David Newton Ferro of Amherst passed away peacefully of natural causes on May 11, 2019 at the Hospice of the Fisher Home with his two sons by his side. David was born on September 26, 1946 in San Bernardino CA to Richard and Arlene (Mitchell) Ferro. He graduated from Pacific High School in San Bernardino, CA in 1964. He married Margaret Stancer, also of San Bernardino, in 1967, and they had two children, Amanda (Ferro) Slocombe and Richard Ferro. David obtained his BA from San Jose State University in 1970 and his PhD in entomology from Washington State University in 1974. He held his first teaching position at Lincoln College, Canterbury, New Zealand. Upon returning to the US in 1978, he took a faculty position in the Entomology Department at UMass Amherst, where he pursued teaching and research until his retirement. David published numerous scientific papers over the years; he said that the professional accomplishment of which he was most proud was working with local farmers in the Pioneer Valley to reduce the amount of harmful pesticides they used on their crops and to help them utilize Integrated Pest Management strategies instead. David was later married to Leanne Every from 1989 to 2006 and they had a son Stephen, in 1992.

In addition to his parents, David was predeceased by his daughter Amanda (Ferro) Slocombe. He leaves behind his son Richard Ferro, wife Hillary Wilbur Ferro, and their two boys, Skyler and Sawyer, of Leverett MA, as well as his son Stephen Ferro of Amherst. Also surviving him are his son-in-law Neal Slocombe and three grandchildren, Sam, Max, and Meghan of Sunderland MA. David leaves behind his sister Patricia (Ferro) Legler of Chula Vista, CA and his brother Douglas Ferro of Oregon.

David was a devoted father who never missed the multitude of athletic contests his children participated in. He loved competition and pushed himself physically at all times. He was a collegiate wrestler and picked up many new sports while working at UMass including; racquetball, tennis, golf, and squash. He also had a love of the outdoors and brought his family camping, backpacking, and fishing on countless occasions. David will be missed greatly by his family and friends. A celebration of his life will be held this summer. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the Hospice of the Fisher Home of Amherst. http://www.fisherhome.org/