David Gilbert Luenberger

September 16, 1937 - May 19, 2026

David Gilbert Luenberger, age 88, passed away peacefully on Tuesday morning May 19, 2026. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, professor, and friend. He will be greatly missed.

David was born in Los Angeles, California on September 16, 1937 to parents Fred and Marion Luenberger. He was the oldest of three children with two younger sisters, Joanne and Linda.

David graduated from Dorsey High School in Los Angeles and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology. He then earned his Master of Science and PhD in Electrical Engineering at Stanford University in 1963.

At Stanford, David met his wife of 64 years, Nancy Iversen, during an “exchange” between his dorm and the nurse’s dorm, where he asked her to dance. They were married a little over a year later! David and Nancy had four children, Susan, Robert, Jill, and Jenna. David was a devoted father and grandfather with ten grandchildren.

David was a professor at Stanford University for 50 years. He taught and conducted research about control theory, optimization, economics, information science, and investment science. David was one of the original founders of the Department of Engineering-Economic Systems in 1967 and served as chairman of the department for eleven years. A few of his career highlights include the development of the Luenberger Observer in control theory and authoring several classic books including Optimization by Vector Space Methods, Linear and Nonlinear Programming (with Yinyu Ye), and Investment Science. He won a number of awards including the Bode Lecture Prize of the Control Systems Society, the Oldenburger Medal of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the Expository Writing Award of the Institute of Operations Research and Management Science. David was a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers and a Member of the National Academy of Engineering.

In addition to his academic accomplishments, David had numerous hobbies. He was a magician and member of the Magic Castle in Hollywood, enjoyed listening to and playing jazz piano, dancing with his wife, and writing short stories. David loved the outdoors. He loved to ski at Lake Tahoe and body surf in the ocean. He climbed Mount Whitney and hiked Yosemite. David was a prolific photographer, a member of the Palo Alto Camera Club and took many beautiful pictures as he travelled the world with Nancy.

David is survived by his wife, his four children, his 10 grandchildren, his two younger sisters and their families.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, August 30 at 2pm at Grace Lutheran Church, 3149 Waverley St., Palo Alto.