David Allan Ogden

David Allan Ogden passed away peacefully on Thursday, May 14, 2020, in Bigfork.

He was born February, 28, 1945, in St. Louis, Missouri. His parents were Eleanor and Phillip Ogden. He grew up in East Saint Louis, Illinois and attended The Principia through high school. He continued his education at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana which his father also attended. However, he moved to Los Angeles graduating from California State University, Los Angeles.

He married Patti in August of 1966 and continued his studies. He went to law school at UCLA before passing the Bar and becoming a lawyer — ultimately the Lincoln Lawyer.

He worked in the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office then for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. He went into private practice for the rest of his career where he specialized in criminal law but also helped many clients in all areas of the law. Not focusing on one particular courthouse, he drove to many courthouses representing clients all around Southern California. One of those clients became his driver, driving him to courthouse after courthouse. This life experience was shared with author Michael Connelly at a Los Angeles Dodgers game who used it as the basis of the bestselling book The Lincoln Lawyer which later became a movie.

They lived on Point Dume in Malibu, California for thirty-five years until David’s retirement in 2010 when they moved full-time to their home in Bigfork, Montana on the Swan River.

As a lifelong Christian Scientist, he was most recently a member of First Church of Christ, Scientist, Kalispell. He was also a Trustee Emeritus of Berkeley Hall School in Los Angeles.

He was always active in the community. In addition to church, he was former president of the Malibu Bar Association, a singer in the Santa Monica Oceanaires, a mens a cappella chorus. He was also a 32nd degree Mason. In Montana, he was a former board member of the Flathead Valley Live on Stage musical non-profit organization.

He is survived by wife Patti Ogden of Bigfork, Montana, sons Jonathan and Matthew, daughter-in-law Alicia, grandson, Asher (Jonathan), grandaughters, Autumn (Matthew) and Callie (Matthew), and step-brother Darwin Cuddeback and his wife Somsri, and so many friends and colleagues.

No services are planned at this time.