David Herbert Mallalieu

David Herbert Mallalieu (91) of Springfield, MA, died on June 27, 2026. He was born on May 24, 1935, to Herbert and Charlotte (Howe) Mallalieu, formerly of East Longmeadow, MA. Predeceased by his ex-wife Phyllis J. (Tait) Mallalieu; his companion of 36 years, Gloria Edwards; his sister June Heath and brothers Richard and Frank Mallalieu; and by his sons Scott D. Mallalieu, Derek A. Mallalieu, and two baby boys who died at birth.

David is survived by his children: Patrick Mallalieu of Palmer, MA and his partner Cynthia Nicely; Stephanie Guyer and her husband Stephen of Hampden, MA; and Faith Reilly and her husband Paul of Athy, Ireland. He is also survived by Phyllis' children Steven and Chantel Mallalieu and Gloria's children Jason and Jeffrey Edwards. He leaves ten grandchildren: Derek, Reginald, and Sean Mallalieu; Gavin and Justine Guyer; Emma, Kayla, and Tia Reilly; Anthony and Madison Mallalieu; and Patrick's stepdaughter, Brooke Armour. He leaves his sweetheart of 17 years, Ingrid "Sony" Bates of Springfield, as well as many friends and relatives.

David graduated from Technical High School (Springfield), class of 1952. He then attended the U.S. Coast Guard Academy from 1952-1954 and graduated from the University of Hartford in 1962 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering (Magna Cum Laude and First in his class).

David retired in 1999 after 20 years of employment as Chief Engineer for Hyde Mfg. Co. of Southbridge, MA where he acquired several patents for hand tools (some of which you probably have in your toolbox). Significantly, David worked for Hamilton Standard in Windsor Locks, CT, from 1956-66. As a design engineer, he developed hardware for the space helmet that later was used in the moon landings. During this time, he was selected to be the prime test subject for the first Apollo Space Suit from 1963-1964 and became the first person to test a "Moon Suit and Backpack" assembly in a vacuum chamber, as well as participating in "Zero-G" and "Lunar Gravity" Flights. During this period, he met and consulted with John Young, astronaut and future command pilot for Apollo 10, as well as Dr. Wernher von Braun, Director of Marshall Space Flight Center. In addition to other jobs, David worked for Jarvis and Jarvis of Palmer, MA, as Engineer Manager from 1974 to 1979.

David was an avid life-long stamp collector and belonged to the Pioneer Valley Stamp Club, acting as President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary over the years. In addition to being a proud republican, he enjoyed nature and one of his favorite activities was taking Fall Foliage drives. David was also a poet and delighted in writing personal poems for birthdays and other special events. David was heavily involved with his family, which was the source of great pride, satisfaction and sense of accomplishment for him, and a major factor in his abounding happiness. He will be dearly missed.  

Calling Hours for David will be held on  Tuesday, July 7, 2026 from 4:00pm - 6:00pm at Nowak Funeral & Cremation Services, 15 Ludlow Ave., Indian Orchard. 

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