- Date Of Birth: May 1, 1945
- Date Of Death: March 6, 2016
- State: Indiana
David Whitney Ort, 70, of Pahoa, Hawaii and originally from Elkhart, Indiana died unexpectedly Sunday March 6, 2016 of a heart attack. He was born in Elkhart on May 1, 1945 to the late Whitney R. and Doris E. (Moore) Ort.
Surviving are a sister, Nancy (Dick) Simmons of Otsego, Mich., brother, Rick (Hope) Ort of Elkhart; two sons, Christopher Ort, Harlan Ort and a daughter Laura Seib of Binghamton, N.Y., and six grandchildren.
Dave was a 1963 graduate of Elkhart High School where he played the cornet in the Pep Band for each home basketball game. He attended Indiana University from 1964-1968 where he studied biology. Following graduation from college he lived near French Lick, Indiana in a cabin that had few amenities. In the early years he would draw water from a local stream. Always without electricity he heated the cabin with wood, raised his own vegetables and cooked them in old-fashioned ways. While there he was a fisheries biologist for the Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife. In 2007 he moved to Hawaii for retirement and adventure, and eventually purchased a small solar-powered home on the big island.
Dave loved nature and the outdoors and could always see things with a special insight. He would then write about what he had seen so that all could enjoy the experience. One of his favorite quotes was “Everything is within walking distance if you have the time” – Sierra Club.
