David Legacki

1st Lieutenant Alan David Legacki, 81, of Barnegat, New Jersey completed his valiant tour of bravery as he passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 30, 2024. He leaves the legacy of a family who will miss his humor and special kind of love. Beloved husband of Merle Jeanne (Hopkins) Legacki, of 52 years. Loving father of Kari (Jaime) Comas and Amy (Sean) Muirhead. The brightest stars began lighting up David’s sky in 2006 with the birth of his first grandchild, Morgan Lilly and continuing thereafter with Brian Alexander, Jaime David and Khloe Noelle.

David was born on September 1, 1942, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Theodore H. Legacki and Emma (Pullan) Legacki.  He was second born, brother to Theodore Legacki. A childhood resident of Pleasantville and subsequently Northfield, New Jersey. The proudest graduate of the University of Idaho in his beloved Pocatello, Idaho. To this day, if you mention his name at Buddy’s in Pocatello, they will “give you a good seat”.

He soon after was drafted to serve his country. He was a highly decorated Veteran of the Vietnam War, garnering a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his bravery during infantry combat with the 1st Cavalry Division. David held the utmost pride in his decorated service to our country and was passionately proud to be an American.

David continued his military accolades in the workforce often reared as a top salesman and “Salesman of the Year” in his field of sales of packaging and air conveying systems. He was forced into retirement at a tender age of fifty-three due to a debilitating stroke leaving him completely paralyzed on his left side in 1996.  He referred to this as his “Stroke of Luck” as it afforded him the opportunity to slow down and truly have the time to establish better relationships with family. David never complained about his disability or pain and had the most willing and beautiful “Ready, Set, Go!” attitude at any given moment. He was the embodiment of a life’s lesson for us all to learn from, you can do anything you aspire to with the right determination.

David leaves us with a lifetime of bad jokes, forever love of Atlantic City and the roulette wheel and a reminder to not take things in life too seriously. He took fashion cues from no one, often adorning off color sayings on tee shirts to match with his fruit of the loom elastic waisted shorts and wigwam socks long past the 1980s. He always had lifesaver mints or a pack of chewing gum to share with all he encountered, just like his father. He loved the Yankees and baseball, the boardwalk with his family, Kohr’s brothers ice cream cones and sharing White House Italian subs with everyone after trips to Atlantic City. There wasn’t a hot pretzel he ever said no to and would relentlessly pull out his wallet to win the biggest boardwalk prize for his grandchildren at the mercy of the water gun game, Race to the Finish.

Everyone who remembers David is asked to celebrate his colorful life in their own way, but raising a glass of their favorite libation or a cold beer would be most appropriate.  If you have time to light a candle for him it would make his heart happy, as he said, “When you light a candle it carries the weight of everyone’s intentions and has more power”.

Instead of flowers, an unexpected and unsolicited act of kindness in his memory or humble donations to Autism Family Services of New Jersey, or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital would be a beautiful honor of David’s giving nature. 

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 at Barnegat Funeral Home, 841 West Bay Ave., Barnegat, NJ. Mass offered Wednesday, 10:00 AM at St Mary's Church, Barnegat. Interment to follow in Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Wrightstown, NJ. (www.BarnegatFH.com)

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