David F. Willis

CHESTER, VT – David Field Willis Sr., 85, of Chester, VT, passed away on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. Born April 25, 1940, he was the son of Elizabeth Lounsbury Field and Samuel Arnold Willis II, and brother of Deborah.

After preparing at Deerfield Academy, at Yale he majored in architecture and sang with the Duke’s Men, the Battell Chapel Choir and the Yale Glee Club. He was a member of Zeta Psi, and the Publisher of the Yale Calend. In Berkeley he roomed with Bob LeFevre and served on the Berkeley Board.

In 1967, he married Lillian Beery; they later moved from New York to Norwalk, and then to Ridgefield, CT.

His advertising career included a Clio award in 1977, and positions as senior vice president and executive creative director at several New York firms, where he worked on numerous global accounts, including BMW Motorcycles, Airbus, Castrol, CIGNA, Citibank, ESPN, Fuji Film, and the U.S. Marine Corps. He also co-founded Lombardo & Willis Inc., and The Special Projects Group Inc., where he spent most of his advertising years.

David sang bass with St. Stephen’s Concert Choir, the Fairfield County Chorale, and the Camerata d’Amici in Ridgefield, CT. Devoted to Bach and organ music, he once blew out car speakers listening to a stirring organ piece by Widor. He retired to Chester, VT in 2011.

David was a most decent, moral, witty, and intelligent person, well-loved by family, friends, and associates. In recent months I had some enthusiastic exchanges about music, but especially as Dave proclaimed, the greatest composer, J.S.Bach. He did indeed love music and was a stalwart glee clubber.

He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Lillian Beery Willis, his son David and his wife Kathleen, his son William and his wife Betsy, and his son Sam and his wife Tara, as well as seven grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 313 Main Street, Chester, VT on Saturday, October 25, at 2 p.m., with a reception to follow.

— John Harger Stewart