David Klingler

- David Allen Klingler, 61, of Santa Fe, NM, lost his battle with various health issues and died on June 21, 2024. He is survived by his brother, John Klingler, and sisters Brenda Laird and Therese Baer.

David was a child prodigy in physics and electronics. He built his first crystal radio at the age of 10 and went on to win the Texas State Science Fair for building a solar panel at the age of 11. He began teaching radio wave theory at the Houston Amateur Ham Radio Club when he was 12. At the age of 14, he bounced a radio signal off the Moon to find out how far it was from Earth. Throughout his life, David continued to have an affinity for all things electronic. He was a true techie and the go-to for computer help for his friends and family.

David's career in the automotive industry began at the tender age of 14, when his brother John hired him to keypunch parts inventory for Plaza Lincoln-Mercury in Houston, Texas. From there, David graduated to Minishare Manager, where he managed Plaza's computer share company. He later became a technician helper and then a technician, both at Plaza. David followed his brother to Dallas, where he became Service Manager for Regency Lincoln-Mercury. Later, they both moved to Annandale, VA, where David was General Sales Manager.

David moved to Santa Fe in 1992, where he remained in the automobile business for the last 30 years. He originally moved to Santa Fe to become General Manager at Sauter Toyota, a large sales volume store. He left Sauter to work for Santa Fe Mazda-Volvo as General Manager. At the time of his death, David was the Customer Service Manager for Capital Ford, where he had previously been the Body Shop Manager for CF Collision.

At David's request, there will not be a memorial service. A celebration of life has been arranged for August 5th in Santa Fe. The details will be communicated to his family, friends, and co-workers. If you would like to make a donation in David's honor, then please go to the American Heart Association's website at Heart.org or the American Diabetes Association's website at diabetes.org.