Dr. David Kew, 62, died quietly on Sept. 8, 2016, surrounded by his family.
David, an 11th-generation Cape Codder, was born May 14, 1954, in Barnstable, the eldest child of Adele (Wiles) (Kew) Hildick and Harold Kew. David graduated from Nauset Regional in 1972 and went on to obtain an S.B. from MIT in 1976 and a Ph.D. from Wesleyan University in 1984.
David spent the past 32 years in the Worcester area working as a biologist and high school teacher. He maintained close ties to his Cape Cod roots, spending his spare time at the cottage his grandfather built on Great Pond in Wellfleet. His life obsession was genealogy, and his website, capecodhistory.us, is the result of countless hours of research and cataloging. His further pursuits included woodworking, Cape Cod and maritime history, birding, puttering in the garden, and a general quest for quiet. In recent years David found a second home volunteering at Broadmeadow Brook, the Audubon Reserve in Worcester. David was supportive, creative, and had a knack for thoughtful questions and advice. He instilled a strong sense of independence in his children, as well as an eagle scout’s love of camping, an appreciation for New England in all seasons, and an attachment to the smell of old books.
David is survived by his children, Abigail Newby-Kew of Anchorage, Alaska, Nathanael Newby-Kew of Boston, and Juliana Kew of Pasadena, Calif.; his siblings, Dana Kew of Harmony, Maine, Susan Brueckner Long of Hudson, N.H., and Cynthia Baker of Lebanon, Conn.; his aunt Marjorie Sayre of Miami, Fla.; his uncle James Kew of Las Vegas, Nev.; his former spouses, Laurel Newby of Somerville, and Susan Chase of Worcester; his girlfriend Gail Anastas of Marlborough; and numerous beloved nieces, nephews, and grandnieces and nephews.
An open memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. on Sept. 24, at the Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.
In lieu of flowers, we suggest a donation to the Wellfleet Historical Society, Massachusetts Audubon, or Old Sturbridge Village.
