David Jay Eyre

David J. Eyre passed away peacefully on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, in his home in Torrey, Utah, from parathyroid cancer.

Born on January 24, 1961, in Logan, Utah, to Harmon and Julie Sears Eyre, David was an avid skier and outdoor adventurer who spent most of his life living along the Wasatch Front. He adored his children, Hannah and William, whom he shared with their mother Cathleen McNamara. He treasured every Bear Lake trip with William and found joy visiting Hannah in her adopted home of New York City. He was always deeply proud to be their father.

David was fortunate to find his life partner, Gena Edvalson. Together, they camped their way through Covid in an old Springbar tent and traveled the world making friends from Thailand to Mexico. They would take off to chase wildflowers only to find themselves hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. They both knew that love was the only true adventure.

His professional life started early in his family’s flower shops. He would pick up a broom to clean when needed but could also make anything from prom corsages to elaborate arrangements. His innovation began there when, as a young man, he taught seasoned florists new techniques at a floral convention. He also enjoyed a simultaneous stint as a McDonalds fry cook, never afraid of hard work.

As a scholar, he was a lifetime learner, obtaining his BS in chemistry (1985), MS in applied mathematics (1990), and PhD in mathematics (1992), all from the University of Utah. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Minnesota, he rejoined the Department of Mathematics at the University of Utah in 1995 as faculty. His brilliance as a mathematician was celebrated for his work on the Cahn-Hilliard equation (originally known as Eyre’s Theorem), a central equation governing how solid materials flow. As a fourth-order nonlinear parabolic partial differential equation, it is extremely difficult to solve. David pioneered a time-marching method that led to unconditionally stable solutions, a breakthrough that transformed an entire field. He spoke on this and other advanced topics at seminars worldwide.

In 2001, he transitioned to industry, becoming the Director of Biomathematics and Software Engineering for Idaho Technologies, Inc., which would later become BioFire Diagnostics, Inc. Much like his father, his work at Idaho Technologies and the evolution of the company had a fingerprint on world health. Their innovations drastically reduced time to treatment and lowered patient mortality with their PCR technology. David ultimately served as CIO. A truly epic career journey that took him from fry cook to professor to biotech executive. After a long period of corporate expansion, David retired from BioFire in 2020 and moved to Torrey, UT.

From the mountains to the water is where David found his passion and where he was able to think through the complex problems he solved at work. He was a raft guide, a sailor, and a camper (in his beloved VW Bus). Adventurous enough to ride his bike from Salt Lake City to Yellowstone National Park and back in the early 80’s. But he will always be remembered as an avid backcountry skier in the core Wasatch, and, later, on the Wasatch Plateau. David had his skiing buddies, lifelong friends who skied together from the early 80s until his last season, when he took his last turns.

His love of the outdoors brought him to Torrey, which offered a desert home whose scenery and people rival none. David quickly became an active member of the local science and technology expat community, a regular attendee of the seminar meetings of the Royal Society of Torrey. There were also weekly dinner parties and cocktails with friends, and a community that rallied together through his illness to make it possible to fulfill his wish to stay home until the end.

David is survived by his wife, Gena; his children, Hannah (Lux) and William; his mother, Julie; his brother, Richard (Delphine); and his nephews, Logan and Miles. He was preceded in death by his father, Harmon; his brother, Brian; and his sister, Suzanne. Beyond his family, he leaves a community of friends around the world, including Karl, his childhood friend and brother at heart; Robert, his “science brother,” with whom he shared a love of science and intellectual curiosity; and Scott, Gordon and Randy, his ski bros and partners in mountain adventures.

We all raise a glass of tequila (on the rocks with a squeeze of lime) to the man who enriched our lives in ways only this quintessential Utah man could have. All of us will always remember his laugh.

Memories and condolences may be shared and expressed at www.allenmortuaries.com.