Obituary for Dave Shore

David Nathan Shore

February 13, 1953—January 20, 2024.

David Nathan Shore, beloved husband, father, friend, advisor, adventurer, died Saturday, January 20, 2024, surrounded by loving friends and family at home in Mill Valley, California. He was 70 years young.

Born to Nathan Shore and Margie Gleason Shore on February 13, 1953, in Oakland California, Dave was the middle of three kids. His older brother Larry Shore became a doctor and his younger sister, Barbara (Shore) Saranella (1956-2007) became an award-winning writer. Dave attended middle school at Paul Revere Junior High and high school at “Pali” High. He graduated from Stanford University in 1977 with a BA in Humanities and Spanish.

At the age of 6, Dave knew what he wanted from life: ADVENTURE. Young Dave never missed a Sunday afternoon episode of ABC’s, “American Sportsman," hosted by Curt Gowdy. He loved the detail and drama of exotic foreign places and the heroic guides who took American celebrities, mostly actors or athletes, to African or South American rivers and mountains. 

Dave found his mentors before he left middle school. River guide, George Wendt, was his 8th-grade math teacher. He was also a leader in Boy Scout Troop 223, where Dave achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. Another river guide, Ed Gooch, was Dave’s print shop teacher.  The two educators formed Gooch -Wendt Expeditions (which later became OARS) and began by offering river trips to youth groups, eventually guiding trips on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon starting in 1970. Dave was one of the many future river guides who found their way to George’s new rafting company through the Boy Scouts.

Dave took breaks from Stanford to run rivers, including some first descents. After graduation in the late 1970s, a young international rafting company, Sobek Expeditions, drew Dave in like a moth to a flame. The pay was low, the conditions extreme and the job offered absolutely no certainty, but the adrenaline rush was undeniable. At Sobek he met, as they say in Papua New Guinea, wantoks, aka the people who spoke his language. They grew, laughed, improvised, and charmed their way around the world, pioneering rivers in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Then, in October 1981, at the peak of his physical prime, 28-year-old Dave lived the moment he dreamt of as a child. As part of Sobek, he guided American actor Levar Burton on the first descent of the Zambezi River for an episode of ABC’s “American Sportsman.” 

Dave had boundless energy and a positive outlook on life that kept his soul and adventurous spirit intact. He motivated and inspired all who met him. Dave’s frequent use of the expression, “Often wrong, seldom in doubt,” revealed much about his inner life. Other favorite Dave-isms include, “Never let the facts get in the way of a good story,” “Never get good at something you don’t like,” “Worry is a waste of your imagination,” and “Have fun and try to learn something new.”

His lighthearted, generous spirit is as celebrated as his heroics. One moment of heroism, in particular, echoes around the world even now.  Dave was leading a river expedition in Chile. In an unfortunate series of hard-to-explain split seconds, a boatman’s leg was impaled by an oar. The boatman was in imminent danger of bleeding out or losing his leg entirely.  Dave raced out of the remote valley on foot, commandeered a horse, hitchhiked, rallied a friend and local mayor for communication equipment, and ultimately persuaded the commander of a military base to send a helicopter to evacuate the boatman. The “Oar Through the Leg” story is legendary and has been told and re-told by boatmen around campfires for decades. He was loved by the river community and his friendship, altruism, strength, and humor will be sorely missed. 

Dave retired from professional adventure guiding and began a career in financial services in 1982. In 1988 he founded and operated Marin Financial Advisors, LLC, a Wealth Management Advisory business that reflected his passion for people and sustainability. Dave was instrumental in shaping the sustainable investing policy of Dimensional Fund Advisors Sustainable Mutual Funds (having served on their advisory committee). 

Dave lived in San Geronimo Valley in West Marin for 23 years, where he married Ann Hillsley, and they raised their daughter, Savannah Hillsley Shore. He invested his time, energy, and finances in his community, serving as an advisor to the Marin County Pension Board and in 2015 Dave worked closely with the leadership at the San Geronimo Valley Community Center to establish their first ever Endowment called the Deepening Roots Fund that continues to grow today and support community based health and wellness programs for residents of all ages. Dave and Ann divorced but remained friends, celebrating each other's lives and milestones. 

Dave met Zoe Sexton in 2015 and they married on the first day of spring in 2018. Surrounded by friends from different chapters of their lives, including many river boatmen, they celebrated their union during a steampunk-themed ceremony characteristic of the joy, playfulness, and adventure they shared daily.  Dave gained four stepchildren: Brooke Baldwin, Cody Baldwin, Brianna McInnis, and Chad McInnis. 

Dave sold his financial company in 2018 and returned to his love of adventure. Dave took up an ongoing series of challenges from skiing in Antarctica to bow-hunting in the Sierras to motorcycling through the West, to experiencing Burning Man. He continued to love watersports, which extended beyond rafting into windsurfing, scuba diving, sailing, ice climbing, and recently, wing foiling.

In addition to his spouse and children, Dave is also mourned by his brother Larry Shore, his sister-in-law Sandy Yuen, Niece Jamie Yuen Shore, and nephew Cameron Yuen Shore.  

A memorial service will be hosted the afternoon of September 15, 2024 in Stinson Beach at the South end of the beach. Details to follow as we work through the logistics. 

🙏❤️