David Stevens Garlick, 86, concluded his life on December 3, 2024 , after a brief stay at Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia. He was born to David and Marjorie Jones Garlick of Milwaukee, Wisconsin on May 7,1938 and is preceded in death by his younger brother, Daniel Garlick, and his brothers-in-law, Alan St. George of Sintra, Portugal and Eugene (Paslov) of Carson City, Nevada.

Stevens is survived by his wife, Nancy Buckingham Garlick, whom he met in a faculty meeting at The College of Wooster (Ohio), his two sisters, Susan Paslov of Carson City and Mary St. George of Sintra, Portugal, and nieces and nephews Joseph Paslov, Jon Paslov, Marji (Paslov) Thomas, Molly St George and Alexander St George, and several great nieces and nephews.

In Milwaukee, Stevens attended The Country Day School where he excelled in languages and music. He then attended The University School of Milwaukee, a college prep school, followed by Harvard University, majoring in German and graduating magna cum laude in 1960. He was then awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study at the Freie Universitat, Berlin (Free University), where he met his closest life-long friend, Eric Wilson. Stevens subsequently earned an M.A. and Ph.D. from Stanford University. His teaching career began with positions at Pomona College, followed by Middlebury College, The College of Wooster and Mary Baldwin University, retiring in 2004.

While Stevens loved German culture, his true passion was always music. With a strong bass-baritone voice, he studied singing in Boston and at the Hochschule fuer Musik, Berlin, resulting in many varied performances. These include Dr Bartolo in Paisiello’s II Barbiere di Siviglia at the Opera Workshop of the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria; Leporello in Mozart’s Don Giovanni at Stanford Opera Theatre; and Count Almaviva in Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro at the College of Wooster. Noteworthy as well are a dozen principal roles in the operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan. He has soloed in oratorios of Handel, Bach, Haydn and Mozart and enjoyed performing art song in German, English, Italian and Czech. He also performed with the Virginia Consort of Charlottesville for many years. His talents as a comic actor/singer in such musicals as Honk, performed with the Four County Players, were memorable as well as many others at the Oak Grove Theater in Staunton, Virginia.

Stevens’ engaging wit and humor, sincerity, generosity and warmth made him a special friend to many and revealed a uniqueness that will long be remembered and sorely missed.

For more on services and to share your condolences, visit Hill and Wood Funeral Service.