In Memoriam
David L Turpin, 1938-2025

David L Turpin, DDS, MSD, passed away peacefully at Franciscan Hospice in Tacoma, Washington on Thursday, May 29, 2025. He was 87. He had severe vascular dementia, and complications resulting from this ended his life. David is survived by his loving wife, Judy, and three children: Barbara, Paul, and Matthew. David lived a long life and touched many people with his care, kindness, and passion for learning and helping others.

David was born in Iowa City, Iowa, on April 25th, 1938 to Harold and Esther Turpin. He was the oldest of four children. Both David’s parents were teachers in Manson, Iowa. Harold directed the school band and Esther directed the church choir. David definitely got a love for teaching and for music from his parents, who also instilled in him an appreciation for the church and for hard work. Growing up, David was active in 4H and said his prize-winning cows put him through college. He worked at the local grocery store before and after school, and he brought his work ethic and his care and compassion for others to everything he did later in life.

David studied dentistry at the University of Iowa where he met Judy. While at the University of Iowa, he joined the ROTC, and he served in the Navy as a dentist after graduating. This brought David and Judy, now married, to San Diego where their first child, Barbara, was born at Naval Base Coronado. David and his young family did not have much money during this time, but they were part of a supportive community, and they had each other. David always appreciated that his naval service helped fund his education. After he completed his service, David, Judy, and Barbara moved north to Seattle, where David studied orthodontics at the University of Washington.

After graduate school, David started his own private orthodontic practice in Auburn, Washington, where his son, Paul, was born. Shortly after, he and his family moved to nearby Federal Way, where Matthew was born. David was a nurturing father and cared deeply about providing for his family. While he did sometimes work long hours, he was typically home for dinner and did evening or weekend work in the same family room where his children might be watching TV, playing with toys, or playing the piano. He enjoyed boating, sometimes fishing, and the view of the Puget Sound. Although busy, he still found ways to help build community in his neighborhood and in Auburn. The family went to church together every Sunday. Although David was never one to press it on other people, his Christian faith was important to him.

David worked in private practice in Auburn for more than 37 years and was active in the business community there. He made many good friends in Auburn whom he often met for lunch and occasionally joined in business investments–including more cows. David and Judy had ample opportunity to travel, and they developed friendships all over the world. They continued to live in Federal Way, eventually moving to a retirement community where Judy plans to remain.

In addition to a highly successful private practice in Auburn, David had a profound influence on orthodontic education, literature, and professional organizations. From 1971 until 2019, he taught part-time at the UW Department of Orthodontics. He was involved in the education of over 300 orthodontists during this 48-year period. From 2010 – 2019, he held the prestigious title of Moore-Riedel Endowed Professor. The culmination of this professorship was the David Turpin Symposium on Evidence-based Orthodontics, which featured speakers from all over the world. He remained active with the Orthodontic Department for the rest of his life, attending Thesis Day and the Dean’s Dinner in the Spring of 2025. He greatly enjoyed these opportunities to reconnect with friends and colleagues associated with the UW Department of Orthodontics.

David’s influence on the orthodontic literature also began in 1971 with his appointment as a Regional Editor of the Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists (PCSO Bulletin). He was promoted to Editor in 1978, and in 1988, he was named Editor of The Angle Orthodontist. In 1999, he was named Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics (AJODO). These decades of service as editor of our most prestigious journals made David one of the most well-known orthodontists in the world.

David also had significant roles in the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO), the Angle Society Northwest, the World Federation of Orthodontists (WFO), and the Washington State Society of Orthodontists. He was a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, and he was honored with many awards, including the Jacob Salzmann Award, the PCSO Award of Merit, and the Albert Ketcham Award.

David made considerable scholarly contributions to the specialty. He was awarded the Milo Hellman Award for his graduate research at UW. He published 34 scientific articles and delivered 155 lectures during his career. Importantly, he authored 135 editorials in the AJODO, as well as dozens more in The Angle Orthodontist and the PCSO Bulletin, sharing his wisdom, insights, and ideas with readers for over 30 years.

While David’s accomplishments were significant, his commitment to the specialty was even more impressive. Whether he was representing a journal, the UW, the AAO, or the WFO, David was always a gracious ambassador for the orthodontic profession. And despite being a giant in the field of orthodontics, he remained humble, approachable, curious, open-minded, collaborative, dependable, hard-working, and intellectually honest. A true role model to all of us.

Towards the end of his long life, David seemed reasonably satisfied. While he certainly would have liked to be able to stay more active for longer, he felt he had a good life and had seen and done plenty. The most important thing to him late in life was to be with Judy, and seeing his children and grandchildren always brought him joy.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be directed to the Turpin-Huang Endowment at the University of Washington, or the Wayside United Church of Christ in Federal Way.