Obituary of David Grant Daubenspeck

D. GRANT DAUBENSPECK, DDS, MS CAPT DENTAL CORPS USNR (RET) D. Grant Daubenspeck died Monday, April 4, 2016, after an extended battle with cancer. He was born December 3, 1937, a son of the late Dr. Paul G. and Beatrice Johnson Daubenspeck. He was named after his paternal grandmother, Almina Grant Daubenspeck. Grant graduated from Fairview High School and then enrolled at Allegheny College where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and Sophomore Class President. His high school and college summers were spent working for the S.M. Flickenger Furnace and Coke Plant, where he unloaded iron ore from hopper cars of the Pennsylvania Railroad with fellow “ore rats”. He graduated from The University of Pittsburgh’s School of Dentistry in 1961 and was commissioned a Lieutenant in the United States Navy. Grant served active duty with the 2nd Marine Air Wing, Cherry Point NC and Fleet Activities, Sasebo, Japan, before entering The State University of New York at Buffalo, for his specialty training in orthodontics. Thus began a thirty some year civilian career with Orthodontic Associates of Erie along with a military career as a naval reservist. Grant practiced with the late Robert J. Shupala and C. Ted Forsberg where together they created over ten thousand smiles. He was preceded in death by his second wife, The Hon. Bonney Cochran Daubenspeck, and is survived by his first wife, Marny L. Daubenspeck of Hilton Head, South Carolina. He is further survived by two sisters, Dr. Joann (Douglas) Painter of Erie, Marilyn (Philip) Woodruff of Houston, Texas, and a brother Douglas M. Daubenspeck of Erie. Grant was the father of four sons, Dr. D. Cary Daubenspeck of Myrtle Beach, SC., Gregg A. Daubenspeck (Shelly) of Erie, Lee G. Daubenspeck (Roxanne) of Rochester, NY, and Todd D. Daubenspeck (Kandy) of Palm Coast, FL. He also enjoyed sharing the lives of two step-daughters, Carolyn Lechner of Madison, OH, and Nancy (TJ) Dolan of Erie. Grant had 10 grandchildren, Max and Maggie Daubenspeck of Myrtle Beach, SC., Bree and Paige Daubenspeck of Erie, Hunter Daubenspeck of Rochester, NY, Kennedy Daubenspeck, Logan and Kole Bush of Palm Coast, FL, and Jared and Elana Dolan of Erie, PA. The family will hold a Memorial Service in his memory on Saturday, June 18, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. at Wayside Presbyterian Church, 1208 Asbury Rd., Erie, PA. There will be a reception at the church to greet the family beginning at 10:00 a.m. Arrangements are being handled through the Dusckas-Martin Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., 4216 Sterrettania Rd. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to: The Erie Zoological Society for the benefit of the botanical garden, 438 W 38th Street, Erie PA or Penn State Erie, School of Plastic Engineering David G. and Bonney C. Daubenspeck Trustee Scholarship.