Presbyterian Church of Wheaton, 715 N. Carlton Avenue, Wheaton, IL 60187.