David King Holmberg, 79, previously of The Villages, FL, son of the late Paul and Edith (King) Holmberg, died of lung cancer at home in Jacksonville, AL, on Tuesday, November 14, 2017.
Born in Gloucester, MA, his mother died when he was six. Then his father took a job with civil service in Bermuda, leaving David and his older brother to ride a freighter to the island, where he spent the rest of his growing years.
In his mid-20s, David married a local girl, and they moved to Miami to be near his older brothers. He worked a variety of jobs in construction, machinery, and trucking before joining Airside Operations at Miami-Dade International Airport, from which he retired in 2001.
Each year David and his second wife, Anne (Ridenour) enjoyed a month-long vacation traveling the United States with friends. Upon retirement, they moved to The Villages where he was an avid golfer and sang with the Heart of Florida Barbershop Chorus.
After Anne’s death, David found his first sweetheart, Margaret, whom he met in Bermuda, and they married. He continued his golfing and chorus and added Water Buffaloes exercise club. A perpetual member of Roe Fulkerson Masonic Lodge in Florida, he became active with The Villlages Masonic Lodge, Bahai Shriners, and York Rite Masons. He was learning to play the organ, loved big band and country music, guns, and watching British humor and nature shows on television. David and Margaret had fun making day trips throughout central Florida, eating in local diners and dives and visiting farms and ranches.
In June 2017, they moved to Jacksonville, AL, where David filled his bird feeders every day, aggravated the squirrels, and watched the deer, hawks, and fireflies in the yard.
He is survived by his wife Margaret of Jacksonville, AL, brother Dick of Orange City, FL, and many friends who loved his kind and gentle sense of humor and caring. He was preceded in death by his parents, two older brothers Ivan and Robert, and his second wife Anne (Ridenour).
A memorial celebration will be held in Florida later.
Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Memphis, TN,  or to the Shriners Hospitals.
