David Daniel Banicz

On February 22, 2024, David Daniel Banicz, 56, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. David was the loving husband of 28 years to Andrea Szabo and a devoted father to Lara Szabo-Banicz, a cherished brother to Michael Law Cobb (wife Gabriella and son Justin), and the son of the late Kalman Erno Banitz and Dorothy Diana (Cobb). David also leaves behind his sister-in-law Judy Sundholm (husband Lars and sons Pascal and Olivier and their wives Celine and Qi and their children), and brother-in-law Victor Szabo (wife Sabrina and son Xander), and his dogs Molly, Harley and Roxy. David will be missed by many other family members, friends, and all of his past colleagues and his current Oceaneering family.

Family and Friends may gather at Candle Light Funeral Home on Saturday, March 30, 2024 from 11:00am – 1:00pm. A Memorial Service will begin at 12:00pm and will be followed by a Celebration of Life reception at the Turn House located at 11130 Willow Bottom Dr., Columbia, MD 21044.

Dave was born in Ottawa, Ontario in 1967. He spent his early childhood years in Whitby, Ontario playing road hockey and riding his bike with his brother Mike. The family later moved to the “farm” near Godfrey, Ontario where the boys had a 200 acre playground of land on which to climb rocks and trees and ride their dirt bikes. Dave has always loved to tinker with mechanical and electronic devices. After graduating from high school, he went on to study Mechanical Engineering Technology while also working at a motorcycle repair shop and graduated with distinction from St. Lawrence College in 1990. His roommate’s father invited Dave to be a research associate at the University of Ottawa Department of Mechanical Engineering. But in order to be eligible Dave would need to enroll in Mechanical Engineering at the University, which he did. So while studying, David also did research on the cold starting of diesel engines for the Canadian Department of Defense, and on the fabrication and testing of Flywheel batteries for the Canada Space Agency. This is where Andrea and Dave’s stars crossed paths.

Andrea met Dave at the University of Ottawa, both studying Mechanical Engineering. They became friends immediately and after a couple of years, started to date. Andrea and Dave got married in 1995 and then embarked on their adventures which took them to Cary, North Carolina where their daughter Lara was born, and then onward to Ellicott City, Maryland where they spent the last 21 years.

David lived by the motto “work hard and play hard”. He was an accomplished professional engineer with a very distinguished career that spanned various industries including his first job after graduation at Flywheel Energy Systems, in Telecommunications at Solectron, Nuclear isolation valves at Edward Vaught Valves, Neonatal Incubators, warmers, and Resuscitation devices at GE. His most current work was with Oceaneering Advanced Technology, also known as OTECH, where he contributed to the Business Development team while also developing a competency program and mentoring of junior engineers. He always took his work and his responsibilities very seriously, and never let his ego get in the way. Dave had a playful and cheerful disposition, and always cultivated and encouraged inclusivity and an open exchange of ideas, embodying the belief at work and at home that you succeed when everyone succeeds. He had many friends and supporters at all levels of every company he ever worked at, and never had any enemies.

Dave put the same energy, planning, and lighthearted enthusiasm into all of his many extracurriculars. He could take on any and all home renovation projects, car repairs, appliance repairs, plumbing and electrical work, or whatever needed to be done that he either already knew how to do or would figure it out! But his happy place was when he was surrounded by friends and family, always opening his heart and his home to others. David always had a way of bringing people together from different social circles and then turning them into friends! Dave was funny, generous, loyal, caring and always set people at ease and allowed them to be themselves without judgment. The best memories are of all the fun times spent together with friends and family tailgating at Lara’s volleyball tournaments, hosting summer pool parties and holiday martini parties, and just hanging out at home and chilling and grilling! He was a master pitmaster and loved to grill and smoke meat and to share it of course, he loved to listen to music and also loved going to live concerts, loved traveling (especially to warm tropical destinations), and he always loved to meet new people and make new friends wherever he was! But above all, Dave loved his role as a family man, taking enormous pride in his family and his home, and you could always count on his nurturing and loving support to his daughter Lara and wife Andrea, and all the sweet fur babies past and present.

“Your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure. You are loved beyond words and missed beyond measure.” ~ Unknown

The family is asking if you can donate to the Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Research at the University of Maryland UMMC Center for Shock Trauma and Anesthesiology Research, to hopefully improve the care and outcomes for people that are living with spinal cord injuries as Dave did. For more information, see the link at Brain And Spinal Cord Injury Research | University of Maryland School of Medicine (umaryland.edu) .

The family wishes to give a special THANK YOU for the exceptional care, compassion and support that David and his family received at the UMMC Neuro Shock Trauma ward in Baltimore, and then at the Gilchrist Hospice Care facility in Towson. The doctors, nurses, and care teams there as well as the first responders and the Lifeline transport team from Hopkins provided us with the strength and solace needed during this exceptionally difficult time.

The services will be live-streamed and available on the Candle Light Funeral Home YOUTUBE page by clicking here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxi6Q4sEkXWnn-tuNt1hlBg