David Armistead Tyler of Trumansburg, N.Y. died on March 5. He was 78.

David grew up in New Canaan, Conn., where he first developed his life-long enthusiasm for aviation, boats of all kinds, along with a penchant for puttering around and fixing things with his dad. He built more than 100 airplane models and later worked a few summers at the Danbury airport as a line boy.

He went on to complete his pilot training at the end of the summer between his sophomore and junior year of college, though his free time during the school year was devoted to the Harvard lightweight crew. He walked on to the team as a sophomore and went on to row with the varsity lightweight eight, becoming national champion in his senior year, 1969.

After college, David went into the Navy and served as the ship’s navigator on the USS Severn in the Mediterranean. He had an innate sense of direction, along with an impeccable recall of landmarks. While the rest of the family came to rely on Google maps for directions, he would continue to track progress on a road trip via remembered topography, roads, and bodies of water.

He entered Cornell Law School in 1972 and in his third year met his future wife, Lucia DeGroot at a social gathering. They married in August of 1975 followed by a honeymoon on Nantucket where David introduced Lucia to his lifelong love of the seashore.

After law school, he chose to stay in Ithaca, turning down higher offers from firms in bigger cities, and happily joined O’Connor, Sovocool and Pfann in order to be close to Lucia who was still in graduate school at Cornell. He focused on real estate, municipal and estate law over the course of his career, and served as the attorney for the village of Trumansburg and the village of Cayuga Heights. He was selected for the New York State Bar Association’s house of delegates, on which he served for a decade. Even in retirement, he cared deeply about his clients and always loved to catch up whenever he ran into them.

David believed in “service over self” and served terms on the Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services Board, the Racker Center Board, the Ithaca Christian Science church board, the Ulysses Library Board, the Ulysses Planning Board and the Ulysses Board of Zoning Appeals.

He found both solace and joy in the wild places of his life — from the woods, to the mountains and especially in the oceanside cabin without electricity where he spent most summers with his family on Chappaquiddick Island.

He also made it his life’s work to try to befriend every dog that crossed his path and cherished every dog who ever joined the family. He was their staunch advocate for treats, toys, beach time and walks.

David is deeply missed by family and friends alike for his courage, his steadfast adherence to his principles, his attention to detail, his friendship and his love. He wasn’t afraid to stand up for what he believed even if it meant less time doing things he truly loved: listening to music, flying with friends, tending to the yard or fixing things in his shop. His internal compass was matched only by his moral compass — he was a lodestar for his kids as they navigated their own course through life. He was always willing to lend an ear and offer perspective to them (solicited or unsolicited!)

He is survived by his wife Lucia Tyler of almost 50 years. Additionally, he is survived by his son Andrew (wife Katharine) Tyler, daughter Emily Tyler and grandsons Jackson and Caleb Tyler. He was also close to his cousins Barbara Birdsey and Vera Lister.

He was predeceased by his brother Robert R. Tyler and his parents Ruth U. Tyler and William R. Tyler.

The family asks those that would like to make a contribution in David’s memory to kindly consider the Tompkins County SPCA or the Ulysses Library.

A celebration of life potluck is planned for the North Point Pavilion of Taughannock Park in Trumansburg, N.Y. on Sunday June 15 at 4 p.m.