David Soares Amaral

David Soares Amaral, 78, of New River, Arizona, died October 5, 2026, his birthday, at HonorHealth Deer Valley Medical Center in Phoenix, surrounded by people who loved him.

David was born October 5, 1948, in Acushnet, Massachusetts, to Antonio Soares Amaral and Mary Rego. He served in the United States Army from 1969 to 1972, reaching the rank of specialist 5. He served with the 42nd Helicopter Company in Europe and was honorably discharged. He received the National Defense Service Medal. He spent much of his working life as an engineer, including a long stretch at Computervision, a computer firm, and at other companies after that. He was proud of the work. He later made a home on five acres in New River, where he kept the garden, the animals, and a quiet daily life. He was private, funny, and stubborn in the way people loved him for. He was a gifted photographer. He watched Jeopardy every night and played solitaire with a devotion that outlasted every other hobby.

He is survived by his partner, Peter Morud; his stepdaughter Glennette Beach, and her husband Rex; his grandchildren, Randi Ryder and her husband, And Amy Pratt and her husband; his nine great-grandchildren, and his brothers, Jim and Gilly, of Massachusetts. He is preceded in death by his parents, Antonio Amaral and Mary Rego, his wife Ella Jane Hartwell and two brothers.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you remember David by calling a friend you have not called in a while.