David MacFarlane Obituary

MacFarlane, David C. Age 60, passed away peacefully at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 26, 2004. A lifelong advocate for education, David retired as Senior Vice President at DeVry Inc. in 1997. With Meg (nee Tansill), his wife, pal and great love of 20 years, David welcomed retirement with the same passion he brought to all endeavors. World traveler, art collector, musician and lover of fast cars and games of chance, David embraced the best life had to offer. Raised in Colombus, Ohio, David was preceded in death by his mother, Ada (Roger) Williams, and father, Victor MacFarlane. He received his undergraduate degree from Ohio Dominican College and his Masters of Arts in Educational Administration from the Ohio State University. After graduate school, David taught elementary school and was involved in Headstart before joining DeVry Institute in Columbus in 1967. He was transferred to DeVry's largest campus in Chicago in 1969. In 1971, he left DeVry to become Assistant Director of Admissions at Stanford Unversity in California. Lured back to Chicago by colleages from DeVry, David became one of the founders of what was to become Keller Graduate School of Management, one of the leading educational institutions in the U.S. and Canada. In 1987, DeVry was purchased by Keller Graduate School and David returned to DeVry for the remainder of his career. In addition to public speaking engagements across the country throughout his career, he maintained an active role in many civic and professional organizations. In his retirement, David remained very involved as a Board member of both the Mishawaka Foundation and the Las Vegas Art Museum. While David's life was short in years, his time was multiplied beyond the average by the quality of his relationships and accomplishments. He will long be remembered for the high standards he set for himself and an ability to inspire those around him to rise to his level - living each day to the fullest and demanding no less from those he loved. He will be sadly missed by his wife, Meg; sisters, Virginia (Eugene) Collins, Drina Smith, Anita Nowell and Lynne MacFarlane; and brothers, Roger F. Williams, Victor B. MacFarlane, Phillip Lawson and Victor Hughes and numerous nieces and nephews, including a special friend and confidant, his nephew, Tony Smith. A Memorial service to celebrate David's life will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday. April 3, 2004, at Christ the King Catholic Church, 4925 S. Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, NV. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that gifts be made to the David C. MacFarlane Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o DeVry University Education Fund, 1 Tower Lane, Suite #1000, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181.