Waddell, David P. of Hamilton, Ohio, age 75, passed away Monday, March 21, 2022, at Hospice of Hamilton.

He was born in Hamilton on Oct. 14, 1946, and was the son of Harold and Doris (Powell) Waddell.

He married his wife, Donna J. Rose, on April 21, 1990. They attended their 25-year high school class reunion as newlyweds.

He was a 1965 graduate of Garfield High School in Hamilton and enlisted in the U.S. Navy immediately afterward, serving his country from 1965 to 1969.

After his military service, he joined the Hamilton Fire Department as a firefighter and paramedic for 25 years (1970-1995). He was among the first class of paramedics to work for the department.

In 1995, he became assistant chief of the Monroe Fire Department and served in that capacity until his retirement in 2001.

Even in his retirement, David continued to serve his community. He was hired by the Butler County Sheriff's Office as a communications coordinator and was instrumental in the building of the county-wide 800-Megahertz Radio Communication System. He was an amateur radio, or ham radio, enthusiast and eventually became the director of the FEMA Region 5 Army Military Auxiliary Radio (MARS) system which included, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Army MARS is a U.S. Department of Defense-sponsored program.

David was an avid golfer with his fellow retirees from the fire department. He enjoyed traveling the country with his wife. Their home-away-from-home was Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Survivors include his wife, Donna; six children, Todd (Kim) Waddell, Sheli (Dan) Bennett, Michael Galloway, Amy (Brian) Zimmerman, Christopher (Vaughn) Waddell, and Carrie Rush; 12 grandchildren, Steffanie, Jonathan, Joey, Grace, Gaston, Brennen, Michael, Kirsten, Sophie, Ethan, Luna, and Eli; six great-grandchildren; sister, Karen (Bill) Hibbard; and beloved dog, Rylee.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

He dedicated his entire life to helping others and did the same in his death as an organ donor.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00pm Thursday March 31, 2022 at Zettler Funeral Home, 2646 Pleasant Ave., Hamilton, Ohio. Friends may call from 12noon-2:00pm Thursday at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network at pancan.org. Donations can also be mailed to 1500 Rosecrans Ave., Ste. 200, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266.