Oneonta, New - Oneonta - David Francis Lasher, age 89, died peacefully on the morning of Tuesday, April 15 in Oneonta, his home for the final years of his life.

David, a native son of upstate New York, was born in Canajoharie on Sept. 10, 1935 to John and Mabel (Hamm) Lasher. He graduated from Canajoharie High School and attended St. Lawrence University in Canton before serving in the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division in West Germany. After his service concluded, he returned to St.

Lawrence and took a job as a university administrator. There, he met his first wife, Barbara (Zeidler) Lasher, with whom he shared three children.

David had a long career in higher education, holding positions in admissions at Cornell University, Smith College, Southern Methodist University, and Hartwick College. He

ultimately retired from SUNY Oneonta as Vice President of Development. Raised primarily by his widowed mother, a traveling nurse who was one of the first women in Montgomery County to obtain a driver's license, David was a longtime champion of

women in higher education.

A lifelong passion for antiques led him to marriage with his second wife Katherine "Kathy" Tierney, who owned the antiques gallery in Duanesburg where he kept a booth. The two married in 1998 and lived together in Bradenton, Florida and Bend, Oregon until Kathy's untimely death in 2018. Five years later, David returned to New York to be closer to his family, taking up residence at The Plains in Oneonta.

David was a deeply curious and knowledgeable man who went through life with a perennial twinkle in his eye. He loved early American furniture, dispensing two-dollar

bills, beagles, US history, vintage sports cars, the New York Yankees, antique firearms, and a good western novel. David had a story for everyone, and loved to use them to

connect with those who crossed his path. His optimism and good cheer in his later years were an inspiration to his family and friends.

He is survived by his children, Peter, Bob, and Susan (Knight); grandchildren Margaret and Thomas Knight; and cousin Shawnee Lasher. He was preceded in death by brothers John and William.

David was deeply grateful to his helper Irene Karazonis, the staff at The Plains, and his medical team within the Bassett Healthcare network for their exceptional care.

His remains will be interred alongside those of his parents in a private ceremony at the Canajoharie Falls Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, David's family asks that donations be sent to the Nightingale Fund for Nursing Excellence, Friends of Bassett Healthcare Network, One Atwell Road, Cooperstown, NY 13326.