David Bruce Cleave was born on June 8, 1938 to LeRoy and Marjorie (Hubbard) Cleave. He spent his childhood in south Mount Vernon, enjoying life in and around the family's business, Cleave's Greenhouse. He graduated from Mount Vernon High School in 1956, and was involved with Swim Team and FFA. He attended Washington State University (then College), graduating with a BS in Chemistry and General Science in 1961 and Masters in Chemistry Education in 1963. He was part of the WSU swim team from 1956-1960 and part of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity.

Dave had many diverse occupations including teaching, coaching, nurseryman and selling real estate. He taught high school chemistry and physics at Hudson's Bay High School from 1961-1965 where he coached baseball and swimming. In 1965, he moved back to Mount Vernon to take care of the family business, Cleave's Greenhouse. Shortly thereafter, he was drafted into the army. During officers' training, he was discharged on a family hardship. He took over the family business in 1967. Dave moved to selling real estate in 1978, balancing this with swim coaching, working for Al Aiken, Youngren & Associates, Skagit Valley Properties, and then finally obtained his broker's license and opening his own office, Cleave's Realty. He retired from real estate in December 2008.

During the summer of 1960, he began his life's passion, swim coaching, with an age-group swim team in Clarkston, Washington. He briefly assisted swim coaching at Mount Vernon High School in the early '70's, then moved to age-group coaching through the YMCA. He started coaching Mount Vernon High School girls swimming in 1979 and added boys in 1990, dropping age group swim coaching. In 1992, after an active group of parents and age-group swimmers from Burlington and Sedro Woolley High Schools drove an initiative to swim for their own high schools, Dave took responsibility and, inclusively with Mount Vernon, coached Burlington and Sedro Woolley High School. This program became the model for rural programs all over the state that allowed teens swimming age group without a high school team to compete for their own high school, wearing their own high school colors. Dave retired from swim coaching in December 2018.

Dave loved to hike, beach walk, swim, play basketball, read and listen to a very diverse range of music including old school rock, jazz and classical. He loved propagating plants, gardening, and giving away those propagated plants and the flowers they produced. He was an active lifetime member of First Baptist Church of Mount Vernon. He invested in his community, volunteering time with organizations; regional florists associations, Cedardale Fire Department, YMCA board, Housing Authority of Skagit County board, among many others.

He lived life joyously, mentoring and coaching others to achieve personal growth, all the while building life-long relationships with those he met and mentored. He had a big heart and considered everyone his family. He was inclusive and believed that you always bring someone 'along for the ride' and you keep an open door for everyone.

Dave married Marjorie Larne in 1961 and they had three children; Brian, Kelli and Scott. He later married Barbara Goddard in 1994.

Dave is survived by his wife Barbara; son Brian and grandchildren Brandon (Courtney) Cleave and Maddison (Mark) Hood; daughter Kelli (Paul Nicholson) Cleave and grandson Benjamin Nicholson-

Cleave; son Scott (Deidre) and grandchildren Zachary Cleave, Emma (Randal) Skillman, Abby Cleave and Annie Cleave.

Dave was preceded in death by his parents, LeRoy and Marjorie Cleave, brother Richard Cleave, sisters Ann Cleave, Nancy Cleave, and Mary Cleave.

The family would like to thank the doctors and staff at Skagit Valley Hospital, staff at Ashley Gardens and We-Care caregiver Mackenzie Wright. Though Dave loved to give flowers, in lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to the charity of your choice in Dave's name.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, June 6, 2026, 1 p.m. at Hillcrest Park Lodge. More details will be provided closer to the celebration.