WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH — David Charles Monaghan, 65, died Wednesday, April 29, 2020, at New Hanover Regional Medical Center.
He was born Oct. 27, 1954, to the late Terence and Adellais Monaghan. David was born in Montreal, Canada, and moved with his family to Boston, Massachusetts, at a young age. He moved down to Wilmington in 1972 and attended both Cape Fear Community College and UNCW.
After graduation, David taught full time in the Marine Technology Department at Cape Fear Community College and could also be found working at the Causeway Cafe on the weekends. In 2005, David retired from Cape Fear Community College and began focusing on operating the Causeway Cafe full time. Dave was “The Voice Heard Around W.B.,” a nickname he earned for his popular, boisterous shout of hungry patrons’ names on the porch of the Causeway. He found great joy in feeding many locals and visitors for over 32 wonderful years, before closing Causeway Cafe’s doors for good in 2018 to focus on spending time with family, friends, and to enjoy a well-earned retirement.
More important to David than work was his family, which he absolutely adored. He was extremely involved in his son Casey’s life and loved teaching him life’s many lessons, especially how to laugh and bring joy to others.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister, Debra McLendon.
He is survived by his wife, Penny; son, Casey, and his wife, Kelsey; brother, Brian Monaghan, and his wife, Marjorie; sister, Corinne Tassinari, and her husband, Thomas; brother-in-law, Preston McLendon; nieces and nephews, Laura Tassinari, Cole Monaghan, and his wife, Amy, Kevin Tassinari, Karen Tassinari, Rebecca Sixto, and her husband, Alex, Hannah McLendon, Lacy Lawrence, and her husband, Josh, and Liza Stevens, and her husband, Ross; and numerous cousins.
The family will be holding a celebration of life at a future date.
David was a longtime resident of the Wilmington area and absolutely loved living on Wrightsville Beach and embracing the local community. In his honor, the family requests that donations be made to Wrightsville Beach Museum of History, 303 West Salisbury St., P.O. Box 584, Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480; or North Carolina Coastal Federation, 309 West Salisbury St., Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480.
The family would like to thank everyone in Dave’s life for their wonderful support and compassion during our time of need. In addition, we’d like to express our gratitude for what Dave referred to as the “Causeway family” — those who helped make it a special and unique atmosphere throughout the years and helped Dave feel like such a special member of the local community.
Share online condolences with the family at Andrews Mortuary & Crematory.
