David Michael Ferrell, 84, passed away peacefully on September 8, 2026. He was preceded just over three weeks earlier by his beloved wife, Priscilla. Their 58-year loving partnership was a defining feature of his life, as were his sons, his faith, and his devotion to teaching.
David was born on Mother’s Day, May 10, 1942 in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. Known as a class clown during high school, he shocked everyone he grew up with when he went on to earn a doctorate and teach at the college level.
David was a distinguished and beloved educator for decades, serving as a professor of theater at both Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York and Nazareth University in Rochester, New York. At Nazareth University he was also Head of the Arts Center and Chair of the Department of Theater Arts. He was known not only for his dedication to his craft and his students but also for his wicked sense of humor.
Beyond his career, his love of the theater and the arts was on constant display. During his years teaching he coordinated regular visits for students to New York City for Broadway shows, and taught a recurring class on British theater history which included an extended visit to England for visits to both modern and historical theater performances. In the last years of his teaching he incorporated his life-long love of Alfred Hitchcock films into a course which he continued to teach beyond retirement as adult education seminars that included viewings of the films.
He is survived by his two sons, Sean and Matthew, their respective spouses, and his grandson, Aidan.