Obituary of David Harris Hersten

David Harris Hersten, 72, of Santa Monica, California passed away on December 18, 2020 in his home in Santa Monica.

Due to the Covid 19 pandemic there will be no funeral service at this time.  An on-line virtual memorial is scheduled for February 6, 2021.  Following David’s wishes, he is being cremated and his ashes are to be spread in the mountains and ocean near Santa Cruz, California when it is possible to do this. 

David was born in Detroit, Michigan to Harry Marcus Hersten and Allene Anne Skwor on November 8^th, 1948.  His family later moved to Los Angeles, California.  He went to high school at Fairfax High and graduated in 1966.   From 1965 – 1968 he ran his own business “David’s Aquarium Service’ that serviced aquariums in doctor’s offices.  He joined the US Navy in 1968 and served as a radio operator in Vietnam and then served in the Naval reserves until his honorable release in 1973.

David earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology in 1974 from the University of California Santa Cruz.  He worked as a counselor for the US Job Corps from 1975-1978.  He went on to study at the Cleveland Chiropractic College in Los Angeles, California earning a Doctor of Chiropractic degree in 1982.  During this time, he worked as a physio-nutritional consultant for Dr. Betty Behl and assisted in a pilot study for nutritional intervention for Chronic Asthmatics at Valley Presbyterian Hospital.  He took many hours of classes in Applied Kinesiology and ultimately this became a key part of his healing technique.

He began his chiropractic practice in Santa Monica, Ca in 1983 in partnership with Wilson Smith.  They moved the practice to Carmel Valley but David returned to establish his own practice in Santa Monica.  He provided very special and unique care to many patients for 38 years.   David had many interests including travel, reading, photography, going to museums, collecting fine art and attending music events (both rock n roll and classical).  Though he was raised in a Jewish family, his ‘high holiday’ was Ground Hog’s Day.  He felt it was one annual event that had not been commercialized.  He began his count-down to Feb 2 each year many months before and would constantly remind his family and friends ‘how many more days until the rapture’.  He had very fine taste in food and wine and shared that with his friends.

David is survived by his cousins Steven Kursman, Jay Lerner, Liane Gerczak.  He is preceded in death by his parents.

Memorial donations may be made to Monterey Bay Aquarium Sea Otter Program. (https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/join-give/support-our-sea-otter-program/donate-sea-otter-program).   David considered otters to be aquatic groundhogs.

David will be missed by all his friends and patients