Celebration of Life
This is the Place Herritage Park 2601 Sunnyside Ave., Salt Lake City, UT 84108Sunday Jul 27, 2025: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
1976 ~ 2025
Sunday Jul 27, 2025: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
With broken hearts, we announce the passing of David Mull in a tragic accident while hiking in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
David Frederick Mull was born on June 3, 1976 in Redwood City, California, to Charles Gilbert and Yvonne DuBois Mull. Shortly after his birth, his parents moved their family to Anchorage, Alaska, where Dave spent the rest of his childhood. Dave loved growing up amongst the mountains and rivers of Alaska and said that even as a young man, he knew he was lucky to be living there. As a teenager, Dave spent his summers helping a family friend fish on the shores of Lake Clark National Park and hiking with friends in the Chugach Mountains outside of Anchorage. Its wildness and beauty were a part of him. He named his first son Atigun after a river in the Brooks Range in Northern Alaska.
After high school, Dave went to Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania where he graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Government. At that age, he wanted to be the President of the United States and started down the path to becoming a politician. David then attended law school at the University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law, where he graduated in 2002 in the top 10 percent of his class.
After graduation, David clerked for Chief Justice Christine M. Durham of the Utah Supreme Court. He was a partner at Snow Christensen & Martineau and then worked as senior corporate counsel for the Utah Transit Authority, where David tried many jury cases. He was one of the youngest lawyers in Utah to be inducted into the American Board of Trial Advocates. At the time of his death, he was a senior litigation attorney for Salt Lake City.
Dave met his wife, Keli, a year after graduating law school at an ultimate frisbee game and the two fell in love very quickly. They were like two puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly. Dave and Keli married in 2008 and spent part of their honeymoon hiking the Haute Route from Chamonix, France to Zermatt, Switzerland with their closest friends. While Dave was reluctant to have children, when his first son, Atigun, was born on November 7, 2009, Dave fell instantly in love. Dave and Keli welcomed their second son, Parker, on December 1, 2011.
Dave was an incredible father. He loved his boys with all of his heart and cherished the big and small moments of their lives. He loved playing, reading, snuggling, and caring for his sons and did all of that with all of the love and gentleness that was just a part of who he was. He loved camping and hiking with his kids and would spontaneously take them to the desert as often as possible to have a campfire with smores, stories, and ukulele.
David was an avid ultimate frisbee player. It was an incredibly important part of his life and he would sometimes play seven days a week at various pick up games around the Salt Lake Valley. It was fun and brought him happiness. He would sometimes come home after a game covered in dirt but beaming if he’d made an incredible catch or had played well. Even at 49 when the younger generation could finally outrun him, Dave loved playing and did so whenever possible.
While Dave was very accomplished academically and professionally, he was driven by a desire to make the most of life’s simple pleasures. Dave would spend hours sitting on his back deck, spritzing himself with water to keep cool and listening to music. He spent hours snuggling on the couch with his cats or playing Risk and Axis and Allies with his boys. He was a fun, gentle and calming presence in his home.
While Dave treasured his relaxation time on the deck or his couch, he also had incredible bursts of energy. Several years ago, Dave embarked on a solo bike ride, packed with camping and cooking gear, from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas.
Dave was an incredible husband, friend and partner. He loved Keli with all of his heart and made sure she knew it every day. He would call and text Keli daily during work to tell her how much he loved her and that he was thinking about her. He gave Keli space to be herself and thought all of her quirks were cute, rather than annoying. He and Keli were very close and had grown closer every year of their marriage. He anchored her and loved her for just who she was without ever asking her to be anything else. To give that kind of unconditional love to his wife and kids was an incredible gift that will live in their hearts forever.
Dave lost his parents over the past several years. When his mom was dying, Dave spent every day sitting by her bed giving her comfort. Dave always had a deep appreciation for the small moments, but losing his parents gave him a deeper sense of wonder and gratitude for life. He was grateful for every sunset and every delicious meal. He would tell Keli repeatedly that whatever meal she’d cooked was the best ever. He would walk the neighborhood in the evening to watch the sunset and to enjoy the evening summer weather.
Dave died on July 19, 2025. He woke at 4 that morning to get an early start hiking the Pfeifferhorn in the Wasatch Range near Salt Lake. He summited around 8:15 a.m. and sent his family a picture of him at the top. He died shortly after sending that picture.
Dave is survived by his Wife, Keli Beard, sister, Christina Beckmann (John), his two sons, Atigun Elias Mull and Parker Winston Mull, and his two beloved cats, Edward and Rosemary. He will be forever missed by his family and his many friends. He will be missed by the world, which needs more people who know how to love unconditionally and slow down to appreciate every sunset.
There will be Celebration of Life on Sunday, July 27, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. at the Garden Place in This is the Place Heritage Park, 2601 Sunnyside Ave., Salt Lake City, Utah. All are welcome to attend.
Keli, Atigun, and Parker,
I was so blessed to know your husband and dad playing ulitmate frisbee. I remember you even came and played once Keli at Riverside Park. Dave is one of the kindest, most optimistic, and all around great people to be around. I was so sad to hear of his accident and I hope and pray for peace with your family. Dave was one of the first people that I started playing with and he taught me so many things on the field and off the field. I never heard him say an unkind thing to anyone and he was such an amazing example to me of how to be as a person. There are so many days that I was on his team and we were getting creamed on the field and he would rally us to do our best or try our hardest. He would run run run and never complain. I hated playing against him because he was always going at 150% every single play. I loved reading about your family on Facebook, or messaging him and getting encouragement. He will truly be missed. I will be forever grateful and am truly a changed person because of him. If your family ever needs anything, please don't hesitate to ask and I will gladly help. Please reach out of you ever need anything. bruff28@gmail.com, or 801-599-1499.
I first met Dave because he was helping me find closer pickup ultimate frisbee games and groups. He was a great player and an even better person. One of the most welcoming, generous and competitive (only in the good ways) frisbee players I ever met. Thank you for sharing him with us so many times at pickup.
I am heartbroken! Dave will be sorely missed, and yes the world needs more people like him.
Keil:
I worked for/with Dave at SCM
from 2007-2010. My wife Annie and I were lucky enough to attend your wedding, although we left SLC in 2010. I can’t tell you how sad I am for your loss. I don’t know what to say other than: I haven't seen Dave in fifteen years but still miss him.
All the best,
Murry Warhank
There are no words to describe what you, your precious son’s and family members are feeling. I’m so deeply sorry for the lost of your loved husband. My prayers of loving comfort go out to you all. 🤍
I’m a friend of your wonderful Mother,
Carolyn McGuire
Winston, Caroline and Keli
I was just notified of David’s death. I want to offer you my deepest condolences. You guys are in my thoughts…..
Mike Gaffney
I am heartbroken to hear this news. I played frisbee with Dave. He was a stellar athlete and an even better friend. We weren’t close but every conversation I had with him he made me feel like we were. He will be greatly missed! I wish I could make the celebration of life but am currently out of town with family.
My condolences to you and your family.
We were so sorry to hear of the tragic passing of David. Our prayers go to to his family. We didn't know David but our grandson witnessed the accident and was with him, holding his hand until the very end. Please know he did not pass alone. Please accept our deepest condolences.
What a beautiful tribute and a life lived to the fullest. I love you Keli and I’m praying for you and your sweet sons. May you find peace and comfort in knowing you will see Dave again. I know you’ll climb more mountains with him and enjoy more sunsets/sunrises. May you cherish all of the time you shared with Dave. I love you dear friend.
-Tammy
Please accept my heartfelt condolences over the loss of a good man and a bright lawyer.
Keli, Parker, Atigun, I am so stunned by this news. You and the world lost an incredible person. I am so sorry for your loss. I wish there was something I could say or do. We remember our times with you guys fondly and will always remember Dave’s vibrancy and zest for life.
My heart is heavy and my eyes tearful as I read David’s obituary. What a wonderful man! I always enjoyed watching you guys pack up for another adventure. Though we’ve not seen you in a couple of years, I recognize the blessing of good neighbors. Love and prayers for all of you.
I am so sorry for your loss. Nothing can compare to losing your ‘person’ in life. Praying for you and your family that you will receive the love, comfort, and support you need during this time and coming years.
I worked with David at Utah Transit Authority. I was the claims and insurance manager (now retired). The five years working with David were the best years of my career. I worked with many attorneys during my career but David was the best; professionally and personally. The description of him in the obituary is no surprise to me. He is a man to be admired and emulated. My deepest condolences to his family.
A warm, quirky, pure soul. Whipsmart. The type of person you would instantly trust. The type of person you could chat with and be at ease with for hours. A helluva trial lawyer. A friend and colleague.
The salad story. The treadmill desk. The after work chats at Green Pig. These are the stories I cherish and will reflect on with both joy and sadness. I wish we would have stayed closer in touch. The Utah legal community, and planet Earth, is a worse place without him. But they both were made a much better place by his presence.
I’m so sorry to hear of Dave’s accident and passing. Keli, my heart goes out to you and your boys. My sincere and heartfelt condolences to you all.
Dear Keli, Atigun and Parker,
I am so sorry for your loss. David was delightful, genuine, caring, and warm. I had the pleasure of knowing him through ABOTA, where he will be sorely missed (as he will be everywhere). Mere words are insufficient, I know, but I hope you find some comfort in knowing that the pain of his loss is shared by many, and that you are in our thoughts.
I had the pleasure of mediating cases for David at Snow Christensen and then at UTA. I found David to be one of the most polite, thoughtful and courteous lawyers that I have worked with. I will miss him greatly, but he will live on in my heart, and every time I am in the mountains, I will think of David.
I just want you to know how much we’ve been thinking of your family. We know many people who know you and we are so sorry for the loss of your beloved dad, husband and brother. Dave was extremely friendly to us as we made our way up the trail at 6 am, arriving at the same time as him. He initiated a friendly conversation as we made our way along the the trail to the beautiful destination. I’m so sorry for the tragedy that took place that morning , but I am thinking you may take some comfort in knowing that he was in one of the most beautiful spots on earth enjoying what he clearly loved to do, being with nature in the majestic mountains. I know your family has talked to my husband, Harland, who was the doctor that was also next to him and scrambled down to him to render aid, so you know the details, (of course you can call us at any time), but I couldn’t miss this opportunity to let you know how connected we feel to you and how much you are on our minds. Although your name wasn’t familiar to us, I’m almost certain we have crossed paths many times because our daughters are at East and Clayton like your sons, and I’m pretty certain we both did Wasatch preschool together. We live on Harvard Avenue right by Bonneville Elementary school, so essentially the same neighborhood. We joked with your husband about how we must live close by because he said he felt like he’d been following our car since 2-15 all the way to the little cottonwood parking lot—I’m sure he noticed our car because almost no one else was out on the road so early on a Saturday. I wish we’d made the connection that we were from the same neighborhood and introduced ourselves properly instead of just made chitchat, but I’m so grateful that I was able to have some words with him that morning before it happened. Sending more love than you will ever know.
Heather Hayes
I’m incredibly sad about losing Dave, and my heart goes out to his family. I met Dave about a year ago when he started coming to our bi-weekly ultimate pickup games in Cottonwood Heights. Like others have mentioned, Dave was always upbeat and never said an unkind word. And he was always running, even when everyone else was tired. Some of his favorite sayings were: “that was a good practice game, now let’s play a real game” after losing any game during the day, and when it was time to go “let’s just play a quick game to one”. Since there were multiple Daves in the group, one of our nicknames for him was “Jaguar Dave” because he drove a sweet blue Jaguar. I’m grateful for all the games we got to play together, and I’m shocked about losing him. My deepest condolences to his family.
Dear Keli,
You and your children are in my thoughts as you remember David. It sounds as though he lived his life to the fullest every day. I hope joyful memories bring you comfort and peace in the days ahead.
In deepest sympathy,
Brittany Hodges
We can not understand the death of Dave, our good friend. We feel with his Family and pray for them. We remember Dave as a great person with humour and honesty. We will never forget hin.
I extend my deepest condolences to David's family at his unexpected death. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family. We will miss him.
Dear Keli and Family,
The world has lost a bright, shining star. As you probably know, I was David's TA at law school, many years ago. I always thought of David as my "star" student. As time went on, it became clear that Dave was a shining star in the whole community and in every way in his life. I am so sorry for your loss. I was always happy to run into Dave at various events. He always had a warm smile, and you could always feel his kindness. My thoughts are with you and your family.
I knew Dave only through ultimate frisbee. He was the guy you were excited to play with every time you wound up on the line together. Fast, smart, and always positive and excited to be there. Just a first class human and it is so unfair he is gone.
I was honored to have worked with David on the best legal team ever at UTA. He was sharp, down to earth and such a kind and warm human. I can remember he preparing for his bike trip to Las Vegas. A feat I thought was crazy!
He was an excellent attorney but more importantly, he was just a fantastic person. He always spoke proudly of his family, and so loved the outdoors.
I was heartbroken to have heard of his passing.
My deepest condolences to his family.
Dave Mull, you were the embodiment of the best qualities a human can possess. Kind, smart, warm, caring, fun. I know how much you were loved by so many people, myself included.
I’ll never forget hanging in Alaska, your voice over the loudspeaker every morning at school to share an inspirational quote for the day. You wrote one for me – ‘distance becomes a mere triviality in the face of true friendship’. That has remained etched in my mind for more than 30 years and has proven so true. You gifted me a little ceramic turtle that I still have and treasure – it stores my daughters precious baby teeth.
I have memories of seeing you in Leipzig with Nicola, what a depressing eastern block cityscape. You loved your time there.
I will be eternally grateful that you made the call on Prague. It was wonderful to see you after so long, getting to meet Keli and your friends before I was quarantined. Theres not many people that can drag people across the world for a festival they don’t really care for but you could because we all got to see you!
My heart aches for your boys who will miss you all their days. It sounds like you made their young lives a loving adventure and I hope they can hold onto those precious memories all their lives. And Keli, to lose her person, it’s just so unfair and cruel. You have shared a wonderful life together.
Such a lust for life you had Dave and for your life to be taken is wrong, so hard to comprehend. You are the best of the best, I hope you knew how much you are respected and loved by all, I think you did.
PS you would have made the best President!
Love always Tenielle
To all of Daves family my heart hurts to imagine the pain you are experiencing right now, sending all my love.
I’m very sad to hear of David’s sudden passing. We crossed paths many, many years ago at Ballard Spahr. He was smart, friendly and full of life. I’m very sorry for your loss. My prayers for your family!
Keli, Atigun, and Parker,
I am so sorry for your loss. David was such a positive person. Even in my brief encounters with him, I felt lucky to have crossed paths with him. It was obvious he was a great father and husband. He will be sorely missed in the Indian Hills neighborhood and the Salt Lake community. My sincerest condolences.
I worked with Dave at the Magleby firm. He was one of the best lawyers I’ve worked with. But it sounds like as good he was as a lawyer, he was even more exceptional as a husband and father. I’ve shared those paragraphs of the obituary with some close friends as they are so inspiring. And I have resolved to be more like Dave as a husband and father. My condolences and love to the family.
Dave was one of the nicest guys I have ever met. We played ultimate together around 2007-9ish at pickup and club teams (Chasing Tail). He always had positive energy. I did whatever I could to either play on the same team as him, or at the very least mark him if we were on opposing teams. He seemed to never age, always running as fast and playing as hard as when I first met him. I'm so glad I got a chance to play pickup with him a year ago. He was the kind of person you always wanted alongside of you on the line, and I will always remember him as one of the best teammates I've ever had. - Scott
Condolences
My heart aches upon learning of the passing of David, so suddenly and far too soon. When I stumbled upon the obituary headline on Facebook, I audibly gasped and, for a moment, time stood still. David and I were friends at Franklin & Marshall College and I cared about him deeply. Through a blurry wall of tears, I struggled to read the beautifully written obituary that encapsulated him so well. I recall fondly his humor, wit, and boundless energy and enthusiasm for each day’s opportunities, while showing an equal measure of seriousness, integrity, and commitment to his studies and career goals. Becoming President was, indeed, among them and, while his journey post-college took him in other directions and we lost touch, I always knew that he would be successful with his career, have a positive impact on the people and broader communities around him, and be someone we would all want to follow to the end. It gives me peace to learn that he achieved all of that and more and, in doing so, he will continue to be carried in our hearts and minds. Rest in peace, David. You will be sorely missed.
Keli:
I just heard the news and wanted to express my deepest condolences to you and your boys for this devastating loss. I recently saw Dave at a CLE and he was as courteous and friendly as always. Sorry isn’t enough, I wish there was more I could say. All my love to you and your family.
So sorry to hear about his passing. As a fellow hiker my condolences.
I didn’t know Dave well but we met while I was in law school and he was volunteering. I am so sorry for this tragedy. I hope that Keli and his sons can find strength and be lifted by the love he had for them. Please accept my sympathies.
Keli, my deepest condolences to you and your boys. You all are in my thoughts and prayers.
I played ultimate with Dave for many years. He was a gentleman whose kindness showedd with every interaction on the field and off. Often, he would be among the last players to leave, playing past exhaustion and whatever deadline anyone else had. If Dave was playing another round of goaltimate, I always said yes myself. Even after the last point, Dave would sometimes stay with me as we took off our cleats and talk about some camping he was doing or hikes or ask about my daughters or my writing. I'm sure that is the way I left him last when I played with him last summer.
My condolences to the family and all the friends who knew him. He will be greatly missed, but I will remember him always.
Keli and children,
I am a friend of David’s from Franklin and Marshall college. We lived in the same dorm our freshmen year, were RAs together our sophomore year, and stayed in touch until our senior year. I’m grateful to Beth Trovato for sharing the news of his passing, however painful it was to hear.
I think we all knew in college that Dave—the boy from the incredible state of Alaska— would go far. He was an *exceptionally eloquent* speaker whose audience couldn’t help but be captivated by his words. It was a real gift.
I remember he had made up a unique language that sounded like gibberish to me but nonetheless was not English... I was amazed by his creativity. He had values and stamina: if I recall correctly, he waited until senior year to even taste beer, claiming that he “just didn’t feel like it” earlier than that. He was helpful and generous with his time. I was a science nerd and one day we were sitting on a bench, and I confided in him that I didn’t know the difference between a Republican and a Democrat. He patiently explained each party’s values to me in a way I could understand. There is not a doubt in my mind that he was a remarkable attorney.
May all your happy memories get you through in the hard days ahead. God bless.
I heard through the F&M grapevine about Dave's tragic death and am shocked. He was such an intelligent, sweet, gentle funny man, and I'm sure his family will miss him terribly. We loved playing cards with my roommates in our ratty Lancaster appointment, and I remember him convincing a few people that of course his house in Alaska wasn't an igloo: just the basement. His kids are so close in age to my own, and I'm so sorry that they will be coming of age without his advice, wit and humor. I am sure will also leave a hole in the Utah legal community.
Hi,
I’m not sure if this will be seen but I have only just heard about Dave. I am saddened that I won’t be able to play ultimate and chat life with him anymore, but am grateful for the legacy of family and care that he left behind.