David Scott Fabiano

Mesa, Arizona – Our dearly beloved husband, father, brother, grandfather, and friend – David Scott Fabiano, 58 – passed away on 4 September 2025. After experiencing the challenges of an aggressive brain tumor for the past 2 ½ years, David spent his final days enjoying the company of his family and friends, some beloved ice cream, and finally, Laura’s cookies.

David was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, to L. Joe and W. Claudene Fabiano. He was the second twin of the second set of twins in the Fabiano family. As the seventh of eight children, all born within eight years, David cherished his upbringing in this full home. He considered his siblings his best friends his entire life. The family moved often when David was young. He loved the time spent in southwest Colorado where he began honing his skill of running cost/risk analysis. He became legendary for not returning home after school until sunset, even though he was supposed to come straight home. When asked why he would face the wrath of his father every night, David would simply reply, “There was a creek to play in. If I went home, I would have to do chores and homework. It was worth the swat.”

The family eventually settled in Farmington, NM where David attended junior high and high school. David’s mom used to say that “David got good enough grades to play football.” He didn’t enjoy homework, even though he loved learning. After high school, David served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He spent 2 years in Indiana, and he loved his time there. His twin, Mark, was serving in the Dominican Republic at the same time, and David expressed gratitude that he only had to suffer the cold of Indiana rather than the bugs and vermin of the DR.

After his mission, David spent some time in Farmington, NM, then Salt Lake City, UT, and finally Mesa, AZ, where he met Laura soon after he arrived. They met in a choir of young single adults where David shined as a tenor and a natural performer. Within a few months, they began dating and were married on June 1, 1990, in the Mesa, AZ temple. 3 days later, David began college full-time. With the prospect of a family to provide for, David was a much more motivated student, graduating magna cum laude with a BS in Civil Engineering and a Master’s just a year later. This began his lifetime passion for public works and servant leadership.

David started his career at Gannett Fleming in 1993 while still a student at ASU. In Jan. 2000, he moved to Stanley Consultants where he remained for 16 years. David loved driving all over the state of Arizona meeting with clients and attending council meetings, helping communities improve their public works. In 2016, David told Laura that he wanted to move to the public side of his profession. He wanted to affect change that could only occur if he was on the other side of the table. In Sep. 2016, David changed sides and began working as the Town Engineer for the Town of Gilbert. Laura was excited for a government job since that would mean 40-hour work weeks instead of 60-80. She should have known better. David worked as tirelessly for Gilbert as he did as a consultant. He was a champion of doing things the right way the first time, defending proper right-of-way practices, and tackling hard things, rather than kicking the can down the road to create problems for the future. David certainly attained his goal to improve the world around him.

David’s greatest joy was his children. Erin and Brianna joined the family while David was still in college. He would pick them up from the babysitter a few hours before Laura got home from work, and they would have a ball. Matthew, Anthony, Nathanael, and Caleb came along over the next seven years. Even with six young children, David and Laura both felt that there were two more little girls meant to join the fun. Raelynn and Jocelyn arrived soon after, and we finally felt complete.  When one of David’s former scouts came calling on his oldest daughter, David was thrilled. And once grandchildren entered the picture, joy took on a whole new meaning.

Almost as soon as David and Laura were married, David was called to work with the young men at church and was very active in the Boy Scouts of America program. He was all in. Pinewood Derbies, camping with the Scouts, making knives with the Varsity boys, Varsity triathlons, training other leaders through the Woodbadge program, countless Eagle projects, National Jamboree, and his very favorite: backpacking at Philmont. David was awarded many scout leadership awards, including the Silver Beaver award in 2011.

As a college student, David joined the student chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) and remained an active member for the rest of his life. He participated in the Arizona chapter leadership for many years and then became the Arizona delegate to the National Congress of APWA. In 2018, David became a member of the APWA National Board as the Region VII director. He loved his time with this elect group of people. David set a great example of how to disagree without being disagreeable.

The guiding star of David’s life was his unshakable faith in Jesus Christ. As an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, David spent countless hours serving in many roles, impacting the lives of all those around him. He enjoyed being able to assist those in need at any time. He loved having a garage full of tools that anyone could borrow. If he didn’t have the tool you needed, just give him 20 minutes, and he’ll run buy it, so you can borrow it. He took selflessness to a whole new level.

David particularly adored worshiping through music. He enjoyed participating in choirs and musical productions while still in school. He continued to be the rock of every church choir tenor section over the next 40 years. Although he never really learned how to read music, he used to say that he could tell when the notes went up or down. He had a good ear, so even if he was on the wrong note, “at least it was in the chord.” Singing in the Gilbert Temple dedication choir in 2014 was a highlight when David was able to really open up and SING. He had a big voice that matched his big personality. He used this to great advantage when participating in Woodbadge song traditions. “Is there a Beaver in the House?” (If you know, you know.)

David is survived by his adoring wife, Laura; eight children and one son-in-law; three grandsons; his father, Joe; his siblings; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and loved ones. He is preceded in death by his mother, Claudene, and sister-in-law, Andrea. Many thanks to our Gilbert family and our APWA family for their love and support. A special thanks to Mark for being at every doctor visit, every surgery, and always taking care of “your guy.”

A memorial to celebrate David’s life will be held on Friday, September 12, 2025 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1718 N. Date, Mesa, AZ 85201. A visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m. The funeral service will begin at 11:30 a.m., with a brief reception to follow. The gravesite service will begin at 2:00 p.m. at the Mesa City Cemetery, 1212 N. Center St., Mesa, AZ 85201. All events are open to the public, and we hope that everyone who knew and loved David will be able to join us as we commemorate a life well lived.

The funeral service will be broadcast over Zoom.

Browser link: https://rdmward.org/Zoom
App link: https://rdmward.org/ZoomApp
Meeting ID: 957 9595 2035 Passcode: 806451

Arrangements by Bunker’s Garden Chapel, www.bunkerfuneral.com. Should this obituary appear anywhere but bunkerfuneral.com, please check our website for accurate details and service information.