David Neubert Compton

On December 2, 2025, the 53rd anniversary of his wedding to his dear wife, Rebecca, at 3:45 a.m., David N. Compton died peacefully at the age of 77. He suffered from Lewy Body Dementia and spent his last days in the compassionate care of the Boise V.A. Hospice Unit.

David was born May 17, 1948, in Knoxville, Tennessee to Charles R. Compton, Jr. and Dorothy Neubert Compton. He graduated from Young High School in 1966. He graduated from the University of Tennessee with a BS degree in Sociology and Journalism in 1970. He was employed by the Knoxville Journal as a copy desk editor and reporter prior to joining the US Army in 1972. After basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, he graduated from Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma as a Second Lieutenant in Field Artillery.

In December of 1972 he married M. Rebecca Shull of Nashville, who he had met at the University of Tennessee three years earlier. His first assignment was at Fort Sill as Assistant Editor of the new Field Artillery Journal. In 1975 he was transferred to Germany as a Pershing (nuclear) Missile Officer. In 1978 he returned to Fort Sill for school before being assigned to the famed 101st Airborne at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. In 1981 he was stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. In 1984 he was reassigned to the US Military Academy at West Point, New York where he served as Deputy Director for Academy Relations and was promoted to Major, Regular Army. He also attended Polytechnic University in New York (now NYU) and received a Masters Degree in Computer Information Systems in 1988. During the summer of 1987 he attended the Army Advanced Public Affairs Course at the University of South Carolina with a follow-on assignment to the US European Command Public Affairs Office in Stuttgart, Germany. In 1990 he headed to Fort McClellan, Alabama as the Director of Public Affairs. In 1992 he retired from the US Army and moved to Nashville, Tennessee.

In 1993 he became Vice President of Corporate Relations for Comdata Corporation where he developed a strong Public Relations staff and received the APR accreditation by the Public Relations Society of America. In 1995 David and Rebecca moved to Maryland when he contracted to support the US Army Chemical Demilitarization Program. In 1997 he joined the public affairs staff of the US Air Force in the Pentagon as Senior Administrator of the Air Force Web Information Service (Webmaster). Leaving the Air Force in 1999, he joined MicronPC.com in Boise, Idaho as Senior Web Strategist. In 2002 he started his own company, Compton Communications. In 2003, with the start of the Iraq War, he returned to the Pentagon to work with US Army Public Affairs as a senior analyst. He returned home to Idaho in 2005 and restarted his company. In 2013 he retired and closed the company.

David was preceded in death by his parents, and by his sister, Elizabeth Ann Starleaf, of Ames, Iowa.

David is survived by his wife of 53 years, Rebecca; brother-in-law, Dennis Starleaf, of Ames, Iowa, niece Katrina Starleaf and nephew Christopher Starleaf; brother C. Randy Compton (Sharon) of Knoxville, Tennessee, nephew Nicklas Compton and niece Lacey Compton; brother Nolan T. Compton (Dee Anna) of Soldotna, Alaska and Cameron, Texas; brother-in-law James M. Shull (Carol Ann) of Franklin, Tennessee, nephew Jason Shull (Katy) of Franklin, Tennessee and nephew Jared Shull (Mohana) of Birmingham, Alabama; and several great-nieces and great-nephews.

He was active in Rotary International until he retired. He served as a founding member of the Idaho Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (twice serving as President). He was a ski patroller for many years. He attended First United Methodist Church – The Cathedral of the Rockies in Boise, ID. He enjoyed the fellowship of the men’s group of the Welcome Club of Treasure Valley, and of neighbors and other friends.

A committal service with military honors will be held at 1:00 pm, Friday, May 29, 2026, at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery, 10100 N. Horseshoe Bend Rd. in Boise, with a celebration of life to follow.

Arrangements are under the direction of Bowman Funeral Parlor of Garden City.