Plan for the Future
R. DAVID MITTELSTADT
BARBERSHOP HARMONY SINGER, NATIONAL SALES EXECUTIVE
R. David Mittelstadt, 82, of Florham Park, NJ, died quietly on April 6, 2013 after a brief illness. He leaves behind his beloved wife of 60 years, Arlene (Haines) Mittelstadt, a son, Joseph Haines Mittelstadt of Basking Ridge, NJ and literally thousands of dear friends, admirers, and fellow Barbershop Harmony devotees. He was predeceased by his daughter Gail Ann Lyman.
Dave was born in 1931 in Lincoln, Illinois. He graduated from Morgan Park College in 1950, and served with the U.S. Army from 1953-1955. He was a top salesman with Mapes & Sprowl Steel Corp. of Union, NJ for many years. In 1964, he joined the Butler Manufacturing Company where he rose to the level of National Accounts Manager, in which capacity he served until his retirement in 1996.
Not many of us can, with our talents, bring the joy that Dave, in his many quartet and chorus roles, brought to thousands of listeners all over the U.S. and Canada. Four-part Barbershop vocal style harmony became an obsession with Dave, and it never diminished throughout the course of his life.
Dave was blessed with a strong, clear voice, and he sang with many fine quartets during his long career, including The Villageaires, The Easternaires and the Playtonics, which attained silver medal status in the prestigious Barbershop Harmony International Quartet competition in 1956. He also sang with the Main Street Four, Showtime, The New Harmony Delegation, Sage, The Travelaires, The Notewits, Mint Condition and, finally, The Four Old Parts. He also sang and acted in many shows with the Montclair Operetta club.
Dave also was an accomplished Barbershop chorus director who led the Livingston, NJ Dapper Dans Of Harmony to two International championships and many Mid-Atlantic District level titles. He was inducted into the Harmony Society’s prestigious Hall Of Honor, and was a long time honoree in two honor chapters, DELASUSQUEHUDMAC and Sage Lake, Michigan. His remarkable list of musical achievements are too many to mention here.
The family will receive relatives and friends at the Wm. A. Bradley & Son Funeral Home, 345 Main Street, Chatham, NJ on Wednesday April 10th from 2- 4 PM & 7- 9 PM.
Memorial services will be held on Thursday, April 11th at 10:30 AM at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 160 Ridgedale Ave., Florham Park, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Dave’s name may be made to either the Barbershop Harmony Foundation, 110 Seventh Ave, Nashville, TN 37203, or to the Florham Park First Aid Squad, 60 Felch Road, Florham Park, NJ 07932.