Obituary of David J. Harper

David J. Harper, 79, of Melville, New York, died peacefully in his sleep on September 4, 2021. He was born to parents George and Ann on December 7, 1941, in Hoboken, New Jersey. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Roberta. He is also survived by daughter Jennifer Ann (Jan), son David, Jr. (Shelly) and son Nicholas, along with his granddaughter, Emily. David was employed as a History teacher by the Northport School District, and spent 37 years teaching at Northport Junior High School and Northport High School. After his retirement, he spent another 13 years as a substitute teacher in Northport schools. Throughout his teaching career, he coached wrestling and track but his greatest joy was coaching the Northport Junior High School football team for 25 years. His love of football can be traced back to his love for his favorite NFL team, the New York Giants, whom he was lucky enough to see win numerous NFL and Super Bowl championships. One of his greatest joys was attending the Super Bowl XLII Victory in person with his son, Nicholas. A visitation will be held at the M.A. Connell Funeral Home (Huntington Station, New York) on Wednesday, September 8, 2021, from 2-6PM. A funeral Mass is to be held the following day, Thursday, September 9, 2021, at St. Elizabeth's Roman Catholic Church in Melville, New York, at 9:30AM. In lieu of flowers, David's family requests that donations be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.