David E. Coursey was born June 3, 1959 in Dallas, Texas. He lost a four-year battle with pancreatic cancer on December 19, 2022.

David’s personal life was one of service and volunteerism. He put his ham radio skills to work relaying messages for first responders and families affected by wildfires, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes and other disasters. N5FDL, his radio call sign, was known worldwide as a reliable source of information for over 45 years.

He was also an animal rescue volunteer who fostered over 200 newborn, sick, or injured animals, and regularly participated in fundraising activities for rescue organizations in California and Texas.

His Pet Radio show on KSCO, and the podcast he hosted with Laura Pakis, were popular for practical advice, humor, and news.

Coursey began his journalism career at 16, and without ever setting foot in a college class, amassed national and international awards for his broadcast, print, and online reporting. His worked as a news reporter for KRLD, USAToday, The Dallas Times Herald, and the Associated Press.

But it was his coverage of technology products that most remember. His insightful, sometimes brash and always entertaining work at PC Letter, MISWeek, Infoworld, and Communications World and in his columns for Forbes and many other publications followed the personal computer industry from its beginnings in the 1980s to the smartphone era 30 years later.

As host of industry conferences like Agenda, Demo, Digital Living Room and the Upside conferences, he picked new products to showcase for the first time. He was onstage for the first demos of Google, the Blackberry, the first digital video recorder (TiVo), Netflix and over 300 other new products.

He is survived by his wife Elionora Bjuhr. 

Memorials in lieu of flowers can be made to a fund to defray David’s final expenses or to one of his favorite charities. 

Send to someone

Share this obituary with others

https://everloved.com/life-of/david-coursey/obituary/

Copy