David Avery

Dr. David Dean Avery passed away with his family by his side and in his home on Friday December 2, 2011. David was born in San Antonio, Texas on October 1, 1941. He was the only child of Glenn Sam and Dorothy Imogene Avery. David graduated from Thomas A. Edison High School in San Antonio, Texas in 1959. While at Edison, he participated in football and was the sports editor for the school paper as well as being an honor student. His love of football, camping and fishing began at a very early age. While visiting Colorado with his parents and at the age of nine, he decided that someday he would live in there; in a place he could hunt, fish, camp and enjoy the wildlife and a lifestyle involving the great outdoors. David met Mary L. Watson while in high school and they remained sweethearts from then on. They married in San Antonio, Texas in 1962 and moved to Austin, Texas. From there, they moved to Houston and then to Dallas and finally to Colorado in 1969. David received his B.A in 1963 from the University of Texas, his M.A. in 1966 from University of Houston, and his Ph.D. from the University of Houston in 1969. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas in 1968. David joined the Department of Psychology at Colorado State University in Fort Collins in 1969 and he retired from C.S.U. in 2004. David's career at Colorado State University was bountiful with publications, textbooks, honors and awards in the field of neuro-physiological psychology. David and Mary became good friends with many colleagues and students during his years at C.S.U. Dave's life travels involving education, teaching and research endeavors in Texas and Colorado allowed him to meet and enjoy many colleagues, friends and students who shared his passions. These included science, fishing, camping, hunting, football and golf. He loved sharing these activities with all of them and made lifelong friends and memories while doing so. Some of his most memorable times were those spent with the Landers; traveling to the Bridger Wilderness in Wyoming and camping there with our families. However, our neighborhood parties with the Jensens, the Boyers, the Boltzs, and the Washburns can't go unmentioned as well as all the fun times at Bruce's Bar with the Oettings, the Beauvais, the Boyers and the Coles. After retiring from C.S.U, David continued on with his love of sports, fishing and camping as well as gardening. He also spent lots of time developing an exquisite talent of gourmet cooking. He enjoyed preparing extravagant, tasty meals for our family. He was our favorite Texas Bar B Q cooker (in fact he was our favorite cook). He was also our best steak house griller, out best Cajun chef, our best Japanese chop house stir fryer, our best Bayou jambalaya maker and our best gulf coast fish fryer! Our family enjoyed fresh vegetables from Dave's huge gardens every summer and throughout the year! From pickled beets to home made canned salsa- all the ingredients came from his garden. He spent time fishing with Doug and Bill. He golfed with Hank, Gene and Jim. He hunted with Henry and Don. He camped with Mary and Matt and Tam. He spent hours out on his property in Masonville; mowing, trimming, planting, growing, raking, digging….and reaping….and sowing……and all the while enjoying living among the deer, the elk, the skunks, the raccoons, the rabbits, the foxes, the coyotes, the bears, the snakes, the bobcats, the owls, the bats, the bugs and the dozens of different varieties of birds. David truly loved the outdoors and paid close attention to what type of weather activity we would all experience for the day; rather it be a tornado warning, a blizzard, high wind warnings or just good ole fashion sunshine, we were informed!      Our family was blessed when Dave's parents, Glenn and Gene, moved to Colorado from Texas to be closer to Matt and Michelle and Dave and Mary. Heart felt and enjoyable experiences happened then- including designing and building the home of Glenn and Gene as well as Dave and Mary's home in 1978. Dave's parents traveled with him and his family to Canada for a three week camping excursion that was an absolutely unforgettable experience for all of us, including Michelle and Matthew. Dave will be always be missed and always be remembered for the fun-loving, outdoorsy, outspoken, logical, honest, wonderful husband, father, friend and teacher he was. Survivors are his loving family: wife, Mary Lee, his son, Matthew Dean Avery (and Tamara Youngs) of Arvada, Colorado; his daughter, Michelle Lee Avery (and J. Knouse) of Loveland and his close friends of Fort Collins, lifelong friends in Houston, Texas, and many cousins, and remaining family in Texas. He is preceded in death by his parents, Glenn and Imogene Avery. A private family memorial service is being planned. The family invites you to visit forevermissed.com (dave-avery) or forevermissed.com (David Dean Avery) to share your stories, thoughts, and/or photos with the family, as well as view our family photos and stories. Dave's family will be adding more photos and life stories of Dave as time passes. Donations in memory of David Dean Avery to the American Cancer Society or PVH Foundation, 2315 E. Harmony Road, Ste. 200, Fort Collins, CO, 80528 (funding for new cancer center in Fort Collins, Colorado) would be appreciated. The family extends heartfelt thanks and gratitude to Poudre Valley Hospital Oncology and ICU nurses, aides, technicians, and doctors, as well as to the Cancer Center of the Rockies staff, nurses and doctors and the EMT services of Loveland and Fort Collins, & to Pathways Hospice for their kind care and assistance, and to our friends for their support, kindness, and prayers.