David Charles Laba

On March 15, 2020, David Charles Laba, loving brother, uncle, and friend, passed away unexpectedly in his home at the age of 57. Dave was born on January 7, 1963 in Saranac Lake, NY to Gerald and Frances (Harris) Laba. The Laba family moved to North Babylon, NY when Dave was a toddler; he was raised on Long Island and then went on to the State University of New York at Oswego where he earned his B.A. degree in Communication Studies. After graduation, Dave moved to Phoenix, AZ, breaking into the broadcasting industry as a studio technician at News Channel 3, an ABC affiliate. He eventually made his home just outside of Atlanta, GA, where he had a long-standing and illustrious career at various entities of Turner Broadcasting Systems (TBS)/Time Warner Company. He spent years working his way up in various technical production positions within the Turner family, including Turner Production, Turner Studios, and CNN. Dave eventually moved into product management and for a few years moved to Menlo Park, CA working for ACCOM, Inc. His work there took him to many different corners of the world for live broadcast events including the Olympics, Wimbledon, Super Bowl, and the Academy Awards. He continued his product management career at Cox Automotive/Manheim, but no matter where else Dave worked, he always returned to Turner – it was his second family and he made lifelong friends and connections that meant the world to him. With his most recent position at NBA Digital Turner Sports, Dave felt like his career had gone full-circle and he had come ‘home’. Dave was best known for his sidesplitting humor, storytelling, and infectious laugh and his incredible talent for making any circumstance insanely funny. He could turn the most mundane situation into a hilarious memory for all who knew him – his family, friends and coworkers all lay claim to a ‘Dave story’ (or many). His ability to light up a room and make everyone feel special will never be matched. Dave was kind, compassionate and generous, and he loved his family fiercely. He had a passion for all things broadcasting, always creating videos and DVDs for his beloved family and many of his friends. Dave also had a love/hate relationship with home projects but worked tirelessly as a DIYer regardless of the size of the undertaking – all the while finding the humor in every task. Dave and his siblings were incredibly close, despite the distance between all. Dave is preceded in death by his parents (Fran and Jerry), and is survived by his siblings Paul “Rick” (Karen) Laba in NH, Suzanne Laba in MA, and Elizabeth “Betsy” (Marco) Mularoni in AZ. He was the funniest, most generous and loving uncle to six nieces and nephews: Keith (Grace), Kevin (Shoko), Samuel, Sarah, Mikayla and Matthew, and three grand nieces and nephews: Vincent, Drew and Dakotah. Dave will be sorely missed and will remain forever in our hearts. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in loving memory of Dave to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, http://stjude.org/donate Hello everyone – we hope you’re having a better 2021 and are staying safe. We wanted to let you know we are holding a Celebration of Life for Dave in Dover, NH on August 21, 2021. We've invited all the "Northerners" and still intend to host another celebration in the Atlanta area in the fall, but wanted any and everyone to know they are welcome to help us celebrate in New Hampshire if you are nearby! Funeral Mass 10:00 am, Saturday, August 21, 2021 St. Mary Catholic Church 25 Chestnut Street Dover, New Hampshire 03820 If you would like to attend the NH celebration, please message Betsy (Laba) Mularoni @ bmularoni@gmail.com or text 480-363-7483. We are so looking forward to gathering with family and friends and honoring David's amazing life and love!

David Charles Laba

January 7, 1963 - March 15, 2020