Shrewsbury – David Muise, 72, died at home Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012, with his family gathered by his side. The family would like to extend their thanks to Affinity Hospice for their care and compassion for his homecare.
Born Nov. 17, 1939 in Gardiner, Maine, he was a son of the late Dorothy (Barnes) Muise. His family moved to Worcester when he was a young child.
Mr. Muise claimed he had “radio in his blood,” and for many years worked as a broadcaster. His fascination with radio began as a young boy when he’d listen to the daily broadcasts about World War II. He would spend hours each day re-creating radio programs, reading ad-copy and news reports and spinning records in his bedroom.
At age 16, he worked at WORC delivering coffee to staff members and it was there that radio personality Milt Cray advised him to get some experience at a smaller station. So he took a job at WCAT in Orange, where he learned the craft. He returned to WORC in 1958 as a news stringer covering everything from political conventions to police items.
Using the on-air name “David Warren,” Mr. Muise held a long career as DJ and celebrity interviewer at various stations, including WNEB, WHDH, WAAB, WEZE, WKOX and WLMS. In 1979, he returned to WORC, reclaiming his true name and assuming the role of music director. A year later, he moved to WSRO in Marlborough, where he became the host of a popular big-band radio program that aired until the station adopted an all-talk format in 1993.
Mr. Muise was deeply interested in history and the past, things he referred to as “old and solid.” Drawing from a vast private collection of archival radio programs and music, he created the “The Golden Age of Radio,” which was part performance, part lecture about radio's influence on news and entertainment from the 1920s through the mid-1950s. He brought “The Golden Age of Radio” to community centers around the state, sharing his knowledge and passion for the medium with audiences of all ages.
It was also fitting that for the past three years, Mr. Muise, a reader with a voracious appetite for books and knowledge, worked at the Shrewsbury Public Library. He kept his mind sharp by drawing friends into meaningful, reflective conversations, or by racing to grab the NY Times crossword puzzle before his son could get it.
He appreciated the world around him, delighting in watching birds in the yard and visiting his favorite place, Nauset Light Beach on the National Seashore on Cape Cod. His broad interests extended into the vegetable and flower garden he maintained at his home.
He was married to Angela F. Zambarano, a Worcester native, July 26, 1970 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Worcester, and had been a resident of Shrewsbury for over 40 years.
In addition to his wife of 41 years, he leaves his son, Jonathan D. Muise and his wife, Azumi Watanabe, of Cambridge; his sister, Joan Aselton-Staab and her husband, Pete, of Cotuit; his in-laws, Paul P. Zambarano and his wife, Patricia, of Worcester, Dr. Thomas J. Zambarano and his wife, Ann, of Mechanicsburg, Penn., and William Zambarano and his wife, Linda, of Worcester; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother, Gerald Muise.
Family and friends will honor and remember Mr. Muise's life by gathering for calling hours Friday, Feb. 3, from 5 to 8 p.m., at Heald & Chiampa Funeral Directors ~ The Sumner House, 5 Church Road, On the Common, Shrewsbury Center, and again at 8:45 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, before leaving in procession to Our Lady of Mount Carmel – St. Ann Church, 24 Mulberry St., Worcester, where his Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Burial will follow in Saint John's Cemetery.
In honor of Mr. Muise, a contribution can be made to Our Lady of Mount Carmel – St.Ann Church building fund or the Shrewsbury Public Library, 690 Main St., Shrewsbury, 01545.
