Mr. David C. Falk Sr.

David Coleman Falk, Sr., 78 years old, passed away on the 14th of April 2014 at Wake Med Hospital in Raleigh, NC. after a long illness. David was born on the 19th of October 1935 in Newport News, VA to Emanuel and Jean Berman Falk.

David was born and raised in Newport News, VA. He graduated from Newport News High School in Newport News, VA in 1953 where he played football and participated in track & field.

A Farmer at heart, David began farming when he was in high school by growing vegetables on a vacant lot next to his parent’s home where he had a vegetable stand.

He joined the Marines in 1957 and was part of the Reserve for 8 years.

He attended the University of Wisconsin where he received a BS in Dairy Husbandry in 1957. His Father gave him $5,000 to cover his four years for room and board, but he decided to “indulge in a bit of extracurricular tycoonery” by purchasing a rooming house. Over the summer break he refurbished the house while living on the front porch and rented it to students. With the profit he made he bought 47 acres of land and subdivided it into 3 lots and sold it at a profit and then bought another rooming house. By the time he graduated he left Wisconsin with a profit even after paying for his education. His story was told in Time Magazine in December.

He originally went to the University of Wisconsin to play football, but decided to join the crew team which went to the Olympic trials. He was also a member of the Track and Field team.

After graduation, he returned to Virginia and established a dairy farm named Kingsmill Farm in Williamsburg, VA. He farmed the land and milked the cows until his father said, “I’m tired of you milking your cows during the day and milking me at night”. So, reluctantly he came to work with his father at Drucker & Falk in 1964.

He moved to Raleigh in the late 60’s with his eye on the potential for apartment development. His first apartment development in Raleigh was Montecito Apartments followed by Montecito West, Shellbrook, Fairway, Tapers, The Groves, Fairgate, to name a few. He expanded his expertise to other areas of the triangle including Wake Forest, Knightdale, Cary, Apex and Morrisville. His active role in the company helped to expand Drucker & Falk’s footprint throughout the Southeast from Virginia to Florida. He was instrumental in making the company what it is today…a successful property management company in the southeast.

David Falk never lost his passion for the dairy industry and its people. One of his favorite things to do was to find a spot in one of his barns or pastures, surrounded by cows, and just sit and ponder, often chewing on a cigar. A purchase of embryos as a donation to North Carolina State led to his acquaintance with Dr. Mitch Hockett, and the two joined forces to form Kingsmill Farm II in Durham, NC upon his retirement from Drucker & Falk.

Kingsmill Farm II was a primary buyer of cattle and embryos - both publicly and privately - for several years, thus providing an infusion of income for many dairy farmers. The herd received several All-American nominations during its tenure, with its most notable show-ring achievement the Intermediate Championship of Red-Vision Dis Della-Red in the International Red-and-White Show in 2005. Consignment sales hosted by the farm were some of the ‘go-to’ events in the mid-2000s, and saw cattle sold from coast-to-coast. It is rare to pick up a sale catalog today and not see cattle developed by Kingsmill or with a Kingsmill prefix somewhere in the pedigree.

It would be fair to say (and Mr. Falk would approve!) that he didn't die, he just wore out, because every day was lived to the fullest. He was large in stature, large in the way his mind worked, and at any minute he could burst out into a roar of laughter, often at himself and some miscue. In one five-minute span, the conversation could range from genomics to the Chinese economy to the Roman Empire to Madison to male-female relationships to milk processing to his beloved collie, Chief, to what was the hot stock on Wall Street or in Tokyo. And then he would top that off with a discussion on who had the best barbeque in some small town, so you could listen in and see what interesting property might be coming on the market, and then the question “Do you have time to go get a bite?”

Mr. Falk could be a challenge to deal with, but only because he expected himself to rise to many challenges. He had a fierce competitive spirit that followed him from his years on the rowing team at UWM to his business dealings.

Along with his role in the dairy industry, Mr. Falk supported a variety of philanthropic and humanitarian causes during his lifetime, both in the states, and internationally. Most recently, he was excited about some promising advances in cancer and Alzheimer’s research which he was supporting financially. He did see his wish for a branded dairy product come true, with the introduction of Cultured Cow cheddars in 2012; he was pleased to be joined in that effort by a grandson, Dexter Tillett.

David Falk was a visionary with an unlimited imagination, and an even more unlimited determination to see that vision through to fruition. Even if the original vision didn’t materialize as first dreamed, he relished the challenges that caused growth along the way, and change resulted

He has patents specializing in mechanical devices for farming. He was named the Man of the Year for the Jewish Community in the 70s. He held numerous board memberships in non-profits including being President of the Advisory Board of Meredith College, President of United Jewish Appeal and President of St. Augustine College to name a few.

David was preceded in death by his parents, Emanuel and Jean Falk.

David is survived by his daughter’s: Kellie Falk and her fiancé, Joseph Patterson; Amy Weinberger and her husband, Steve Weinberger; and Kim Tillett; son, David Falk, Jr. as well as his grandchildren, Dexter, Hudson, Rachel, Erin and Jacob.

A memorial service will be held at Beth Meyer Synagogue, 504 Newton Road at 10:30 am on Thursday, April 17th followed by burial services at the Hebrew Cemetery, 450 N. State Street. The family will be greeting friends and relatives at Beth Meyer Synagogue on Thursday, April 17th at 7:30 pm for Shiva service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to a charitable organization of your choice.

Condolences may be sent through www.brownwynnemillbrook.com