AUBURN – David Compton, 65, of Buckfield, died Tuesday, May 1, after successfully fighting cancer for more than a year.

He was born in Bronxville, N.Y., on Sept. 6, 1941, the son of Richard and Eleanor Compton. He spent his early years in the company of his sister, Carol (Compton) Wingard, and his brother, Scott Compton, developing his lifelong passion for learning and languages.

He attended the Holderness School and Bates College, graduating in 1963 with a bachelor’s degree in French, and spending his junior year studying in Paris. It was at Bates where he met the love of his life, Janet (Suomela) Compton. They married in 1964, and laughed, cried, and grew together for the next 42 years.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1963, and served in Germany in an intelligence capacity. Returning to the United States, he earned a master’s degree from Brown University, and embarked on a teaching career spanning more than 30 years.

He taught French, English as a second language, and computers at Suffield Academy in Suffield, Conn., where he was chairman of the language department, and at Hebron Academy in Hebron. In his retirement years, he built a home in Buckfield, and published four novels, “A Filthy Business,” “Nexus,” “Catalyst” and “Claxton Hall.”

He served as chairman of the deacons committee at the First Congregation Church in South Paris, where he was an active member. He loved classical music, model railroading and a rural lifestyle.

Besides his wife, he leaves a daughter, Kirstii Compton of Manchester, Conn.; and two cats, Gandalf and Samwise of Buckfield.