David C. Cell, 30, of Park View, passed away on Tuesday, May 29, 2018, at Genesis Medical Center, East Campus, in Davenport, Iowa, due to an inadvertent combination of alcohol and a medication he had been prescribed.
There will be a visitation and commemoration of David on Sunday, June 10, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Chambers Funeral Home in Eldridge. At 3 p.m., speakers will offer comments in celebration of David’s life. David will be interred in the family plot in Merrimac, Mass. Memorials may be made to the North Scott Soccer Club.
He was born in Davenport, and after moving to Long Grove, attended Alan Shepard Elementary School, then attended Rivermont Collegiate in Bettendorf. Graduating Rivermont after his junior year, he attended the University of Iowa through the National Academy of Arts, Science, and Engineering, Belin–Blank Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development. In 2005, David was one of 11 students out of over 250 applicants worldwide accepted into the National Academy of Arts, Science, and Engineering (NAASE).
At Rivermont, David played basketball on the varsity team. At one point, David led the state in steals. David played soccer with the North Scott Soccer Club for 10 years, and played varsity soccer with North Scott High School.
David graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering, a minor in mathematics, and a minor in business. David later earned a master of business administration degree from St. Ambrose University.
Recently, David coached some youth teams for the North Scott Soccer Club before signing on to serve as assistant soccer coach for the Assumption High School girls’ team, where he helped coach the team to two recent state championships.
As an assistant coach of the Assumption girls’ soccer team, he attached a high priority to his relationships with the players, parents, and coaches. It was a group of people he spoke of with affection and respect. He put considerable time into scouting the competition, developing game plans and contingency plans, and coaching. He also valued his relations with the larger soccer community in the area.
He loved his time playing soccer, and loved his time coaching. He was a student of the game.
David enjoyed challenges; he worked as an engineer for Hon Industries in Muscatine. His job was to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of manufacturing operations. This required background in engineering, operations, business and the ability to work with diverse HNI staff, from machine operators to very senior managers. He had excellent technical background, and good people skills, two attributes not often found in one individual. He loved the challenge his work at Hon presented.
In addition to work and soccer, David enjoyed fishing, investing and travel. David traveled extensively throughout Europe, and most recently visiting Israel and Jordan.
He enjoyed the camaraderie of his many good friends.
He was always ready to lend a helping hand, always ready to extend a hand in friendship. He was kind, considerate, and had a good sense of humor. He loved working with kids, and despite what some might see as a sometimes gruff exterior, kids readily took to him, and he welcomed the chance to interact with them – to share their genuine sense of exploration, anticipation, and fun. David looked back on his childhood with considerable fondness, and he wanted to help children have similar fond memories.
In keeping with his character, David was an organ donor – a final act of generosity. He will continue to live on in that way, saving and helping other lives.
He is survived by his parents, Charles and Inger Cell, formerly of Long Grove, now in Brewster, Mass.; his brother, Jonathan Cell, Oxford, England, and his sister Elizabeth Cell, Jacksonville Beach, Fla.,
Online condolences may be expressed to the family by visiting David’s obituary at www.McGinnis-Chambers.com.
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