David Charles Earhart

David C. Earhart, born October 4, 1927, died September 6, 2023. He was the son of the late, Edward C. Earhart and Marguerite S. Earhart. David was preceded in death by the mother of his children, Peggy Ann C. Earhart Bancroft; by his second wife of 10 years, Parepa S. Funkhouser Earhart; his spouse of 30 years, Hanna Z. Baxter Earhart; his brother, Joseph E. Earhart; sister, Mary E. Jenkins; stepson, Neill Z. Baxter; and daughter-in-law, Dorothy W. Earhart.

David is survived by his son, Philip D. Earhart, of Stafford, VA; daughter, Marguerite Earhart and P. J. Hays, of Whittier, CA; granddaughter, Jennifer Lonon (Tom), of South Orange, New Jersey; grandson, Philip F. Earhart, of Stafford, VA; and great-grandson, Clark Lonon, of South Orange, NJ; also stepson, Robert Funkhouser and wife, Sylvia, of Suffolk, VA; stepdaughter, Denise B. Lay, of Norris, TN.

David was a U.S. Army clerk during WWII. After college, for thirty years he was a construction estimator and drafting designer of air-conditioning and piping with major east coast contractors. In those years he was also a 25-year volunteer firefighter, rising to department chief. After retirement to Hopewell, VA, he was active in boy scouts, organizing or restarting 5 Cub Packs, 3 Scout Troops, and 2 Explorer groups in the Tri-City area. David has been licensed Lay Reader in the Episcopal Church continuously since 1952, serving parishes in Sussex, Surry, and Prince George Counties, VA. In 1977-80 David, with Hanna, went to the Episcopal Seminary in Austin, TX, for graduate classes.

Hanna and David retired to Hopewell, VA, where Hanna's children were raised. She died in September 2000. David was an officer of the Merchant's Hope Church Foundation, Inc., and a parish member since 1969, much to his delight.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am, Friday, September 22, 2023, at Merchants Hope Church. Interment will be in the Earhart family plot at the Claremont, Virginia Cemetery. The family is being served by the Hopewell Chapel of J.T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home, 820 W. Broadway Avenue, Hopewell, VA 23860.