Belchertown, MA. – David Philip Hanscom of Gulf Road, Belchertown passed away peacefully at the Baystate Medical Center on February 9th following a brief illness.

He was born on October 9, 1940 in Holyoke, MA., the only child of Lloyd and Stella (Tokarz) Hanscom. His earliest childhood years were spent at the Hadley Court in Amherst. The small farm was eventually taken by eminent domain for the construction of the southwest University of Massachusetts dormitories. The family relocated to Huntington Road in Hadley. At an early age, he was indoctrinated into the life of Hadley farming by his step-father and mentor Walter Kraska. His family purchased land in Belchertown where they built a cabin and pond. This land, named Lasu Ranch, is still enjoyed today by his family.

David graduated from Amherst High School in 1959 where he was an accomplished athlete in football and basketball. David led his basketball team to a “Small School Tournament Championship” his senior season. After graduation, he made the decision to enlist in the United States Navy. He pursued his chosen field of electricity, a topic that had always held his interest and attention and which earned him the designation of EM2. His travels aboard the U.S.S. Lloyd Thomas took him to far-away places in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Following his discharge from the Navy, he spent one year with the Merchant Marines.

Upon completion, he returned to the Amherst area. He then joined the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 7, and was soon employed by Springfield Electric Company. It was during the mid 1970’s that he set off on his own and Gulf Electric was “born”. His new business consisted of residential work in the Amherst area.

The clever, intuitive, hardworking man was always challenged by his self-driven inventiveness. He single handedly constructed numerous single family homes, as well as a saw mill, a waterwheel to produce electricity for his home, and a houseboat. While the houseboat made trips up and down the Connecticut River, it was often anchored in the pond at the Lasu Ranch and used as a high diving board for his grandchildren and their friends. 

David always made time to enjoy life. In his early years, David enjoyed racing cars and snowmobiles with his best friend, Donny Shepard.  A favorite summer pastime for him, as well as his family and friends, was boating and water skiing on Lake Wyola. In recent times, he enjoyed spending time with his family at the camp, and could be seen riding his “electric bicycle” throughout western Massachusetts.

Once David became a grandfather in 2002, he was affectionately known as Dziadziu.  He was a faithful follower of all the sporting events of his four grandchildren. Whether it was ice hockey, cross country, baseball, lacrosse, snocross, basketball or gymnastics, he never missed a chance to watch his grandchildren compete. 

David will be greatly missed by his sons Gregory, Douglas and his wife Deborah, grandchildren Thea, Macayla, Johnathan and Mathew, sister Nancy Crossley, dear companion and friend Patricia Grybko and his former wife Linda Campbell Hanscom. He was predeceased by his father Lloyd Hanscom, his mother Stella Tokarz Kraska, his step-father Walter Kraska, his beloved aunt Helen Tokarz, and Marie Ann Kopacz, partner and companion of twenty-five years.

In lieu of flowers, please consider Dziadziu’s rules to live by: Walk softly but carry a big stick, fix it yourself, mind your own business, don’t worry about breaking the rules, and thank a veteran.  Finally, don’t miss an opportunity to watch your grandchildren play sports.  

A celebration of David’s life will be held in the warm weather of summer 2022.

Memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com