David Michael Mallett

WINDSOR, SC - Mr. David Michael Mallett, 83, passed away Saturday, May 13, 2023.

David Michael Mallett was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1939. He is the second child of Eleanor (Heath) Mallett and John C. Mallett and was a younger brother to the eldest, John Mallett. Six months after his birth, his family moved to the Los Angeles area of California for better job opportunities. David vividly remembered wartime during World War II, and he talked about rationing, collecting metals for the war effort and his dad raising rabbits for food. While living in California his brother Denny was born and the three brothers went on to enjoy each other and have some fun and daring times while growing up. They are very close brothers and always have been throughout their entire lives and enjoyed motorsports, waterskiing and in later years, some hang gliding. David attended Whittier High School and graduated in 1957. He then entered the Marine Corps and did his basic training at Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California. During his time in the Marines, he was stationed in Morocco, North Africa and from there he was assigned to guard the military munitions near Las Vegas, Nevada. After the Marines, he returned to Southern California where he studied auto mechanics and he worked for small shops and eventually owned his own repair business. He was later hired by the Los Angeles Unified School District as a heavy-duty bus and truck mechanic, where he excelled and became shop supervisor for the school district and remained there until his retirement in 2004. Throughout his life, he spent much time with cars and motorcycles and having fun with anything that was motorized. He was a truly brilliant mechanic, and he could fix just about anything mechanical. He married Sherry who is the mother of their two children, John and Sara. David spent numerous hours of fun windsurfing and sailing with John, and spending much time with Sara as she excelled in her softball career throughout high school and eventually college. David was Sara’s biggest fan carting her to games and tournaments with Sherry. He also shared his knowledge and skills of repair with both John and Sara. David is blessed with grandchildren, Sara’s boys, Marco, Johnny and Luca and he loved attending their ball games. All three of them are bright and have a real zest for life. David’s love of cars remained with him throughout his entire life. Any movie or television show with cars or even a car passing down the road was of interest, and it would spark an immediate response. He could tell you, the year, make, model, engine sizes available, transmissions and possibly the periods when that car existed. He could see the finest of details immediately of headlights or windshields and know of the different years of the cars or the manufacturers. He never lost interest in vehicles and could tell you most anything, especially about older cars, things that you either wanted or not wanted to know! He spent a lot of his time on motorcycles too. Many trips on his motorcycle took him cross country, up and down the California coast and quite a few times to Sturges for its famous bike run. David also stayed fit well into his older age and rode his pedal bicycle along the bike trails of California, and he even did the long and arduous AIDS ride several times to help raise funds for the cause. That involved the trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles and he loved riding the trip with comrades, and he met many friends there. He always was into the latest trends of good eating which at times was fanatical and he ate well and took care of himself. He was forever in the mode of trying to counteract the years of working in a hard labor world with heavy machinery, which led to many back and shoulder surgeries. In 2008 David met Mark and they had 15 years of fun times together. They bodyboarded and swam in the ocean off California and together spent numerous hours and miles traveling with their dogs in their small camper. David and Mark lived near a horse rescue where they spent hundreds of hours volunteering and that really let them realize their love of horses. That volunteering inspired David and Mark’s’ move from California to Windsor, South Carolina, where horses abound in every breed and discipline. They purchased a farm to live out their dreams with horses, in its quiet and paradisiacal settings and to leave the crazy hustle and bustle of California behind. Immediately after arriving in South Carolina, David and Mark met many good friends who shared the love of horses, and they embraced the friendly and polite settings of the South. While in Windsor they purchased two horses, one of which Boomer, a smart and beautiful quarter horse was just what David needed to be able to ride him safely up to the point when David left this earth for a better place.

David was predeceased by his mom and dad and older brother John. David leaves behind a legacy of great family members, his brother Denny and wife Susan, son John and his wife Rosanne, daughter Sara and husband Gio, Sherry, the mom of his children and Sara’s three boys Marco, Johnny and Luca along with his partner Mark. David will be pleasantly remembered by all his friends, old and new, as well as his family and others he left behind.

He will truly be missed by many. We love you, David! Forever In Our Hearts!

A celebration of David's life will be held on Saturday, June 10th at 2:00 PM at SHELLHOUSE FUNERAL HOME, INC., 924 HAYNE AVE., AIKEN, SC 29801.