FALMOUTH – Leonard A. “David” Alne, 101, passed away on May 8, 2023, in Falmouth.

He was born on June 12, 1921, in Mason City, Iowa, a son of Sampson, born in Norway, and Selma, who grew up in Iowa. He was very proud of his Norwegian heritage. After growing up in rural Iowa and graduating from Wesley High School, he attended St. Olaf College in Minnesota, graduating in 1941. He later earned an MBA from Stanford in 1953.

David, who chose his name because he loved the author Henry David Thoreau, excelled in math and studied actuarial mathematics and electrical engineering. He joined the U.S. Navy after Pearl Harbor and was an ensign by 1943. He focused on electronics development and never was stationed on a Navy vessel. That year he also married his first wife, Jackie Allen. They had one child, Karen, whom David loved and missed dearly since her death in a car accident in 1965 in Paris. He resigned in 1957 as a commander in the reserves to join the civil service, working for the Department of Defense for 20 years.

That job included time on an assignment to Paris at the U.S. Mission, where he founded the NATO Supply and Maintenance System, handling multiple international negotiations. He met the Shah of Iran, a Saudi Arabian king, and other high-ranking diplomats in Europe and the Middle East and was featured on an episode of the MacNeil-Lehrer Report on PBS. David also worked in the Defense Secretary’s office and met regularly with his boss, Robert McNamara. He retired as a GS-17 from the Pentagon in 1974. He had a never-ending passion for math and science which led to his enjoyment from reading many physics and electronics books over the years, including writing a two-page mathematical equation to explain why an earthquake in the D.C. area led to his paintings moving a certain number of degrees on the walls of his home.

Following his divorce, David married Sally Addington Stack in 1965, a marriage that lasted until Sally’s death in 2019. They met in an elevator at the River House complex in Arlington, Va. where each lived. They moved to their beautiful Lake Barcroft home in Falls Church, Va. and lived there for 43 years. They had many friends in the large neighborhood who also worked in D.C. and hosted social events often where they would entertain each other with descriptions of their work in the World Bank, Justice Department, and so on. David especially enjoyed Sally’s many watercolors, many of which are now in the homes of family members. David was active in the local water district which protected the lake’s waters and served as president for many years.

In 2011 they chose to move to a senior home called Goodwin House in Arlington, Va. where they again made even more friends. When Sally died in 2019, David was left alone in their apartment. COVID-19 made life tough for him, and he chose to move to Maine in November 2020 to be near family, including his sister-in-law and nieces and nephews. His niece Sally and husband Kyrn hosted him in their Falmouth home until he moved to assisted living at Ocean View in Falmouth in August 2021. He remained there until his death from natural causes on May 8, 2023. He had family celebrations of his 100th and 101st birthdays, which he enjoyed very much. David learned and told many jokes in his older years; some repeated several times. He was quite stylish for many years, dressing smartly in a hat, white shirts, and dressy loafers. He also liked to wear Bermuda shorts with long socks.

David was a smart, funny, and curious man with a keen intellect and love of politics, current events, his friends, and his family. He played doubles tennis twice a week until age 93. He and brother, Bud, liked to share opinions on political and other public issues. David was very organized and prepared several family ancestral records on his beloved computer.

His family will miss seeing and talking with him. He was quite a unique guy.

He is survived by his sister, Rosalie DeBoer and niece Dawn DeBoer of Naperville, Ill., Dawn’s son, Sam; his sister-in-law, Patricia Powers of South Portland, his nephews John Powers and wife Kim of Oxford, and Keith “Kap” Powers and wife Barbara of Cape Elizabeth; niece, Sally Powers and husband Kyrn Bulger of Falmouth as well as their children Lynn (Powers) Harder, Chris Powers, and Christine Googins; and other grandnieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his brother, Irving “Bud” Alne.

David’s Maine family wishes to thank the friendly and supportive caregivers at Ocean View (Falmouth House) who deeply cared for David in his last 21 months. They said he was a true gentleman. He also recently appreciated regular visits from Ryan Zamer, a student at Falmouth High School.

David will be interred with Sally in Arlington National Cemetery, not far from the Lake Barcroft home they loved.

Please visit http://www.jonesrichandbarnes.com to sign David’s online guest book.

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