David Millen Gouldin died peacefully at home on September 22, 2026, with family by his side. He was 85 years old.

Dave was born on March 8, 1941, in Binghamton, NY, to Paul and Virginia Gouldin. The oldest of three children, Dave attended Binghamton Central High School and excelled in the classroom and on the sports field. Following graduation, he enrolled at Princeton University, where he was a member of the football team and served as Senior Class President. He was a proud alum, returning regularly for reunions and keeping tabs on how the Tigers performed against their athletic rivals. After graduating in 1963, Dave returned to upstate New York to attend Cornell Law School, joining the Moot Court Board and serving as the Student Association President. In both college and law school, Dave formed friendships that would last a lifetime.

Dave was forever grateful to friends who, during law school, set him up on a blind date with Deborah Anderson, the love of his life. Dave and Debbie married on August 20, 1966, shortly after Debbie’s graduation from Elmira College and Dave’s graduation from Cornell. They settled in Binghamton, NY, where they shared more than 50 years of marriage prior to Debbie’s passing in 2018. In Binghamton, Dave and Debbie forged deep, lifelong friendships throughout their community. These took root over holiday gatherings and bridge games, at Binghamton University basketball games, at church, and in the neighborhood surrounding their home on Highland Avenue.

After law school, Dave joined his father’s law firm, Levene Gouldin & Thompson. He practiced law for more than five decades at LG&T, alongside his father and other colleagues and close friends he respected and admired. Dave eventually served as the firm’s Managing Partner during a time when the firm enjoyed significant success and expansion. Dave loved being a lawyer, and he took particular pride in mentoring younger attorneys.

Over the course of his career as a trial lawyer, Dave received numerous accolades. He was elected to the American College of Trial Lawyers, in recognition of his exceptional skills in the courtroom, and received the New York State Bar Association Root-Stimson Award, honoring his extraordinary community service. The New York Court of Appeals appointed Dave to serve four terms on the prestigious Board of Law Examiners,and he was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Third Department Committee on Professional Standards. Dave served as President of both the Broome County Bar Association and the Federation of the Bar of the Sixth Judicial District. He held leadership roles in New York State Bar Association Sections and committees across several decades, receiving the John E. Leach Memorial Award from the Torts, Insurance and Compensation Law Section (for outstanding service and distinguished contributions to the legal profession).

Dave was deeply committed to his community. He served as Chairman of the United Way of Broome County and the United Way of New York State. He was a member of the Foundation Board for Binghamton University and was a Director of the Broome Community College Foundation. He was a dedicated Binghamton Rotarian for more than 40 years, serving as Director and President. He was Trustee and Chairman of the Link Foundation and a Trustee of the Gaffney Foundation. He was a lifetime member of Tabernacle United Methodist Church,where he enjoyed occasionally preaching. He also served as Trustee and as Chancellor of the Wyoming Conference of the United Methodist Church (covering the Southern Tier of New York and northeastern Pennsylvania). His impactful community service was recognized with the Boy Scouts Susquenango Council Distinguished Citizen Award, the Hillel Academy of Broome County’s Theodore Sommer Community Service Award, and Binghamton University’s Distinguished Service Award, among others.

As committed as Dave was to his law practice and community, his true passion was his family. He and Debbie had four children, Bob, Mike, Lauryn, and Rick, and Dave took great pride in their many achievements. He coached each of his sons through eight seasons of Babe Ruth baseball (winning championships in six of those years). He was a fixture in the stands at games and swim meets, often editing legal briefs between innings, plays, and dives. Dave (“Gump”) and Debbie(“Gie”) were blessed with and adored their ten grandchildren: Curt, Jinny, Abby, Teddy, Nick, David, Sophie, Sam, Lyla, and Henry. They treasured annual summer vacations to the Adirondacks with all their children and grandchildren, time spent at the beach in Florida, and family breakfasts at Apple Hills.

Dave loved people and rarely forgot a name once he’d met someone. He was happiest when he was sharing a good meal and stimulating conversation. Dave seldom discussed his own accomplishments and was much more interested in learning about the lives of others.

He was a source of wisdom, perspective, solace, and humor to friends and family who called at all hours with problems they knew he could help solve or burdens they were struggling to bear on their own. He balanced a strong ethical compass with his quick, mischievous wit. He regularly wrote prank letters to his children, his sister, and his friends, many of which have been saved for posterity.

For the last several years, Dave enjoyed living in a patio apartment next door to his sister Judy, a retired physician, in a senior living community in Fayetteville, NY. He loved attending movies and going on outings with Judy, cheering loudly at his grandchildren’s softball games and tennis matches, and spending time with family and friends. Dave’s family offers special thanks to the loving team of caregivers who, together with his family, ensured that Dave’s final years, months, and days were filled with dignity, comfort, small adventures, and, always, his infectious laughter.

Dave was predeceased by his wife Deborah, his parents Paul and Virginia, and his younger brother Paul (Kip).

He is survived by his sister, Judith, and his children: Robert and his wife Sondra; Michael and his wife Susan; Lauryn and her husband Nicolas Commandeur; and Derek and his wife Melissa. He is also survived by the next generation: Michael (Curt) and his wife Elise, Virginia, and Theodore Gouldin; Abigail and David Gouldin; Nicholas and Samuel Gouldin; and Sophia, Lyla, and Derek (Henry) Commandeur.

A memorial service for Dave will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 31, 2026, at Tabernacle United Methodist Church, 83 Main Street, Binghamton.

The family will receive friends on Friday, October 30, 2026, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the church.

In lieu of flowers, please consider gifts to the Community Foundation for South Central New York (the Dave and Debbie Gouldin Fund), https://cfscny.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=4085 or the United Way of Broome County, https://www.uwbroome.org/ or any other organization of one’s choosing.

For additional information about the arrangements, please visit Lewis, Hurley & Pietrobono www.lhpfuneralhome.com.