David M. Southerland
Wed, 02/26/2014 - 22:18
Edgar
A memorial service for David Marshall Southerland, 63 of Tyler, was held 2 p.m. Friday, February 21, 2014 in the chapel of Green Acres Baptist Church with Danny Pickens officiating, under direction of Burks Walker Tippit Funeral Home. Visitation was held at the church from 1-2 p.m. David was born November 11, 1950 in Abilene to Rev. Marshall O. and Faye A. Reese Southerland. He died suddenly February 17, 2014. A 1969 W. W. Samuel High School graduate in Dallas, he earned a B.S. in Psychology from East Texas State University and studied at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. In 1970 he married Carolyn L. Cook at Colonial Baptist Church, his father’s church in Dallas. The couple was blessed with three children. Over the years the family lived in a number of Texas towns, including Forney, Terrell, Lone Oak, Cumby and Canton. Dave and Carolyn settled in Tyler and joined Green Acres Baptist Church. Dave (known as “Poo” to his grandchildren) loved fishing, eating watermelon with the family, discovering bargains from livestock to books, all music, especially Southern Gospel and spending time with his family. His scholarly knowledge of the scriptures always astonished his family and friends. Dave had a wide and varied career, including freight dock supervisor, auto repair shop owner and telephone company engineer. In the 1980s Dave recruited mechanics to begin a “Cars for Christ” ministry that refurbished vehicles for families in need. This led him into full-time ministry as pastor of Poetry Baptist Church, Lone Oak Baptist Church and First Baptist Church of Cumby. Enthusiastic to share his ministr y fur ther in the community, Dave began serving as a social worker and eventually as a nursing home administrator. David is sur vived by his wife Carolyn; son, Nathan, daughter-in-law, Debbie and grandson Alex of Austin; daughter, Carrie, son-in-law, Erik and granddaughters, Cara, Libby and Ellie of Anderson, S.C.; son, Daniel, daughter-in-law, Le’Anne and a granddaughter to be born in May of Tyler; mother, Faye Southerland of Rockwall; sisters and brothers-in-law, Kay and John Roe and Debra and Gary Ühl; in-laws Robbie and Mary Cook, Diane and P.D. Thomas, Brenda and Gary Kirby and many nieces, nephews and cousins. Because of Dave’s heart for people in need, the family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Benevolence Fund at Green Acres Baptist Church in memory of David Southerland.
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