David Daniel Tennant, beloved husband to the late Aileen Looney and loving father to Andrew, Brendan and Siobhan, died peacefully Friday 9 August 2024 at the age of 86 at Jersey Shore Medical Center with his family at his side.

David was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, on September 1, 1937, the first of David and Elizabeth Tennant’s four children. His parents had emigrated to the United States from Scotland in the 1920s and David took immense pride in his Scottish heritage. As a child, he visited Glasgow and Edinburgh every summer. He attended Henry Snyder High School and also studied at Saint Peter’s Prep, and worshiped every Sunday at Sacred Heart Parish Church.

In his youth, he cultivated passions for sports and the arts, immersing himself in jazz, especially the music of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra. He was a regular at Birdland on West 52nd St. When he wasn’t listening to the music that would become the soundtrack to his life, David was watching and playing sports. In high school, he was an all-county first baseman and his team’s MVP. His love of baseball and proficiency with public transportation led him to spend his weekends riding the trains to the Polo Grounds, Yankee Stadium and Ebbets Field. Never a follower, as a kid he cheered not for any of the teams in the area, but instead developed into a fan of Detroit’s teams: the Lions, Tigers and Red Wings. Bobby Layne, Al Kaline and Gordie Howe were his heroes.

David studied U.S. history at Rutgers—and remained a history buff—and then served in the United States Army, at Fort Dix, and during the Bay of Pigs crisis at Fort Monmouth. David had a passion for hard work and was fascinated by the world of public transportation—so it made perfect sense that he would build a career with the Port Authority. For forty years, he worked for the PA, rising from laborer on a track gang, to motorman, all the way up to Train Master in the towers and retiring in 2002 as a conductor.

In the fall of 1963, David met Aileen Looney of Dublin, Ireland, who just six months earlier had moved, by herself, to the United States. It was the beginning of a 60-year romance. They were married on August 26, 1967, at Our Lady of the Wayside Church, in Bluebell, a Dublin suburb. Soon they were back in the United States, living in Hazlet, New Jersey, and starting their family. Eventually, he and Aileen would have three children: Andrew, Brendan and Siobhan. David would dedicate himself to raising them, alongside Aileen. It was the great adventure of his life. He worked tirelessly to support his family, taking on extra shifts, never declining overtime opportunities, which made it possible to send the children to Catholic schools. But he still found the time to be there for all the important—and not so important—moments in their lives. He missed nothing, not because he felt obligated to be present, but because it made him happy.

After his children left home to attend college, David found a way to continue caring for others, volunteering with Monmouth County ARC, where he and Aileen worked with the physically and mentally challenged. For nearly 25 years, they delivered bread weekly to the less fortunate at the Bayshore Food Pantry. Through it all, David’s faith was his foundation. For half a century, he was a loyal communicant of St. Benedict Parish in Holmdel, attending daily masses and rosary readings with Aileen.

David spent time at virtually every hockey rink, soccer field, basketball court, baseball field and horse farm in the Northeast, logging thousands of miles on the Turnpike and Parkway, 287 and 95, across Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey to see his kids’ and then his grandkids’ competitions. He also visited many of the pantheons of pro sports, including Wrigley Field, Fenway Park and the Montreal Forum, typically to see his favorite teams in action. In adulthood, they were the New Jersey Devils, New York Giants and Seton Hall Pirates. He had season tickets to the Devils and Giants for more than 30 years—and he was fortunate enough to see them win seven championships combined since 1986. His baseball team, The Mets, of course, who haven’t won any championships since 1986. Sadly for his children and grandchildren, David passed on to them his passion for the Mets.

David was a walker. Most weekdays, he would walk for miles, alone, at beaches and on boardwalks up and down the Shore. He loved walking the St. Mary’s waterfront in Black Rock, Connecticut. He walked to the library, alone, where he would immerse himself in American history, from Stephen Ambrose or Gary Wills. On Saturday mornings, though, he never walked alone, cheering with Aileen for Liverpool, and also Celtic. At home, he enjoyed Jeopardy—where his knowledge of the past made him unbeatable—and playing his old albums, loudly, on his 1957 phonograph, often to the consternation of his “bride.”

As a Scots-American, David never shied away from donning the kilt and sporran—and he was loyal and loving to his extended family back in the old country, as well as his brothers and sister in the United States. He traveled widely, here in North America and abroad, highlighted by a trip to the Holy Land for his 50th wedding anniversary. He loved his grandchildren Declan, Breac, Saoirse and Roan—and he loved animals, especially his rescue dogs Killian, Dublin, Shannon, Ronan and Molly.

David was a master listener—as Aileen’s husband, he had no choice—but after patiently waiting to chime in on a topic, he would typically deliver the witty last word. He was sarcastic and funny; kind and compassionate; warm and sympathetic to the less fortunate; courageous and strong; dignified and devoted to his faith and community; and he was unfailingly kind to anyone in need. It was the simple things that made him genuinely happy. A good hot dog. A slice of New Haven pizza. A proper Guinness or “fresh” Stella. The time he spent with his family. David was a caring and giving soul. He was everyone’s favorite Dad.

He is predeceased by his devoted wife of 55 years, Aileen; his parents David and Elizabeth; his brother James; his sister-in-law Maureen; his brother-in-law Louis DellaTorre; and his son-in-law Douglas Drewry. David is survived by his son Andrew and daughter-in-law Mary, of Fairfield, CT, his son Brendan and daughter-in-law Susan of Springfield, N.J., his daughter Siobhan Drewry of Neptune, N.J.; his siblings Richard Tennant of Troy, N.Y., and Eleanor DellaTorre of North Bergen, N.J.; and his beloved grandchildren Declan, Breac, Saoirse and Roan.

David’s story will be told and we will celebrate Big D’s life at Visitation Friday August 16 from 4pm – 8pm at Holmdel Funeral Home, 26 S. Holmdel Road, Holmdel, NJ. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Saturday, August 17 at 10am at St. Benedict Church, Holmdel, NJ.

David and his family wish to thank the many doctors and nurses who cared for him at Yale Smilow Cancer Center in New Haven, CT, especially Dr. Jill Lacy and her team, plus the doctors and nurses at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, NJ and Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune, NJ.

In lieu of traditional remembrances, David’s family asks with gratitude that donations in his name be made to his favorite causes: The V Foundation for Cancer Research (www.V.org), the Monmouth County SPCA (www.monmouthcountyspca.org), or The ARC of Monmouth (www.arcofmonmouth.org).