It is with heavy hearts that the Tucson Chapter announce that their immediate past Chapter President and our past Region X RVC for Government Affairs, Dave Palty, passed away over this past Labor day weekend. Anyone who knew Dave knew that his passion for life was infectious and it permeated through everything he was involved with -- be that work, family, ASHRAE, etc. Dave was truly one of the good guys and his ASHRAE FAMILY will miss him.
David Andrew Palty (Dave), 60, of Phoenix, Arizona, passed away unexpectedly from natural causes on September 1, 2019.
There will be a service on September 5, 2019 held at University Presbyterian Church of Tempe, Arizona at 4:00 p.m. Pastor Eric Ledermann will be officiating. There will be a Celebration of Life in Dave’s honor held in Iowa on September 20, 2019 at the Iowa State University Alumni Center from 3-5 pm.
Dave was born in Montville, New Jersey on December 6,1958. He graduated from Ridge High School and continued on to receive a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering from Iowa State University. Dave was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and a member of the Dean’s Engineering Counsel.
Dave was married to Mary Pamela Barnes-Palty (Pam) on May 3, 1986 in Honolulu, Hawaii; they were married 33 years.
Dave worked as a HVAC sales engineer and manager for Trane for the majority of his career. He later enjoyed working as a consultant with sustainable and green HVAC companies and products. Dave was LEED Green Building Certified and he was devoted to moving his industry towards greater energy efficiency. He was also actively involved in his professional association, ASHRAE, and was most recently the Government Affairs Chair for the U.S. Western Region. This work included organizing two state level events, Day on the Hill, to promote industry awareness to state legislators. Dave was devoted to promoting STEM education and bringing a new generation of leaders into the industry.
Outside of professional work, Dave enjoyed spending time with his family, cooking, which he said was his source of relaxation, and showing his love through caring for his family. Dave enjoyed hiking, swimming, skiing, Iowa State football and basketball, the New York Yankees, Broncos football and all things Colorado. Over the past two years, he was able to take many trips with Pam where he enjoyed sight-seeing, cultural activities, and photography.
Dave is survived by his wife, Pam, and three children Mary Veronika Kloer, Alyssa Barnes Palty, and David Andrew Palty II. He is also survived by his step-mother, Mara Palty. He was greatly looking forward to loving his future grandchildren.
Dave is preceded in death by his father, George Palty, and his mother, Martha Palty. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to the Dave Palty Memorial Fund (https://www.ashraetucson.org/history/in-memorium-dave-palty/), established by ASHRAE and Dave’s family. The goal of this Memorial Fund is to continue Dave’s work in bringing young leaders into his industry.
Dave will be deeply missed by all of his loved ones and it is a loss to the world that he left too soon.
“Love never ends”
