David Lawrence Ludlow was born on June 6, 1936, in Seattle, Washington. He died at his residence in Sequim, Washington, on Jan. 16, 2026.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Phyllis (Waggoner) Ludlow; his first wife and mother of his children, Carol Thatcher; and his second wife, Christine Kehrwald. David is survived by his brother, Howard “Alan” Ludlow; his three children: Nella Ludlow, Kenneth Ludlow, and Calperna Lucas; his three grandchildren: Tabitha Lucas, Holden Lucas, and Landon Lucas; and his nieces: Laura Woodward and Lisa Bradner.

After graduating from Bainbridge Island High School in 1955, David enlisted in the U.S. Navy as an Electronics Technician. He served 38 years in the U.S. Navy active duty, reserves, and the Department of the Navy, including service during the Vietnam War. While in the Navy, he served aboard a minesweeper, USS Fortify, and aircraft carriers Midway, Forrestal, Kitty Hawk, Constellation, Ranger, and Enterprise. He especially enjoyed his time stationed at Kodiak Island, AK, with his good friend John W. Paxton. At the end of his career, he served with the Department of Justice as a senior civil servant in Washington, D.C. before retiring.

David loved the outdoors, telling stories around the campfire, collecting and tinkering on old cars, restoring classic radios, and was an active amateur radio operator since 1951. He held an Advanced Amateur Radio License call sign W7QHX, was proficient in Morse code, and enjoyed attending meetings with his local ham radio club in Grays Harbor County. He was a published technical author, an inventor, and was awarded a patent for an Air Collision Avoidance warning system.

David enjoyed his yearly Amateur Radio Field Day radio contests with his daughter, Nella, and traveled with his son, Kenneth, to his weightlifting competitions around the Pacific Northwest. He also worked with his friend, Claudia Lowman, researching a WWII minesweeper that was restored and converted to a large fishing vessel by both David and Claudia’s fathers, Walter Ludlow and Bill Lowman, when they all lived in Anacortes.

He was a long-time resident of Ocean Shores, WA, for over 25 years.

A “Celebration of Life” is being held at 11 a.m, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, at the Quinault Beach Resort in Ocean Shores in Meeting Room #1, followed by a hosted luncheon, and is open to all those who knew David. We would love for you to join us in sharing his memories.

The family asks in lieu of sending flowers, please donate to your favorite dementia charity.