William David Shambroom, Jr. ("David"), age 77, died on March 7, 2026, after a brief illness. David was born in Teaneck, New Jersey, on January 18, 1949. He was the oldest of six sons of William and Gloria Shambroom.

He was preceded in death by his parents. David is survived by his spouse and life partner for 43 years, Rose Giaconia; five brothers and their spouses, Don (Hattie), Glenn (Nina), Paul (Joan), John (Donna) and Eric (Katrin); several nieces and nephews; many friends, including long-time friends from college and professional colleagues who became friends.

David earned AB, AM, and PhD degrees from Harvard University, majoring in Physics. David's eclectic career reflected and embraced evolving technology and his strong intellectual curiosity. In the field of physics, he collaborated in research at the Cambridge Electron Accelerator Center, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Fermilab, and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. David also taught undergraduate and graduate courses in physics at Northeastern University. As computer technology evolved, so did David's skills and interests. David worked on computer networking at Wang Laboratories, on fault-tolerant computing at Charles Rivers Data Systems, and on cryptography and computer security at GTE Labs and InterSystems.

David's personal interests were as varied as his professional pursuits. He enjoyed photography, jazz, vegetable gardening, barbecuing, science fiction, discovering new wines and recipes, turtles, and politics. David was a long-time advocate for social and political justice, and supported like-minded politicians at the local, State, and national levels. In recent decades, he joined the growing movement to support the election of candidates with backgrounds in science, medicine, and technology; experts who understand the complexities of climate change, health care, the environment, and economics and who can propose viable and beneficial solutions.

David was a beloved and loving husband and life partner. David was also a trusted and loyal brother, friend, and colleague. He will be missed.