David “Kingfish” Kingsley passed away peacefully on September 4, 2024, surrounded by his loving family. He was a caring husband, father, brother, uncle, and friend who will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

Born on August 7, 1953, Dave spent his childhood in Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y., and Westport, along with his three younger siblings. After graduating from Staples High School in Westport, he ventured to Los Angeles for college but eventually returned to the East Coast, living in Weston, Boston, Cape Cod, before settling in Newtown in 1986 with his wife, Kathy (Farrell). Together, they raised two daughters, Emma (Portsmouth, N.H.) and Caroline (Sausalito, Calif.).

Dave’s love for fishing, boating, and sailing, cultivated during his youth on Long Island Sound, earned him the nickname “Kingfish.” A passionate saltwater fly-fisherman, he particularly enjoyed bone-fishing in the Bahamas. As he liked to say, “Fishing isn’t really about catching fish.”

In addition to his love of fishing, Dave was a talented athlete, playing basketball, baseball, and softball throughout his school years and into adulthood. He found great joy in watching his daughters play sports, never missing a game and coaching several of their youth basketball teams.

He was intelligent, clever, a voracious reader, and full of knowledge gained through his diverse life experiences as a builder, designer, contractor, and business owner. There was nothing he couldn’t fix or build, and he thrived on solving problems. He designed, built, and remodeled numerous homes and businesses in Connecticut and New York, including his own home in Newtown, adding his signature touches to every project.

An avid storyteller and food enthusiast, his time spent in Southern California sparked a life-long love for Mexican food. He often recounted tales of his days owning a small Mexican restaurant in Cape Cod in the 80s, with one of his best friends as the cook. It was short-lived, but his homemade chili, enchiladas, and burrito-rolling skills lived on.

Dave had a special fondness for Newtown, which he considered his “hometown.” One of his proudest achievements was the renovation of an old building on the Fairfield Hills campus, transforming what was once a staff dining room and library at the former psychiatric hospital into a brewery with his partners, Mark Tambascio and Mark Lennon. Dave took immense pride in this project and the role the establishment has come to play in the community.

He will be remembered as a man of great integrity, known for the love he shared with his family and friends. He carried himself with dignity, strength, and courage to the end. The phone calls, messages, cards, and visits he received during the last weeks of his life brought him peace, comfort, and joy.

Dave is survived by his wife Kathy; daughters Emma and Caroline; sisters Karen of Wallingford; Patricia of San Diego, Calif., and son Michael; Mary Ann and her husband Paul Musante of Severna Park, Md., and their three children Maggie, Sarah, and Lia; plus many more relatives and close friends he considered family.

He was preceded in death by his parents, JoAnn (Egger) Kingsley and James F. Kingsley.

A Mass will be celebrated on Monday, September 16, at 10:30 am, at Saint Rose of Lima Church, 46 Church Hill Road in Newtown. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to Newtown Youth & Family Services, a cause dear to Dave’s heart, to support local community members.

The family would also like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to the doctors and staff at Memorial Sloan Kettering and Weill-Cornell NY Presbyterian hospitals for their care, kindness, and compassion.