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Obituary: David Palecek, 37, Atherton resident, father of four

David Vaclav Palecek, an Atherton resident and a partner at McKinsey & Co. management consulting firm, died from complications of a staphylococcus infection at Stanford Hospital on Feb. 16. He was 37.

A celebration of his life is scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday, March 14, at the Arrillaga Alumni Center on the Stanford campus.

Born in Richmond, Virginia, he spent the first several years of his life with his parents in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The family moved to Palo Alto in 1975, and then to Atherton, where Mr. Palecek and his two brothers grew up.

As a teenager, he was an Eagle Scout and became a member of the Alpine Meadows ski patrol, a volunteer job he performed for 20 seasons, family members said. He graduated from Menlo-Atherton High School and earned a bachelor's degree in genomics from the University of California at Davis.

He took a job with McKinsey & Co. in its Prague office, and then attended Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, graduating in 1998. It was there he met his future wife, Melissa Black. They married in 2000. Mr. Palecek rejoined McKinsey at its Palo Alto office and was made partner in 2003.

He was a devoted and loving father to his four daughters, 6-year-old twins Katrina and Caroline, Sierra, 5, and Annika, 14 months. He enjoyed windsurfing, water-skiing and sailing, and was an avid skier, a certified dive master and a licensed pilot, family members said.

Besides his wife Melissa and their four daughters, Mr. Palecek is survived by his parents, Peter and Hana Palecek of Atherton; and his brothers Misha Palecek and Tom Palecek, both of San Francisco.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the David V. Palecek Memorial Trust to assist with his daughters' healthcare, welfare and education. Checks should be made payable to "David V. Palecek Memorial Trust" and sent to David Palecek Memorial Trust, 68 Mesa Court, Atherton, CA 94027.