David Michael Fenster WEST WINDSOR – David Michael Fenster, 72, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, September 8, 2024 in Bonita Springs, Florida. His family and friends will miss him dearly. His kind, loving and generous spirit touched many lives.
David was predeceased by his son Brett Jared Fenster, and his parents Charles and Esther Fenster. He is survived by his brother, Steven (Bonnie) Fenster, nephews Andrew (Shaina) Fenster, Joshua Fenster and grandnephew Levi Adelstein–Fenster. David was a loving brother, nephew, cousin, and friend to many.
David was born on November 19, 1951 in Brooklyn New York. As far back as anyone can remember David was a child prodigy playing Chopin and Beethoven at 5 years old by heart and performing as a top student and athlete. He later moved to Roosevelt and Rockville Centre, New York, graduating South Side High School in 1969, and Franklin and Marshall College in 1973. He then went on to attend University of Pennsylvania Dental School, graduating in 1977 with a specialty in Endodontics.
He began his endodontist practice in Princeton in 1981, regaling his beloved patients with his songs, sport memorabilia and somehow making them laugh while receiving root canal therapy. David was very fortunate to have his devoted staff who not only ran his practice perfectly, but provided David with love and support throughout the years. He was an active member of the West Windsor community, coaching soccer, mentoring many youths and sharing his passion for sports, which led to being involved with the local Trenton Thunder baseball team, and composing their theme song.
However, David’s greatest passion was his son Brett. He was a devoted and loving father, sharing his love of art, baseball and music with Brett. David was also an animal lover, and a wonderful dog daddy to Lily who recently passed.
He was truly a renaissance man with a wide range of interests. David saw as much theatre and concerts as baseball games. His interest in sports culminated in a second profession for David; becoming the Sports Director at WIMG radio in 1995. He covered local Trenton and Mercer County sports and his much loved New York Yankees.
David continued to pursue his passion for music, giving concerts during covid while raising money for different charities. David wrote and played music with Chubby Checker, Tom Marshall of Phish, members of the Spin Doctors and the Young Rascals. David’s music brought happiness to everybody that heard it.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at Congregation Beth Chaim, 329 Village Rd., Princeton Junction, NJ. Burial will follow at Princeton Cemetery in Princeton, NJ.
Shiva will be observed on Sunday, September 15 following interment until 8:30pm, with a minyan at 7:30pm, at the home of David’s best friend, Bob Weiner in Skillman, NJ, and on Monday, September 16 from 5:00pm to 8:30pm with a minyan at 7:30pm, at the home of Andy and Wendy Lipka in Princeton Junction, NJ.
Funeral arrangements are by Orland’s Ewing Memorial Chapel.
I, along with many, many others are heartbroken to learn of David’s passing. David was a good friend (of 55 years) and a very special man. He will be sorely missed.
Never forget all the good times, David. It won’t be the same without you down here. Rest in peace, my friend. ♥️
May you rest in peace, my friend. I will miss you and all the joy you gave to others with your compassion, love of life, music and faith in humanity. I am grateful to have known you. Love, Ireen
I am deeply sorry to hear about David’s passing. His kindness and generosity will never be forgotten. He truly was one of a kind with many talents. He will be greatly missed in the dental community. Rest in Peace.
Oh my. David, I will miss my college friend. Wished I had more time over the years to spend with. You were a delight.
Wow. David. What can I say? I am speechless with your passing. I will always remember our dates to the Thunder game and our having a ‘”Catch”. The way us New Yorkers say it;). Along with all of the other memories for 27 years. And yes, If I was different, you would have been the one. Love you. Rest easy now with your family up there.
Such a kind, caring, talented, and one of a kind person who will be missed. May his memory be a blessing.🙏🏻
Very sad news, glad we always made time for good conversation. His outlook, despite his Family Loss, was an Inspiration to his friends.
R.I.P. David
“Having a Catch” reminded me of one Spring Training trip to Tampa, when I saw David and Bret in the Hotel Parking Lot, Throwing the baseball to each other , “Having a Catch”, a memory that Dads cherish. We liked recalling that moment.
Dear David, you were one of a kind and so multi-talented. When you played your music, you looked so happy and that spirit passed to all who heard you play. You are and will be missed.
Life is precious and every breathe is a gift. Gratitude is the only response to life🙏❤️ want to share the reminder given by Divine today 🙏
Hope you all remember Dr David Fenster , a wonderful kind human being , a successful Endodontics and a passionate musician whom we all loved to listen during Gratitude walk , MLK day , Diversity day and many other community event . Last Tuesday on 6 th September when Human Relations council was planning for Peace Day celebration which is on 21st September , Melissa was negotiating timing with David for his performance😊 . He wanted 10 mins to sing and Melissa was giving 7 mins , at last we agreed for 10 mins ❤️ He was so happy and excited to perform at community event. Then on 8 th we decided to invite him to perform at Gratitude walk
Too. Today as i was going to write an email to invite him , i got an email from our other friend Ephriam that yesterday David Fenster passed away while playing pickle ball . 🙏May his soul rest in peace . 🙏We will all miss him but he will always be remembered as a beautiful soul who added joy & served community even with broken heart . He carried the pain of his young son whom he lost few years back . Now they both are together with Divine🙏❤️
I went to get a root canal and left with a friend for life. I used to think I was the only one who could say that but I soon realized that David had many such friends. We were friends for 35+ years and it was always a special experience. While we would periodically lose touch, I am so glad that we were together often over the last 5 years. I will miss him greatly. My only prayer is that he’s now at a well deserved peace. David, thanks for being my friend. Life and Starbucks will be less interesting without you.
You will be missed in the neighborhood David! Always will remember you driving your open top car and walking the dog. besides your beautiful property upkeep. R.I.P David.
What a wonderful coincidence that 10 years ago we were seated in the same row with David on a Frontier Airlines flight from Trenton to Fort Myers. He laughed at our old iPhone and immediately began a quest to technologically “bring us into the 21st century”. Thus began a friendship which we will always cherish. We always looked forward to sharing dinner with David when he traveled to Bonita Springs; we are shocked and terribly saddened by his untimely death. May you Rest In Peace dear friend.
Knew Dave from Trenton thunder baseball always a Happy and Friendly Guy.He will be truly Missed,never to busy for a conversation
🌹 May you Rest In Eternal Peace Dave
⚾ 🎶 🎶 🎸
David Fenster was truly one of a kind. A multi talented man whose reach extended well beyond those of us in the dental community.
I am sorry to say that I never availed myself of his invitation to show up and be serenaded in his practice… but I did enjoy his warm hugs and company, especially when walking market Fair with my mom and at seminars…
I hope he is playing heavenly music with his beloved son right now and I’m so glad that he died doing something he loved, however unexpected and hard to bear for those who he left behind.
Rest in peace, David. You were one of the good ones…a man of integrity, passion, devotion, and a true mentor. You stood by your friends and are now counted among those who moved on before you. Serenade them, while they greet you with open arms.
Till we meet again…
A kind-hearted man with many, many talents. David was a joy to be near, whether in his dental chair or at his many concerts. May he rest in eternal peace as we here on earth mourn his loss.
David was adored by the West Windsor Starbucks community. He would regularly attend the store for his grande pink drink, light ice, extra strawberries. He befriended the baristas, who knew him as “Dr. David.” His charismatic and welcoming presence will be dearly missed in the store.
In David’s last week, he brought us canvas photos of sunsets by the Starbucks store. He was so passionate about his love of the store and wanted to fill a blank wall with art. In his last day in the store, he was finally able to see them hung up. The West Windsor Starbucks partners plan to commemorate him with a plaque, honoring him and the community he created in the store.
Thank you, Dr. David, for making every day a little bit better. You will be dearly missed.
David, you went too soon my friend!! I am heartbroken, but I take solace in the fact that your sweet memories will remain with me forever, and will help overcome the grief. You exuded joie de vivre, always!!! It was almost as if you had access to this secret source of positive energy, and just spending 30 minutes with you would liven up anybody’s spirits. Your talents, be it in music, knowledge of movies, books, international cultures, was immense. But most importantly, you were a genuine person with a kingsize heart and a great sense of humor; an absolute gem that we friends have lost. I will forever cherish the memories of the time we spent together as friends!
I met David as a patient, nervous about my first root canal and David made it a unique experience sharing his love of music and using his extraordinary skills. He gave the absolute best Novocain injections, never painful and always exactly where they were needed. More root canals followed over the years and I was grateful that David was my endodontist. His office was such a great place with a cheerful and welcoming environment. David’s collection of sports memorabilia was amazing and he would usually treat his patients to impromptu concerts on his guitar and keyboard! My granddaughter needed a consult when she was only 11 years old and he made that office visit unforgettable by playing a keyboard duet with her! David became a friend. My husband and I met him for dinner in Naples, attended one of his at home concerts, enjoyed his Zoom concerts and spent many hours meeting up in his favorite Starbucks. My phone has musical texts of his original songs, holiday songs that he sent and most recently the song he wrote for Lily. David’s generous, kind, fun loving and talented heart will be sorely missed. May he rest in peace.
I met David during the 2021 baseball season. I worked for the Blue Jays as a minor league video intern and we were in town playing as the Thunder for that season. It was great getting to know him. He was incredibly welcoming and always happy to recommend great places to eat and hang out around Trenton and Princeton. He was a great representative of the community and I was very happy I got to meet him while we were there. It was clear he was a special individual. I only got to know him for a short period of time, but I will certainly miss him.
I was devastated when I heard of David’s passing. We were going to go to Starbucks when he got home from FL. Starbucks will never be the same without him. We became friends at the dog park, when I had Ace and he had Lily. Our friendship continued over the years. We always went to his mini concerts at his house and enjoyed his music with our friends. I’ll miss you, old friend. I know you will finally be with Brett; he was the one true love of your life. I’m sure Lily will be waiting for you too.
Rest in Peace 🙏❤️
Paula and Jon
An extremely kind man, and someone I got to share a press box with for many years in Trenton. Seeing all the comments on here with all these wonderful stories is no surprise. Rest easy.
Like his many friends & family I was shocked and still in a daze of my good friend passing. I met David 25 years ago when my sister recommended him for a root canal. Because of our shared interest in baseball and his easy going personality we quickly became good friends. Since his passing I have been reminiscing about ours many times together. Whether it was attending a baseball game or sharing dinner, it was always filled with laughter, reminiscing about the past and good conversation. More recently, his travels would bring him to Florida where I live, like the great friend he was, he never failed to call me to arrange getting together. He will always remain in my thoughts and prayers. You were loved by all who met you, Rest In Peace my good friend.
Rest in Peace, David. I won’t forget you, my friend.
Jerome
David, looking like Einstein, with a dog Lilly became our friend at the dog park in West Windsor. While our dog Leo played with Lilly we discussed musics, sports, politics, medicine, science and arts. The dog park friends became his audience when David started his home concerts with Lilly sitting next to the piano. West Windsor township organizations invited David to perform at the community events where he shared his talents, love and care for people. Our family got a dental opinion, a neighbor’s help and a friendship with David, a remarkable man who will be remembered and missed.
Dana, Ephraim, Jane and Leo
I love David. I never met anyone who knew more trivia and completely useless information than I did, until I met Dave. We shared our love of music, art, sports, dogs, and grammar. His favorite piece of music is Elgar’s Nimrod from the Enigma Variations. Give it a listen, you’ll know why. He often greeted me by saying, “Dave’s not here, man!” – Cheeh Marin. He knew the entire dialog, same with “who’s on first?”
He would sing incessantly. I told him if I ever needed his services professionally, he better NOT sing to me. Dave will be sorely missed by many. He was a good friend and an excellent human being. RIP.
David, my dear friend & colleague, you have been a warm bright light for so many and your presence will be missed. Knowing you has enriched our lives more than you knew. Forever you live on in our hearts & minds. Peace be with you.
My first memory of David was discovering this awesome haired kid playing fabulous piano in Hartmann Hall as an F&M freshman. I’ll always hold dear the joy and laughter David created, making friends wherever he went as his own heart understood life’s truths all too well. We will miss you always but find some comfort that you left us still enjoying every moment.Thank you Shary Stamm for the wonderful idea to work to create a David Fenster Prize for an outstanding musician or pianist at F&M.
I was shocked to hear about David’s death. He was not just my friend, but a friend to many in West Windsor and beyond. I first met David about 5 years ago at one of the music potluck events he held in his home. He was a talented singer, songwriter and musician on guitar or piano, and was always ready to help out a good cause. When I put together a vigil in the park for Ukraine right after the Russian invasion, David was the first one called to provide music. He also provided music for West Windsor Human Relations Council events, Gratitude & Abundance events, Send Hunger Packing fundraisers and wherever it would do the community good. His songs were frequently about his son Brett, who died too young and whose memory he kept alive through music and scholarships, and he recently lost his beautiful beloved dog Lily. He joins them in Heaven and I will miss him very much.
So sorry to hear of David’s passing. I am an extended family member who got see David over many decades and was always impressed by his full and complete engagement in life and the zest with which he lived it. As the preceding memories illustrate, he was accomplished and successful in many diverse areas. Despite great tragedy/sorrow, David was able to channel personal pain into helping others and making the world a better and kinder place. I feel blessed to have gotten to see him recently at a family reunion. He was able to share some fascinating stories and heart-felt wisdom with our college-aged sons. Keeping David, Brett, and all those who loved them in our thoughts and prayers.
My deepest sympathy ..
Charlotte Dey
I am shocked by the loss of my friend and genius musical companion going back to our dental school days in the mid ‘70’s. We met in lab, discovering we both loved music and played at bars in downtown Philly, performing many of David’s great songs. He had a heart of gold, once taking in our daughter as she fled NY during the attack on 9/11. He flew out to California many times to perform music with me for my daughter’s wedding and Bar/Bat Mitzvah events. His child Brett would play with my kids when they were toddlers. We will miss you David, but look forward to making more music together in the next life. Rest well.
My PB friend, rest in peace🧢⚾️🏟️
Dear David, missing you. It’s hard to hang out at the coffee shop without you being there. You were so essential to our meetings. Your kindness, genuine friendship, fascinating stories and accomplished talent will never be forgotten. Your art work looks lovely at the shop. It’s a reminder of you every time we are there! Sending you a big hug. I am sure you are feeling complete now that you are with Brett and Lily!
I knew David well over the period of many years and am very sorry he is now doing root canals in Heaven. He was one of the kindest, most considerate, most sensitive, and most honest people I ever met and was flattered that he allowed me to be his friend. He loved people and they loved him. And he loved entertaining friends and family with sweet music on multiple instruments. I admired him for being a dedicated dog lover and a huge baseball fan, as am I. His smile and his stories will be missed forever.
My wife and I were patients of Doctor Fenster for the past 15 years and from our first visit he treated us like part of his family. I recollect our first appointments for a root canal with Dr. Fenster when he asked us what genre of music we enjoyed and played a selections of smooth jazz before he started our root canal procedure. At each of our appointments he engaged in light banter and teased his dental assistants during our procedure as another one of his many ways of distracting his patients while being treated. He was truly a One of Kind Dentist and a Wonderful Human Being.
Thank you Dr. Fenster for being the “Best at Living Life to the Fullest” and sharing that joy with others
I met David after losing our sons. I am utterly shocked at his passing. I do know he has to be so happy being with Brett again. You will be missed David! 💙🙏🏻
So sorry to hear of Mr Fensters passing we spoke at length for our love of dogs. He was a very kind person and he will be missed by our entire staff who loved to chat with him.
I sat next to David all through Dental school because our last names were alphabetically close. During School years we played intramural softball at Penn Dental and he was admired for being such an excellent hitter who encouraged our whole team enthusiastically to win the Graduate School Championship. When I found out that he was a piano player, I had him over to my apartment to jam a bit because I was a keyboard player too. Well, he blew me away with his diverse love of all forms of music and skills which far surpassed mine. I envied the guy.
Sadly read of his passing just today in the Penn Dental News Magazine that comes to Alums quarterly, and was shocked to see this amazing man is gone. I so admired him, truly.
I met David by way of Alan Wasserman, by way of his brother Rick Wasserman. Thank you gents! I am a folksinger guitarist and play music for seniors here in Northern California. When the pandemic came, I couldn’t visit the seniors anymore. I started an online service called SeniorStreams where I used Zoom to hold concerts. When David heard about this through Alan W, we connected and he became a featured performer for me. He performed about 6 or 7 times and I always remember how naturally entertaining he was and how my audiences enjoyed him. I may not have known David for a long time, but I did share his same desire for entertaining. So he will be remembered for his enthusiasm and goodness that seemed to spill out of him. I hope he is playing in the music jam in heaven!