Remembering David Perrin
by David Powell
October 17, 2015
When I visited David in the hospital a few weeks ago, he greeted me with, “You are such an amazing friend, Dave Powell. I love you so much!” “I love you too, Dave Perrin,” I responded. Then when Phil and Cindy Johnston walked in, it was, “You are such amazing friends, Phil and Cindy. I love you so much!” Hazel was an amazing mother-in-law, and Winston was amazing, too. And as David talked about his parents and his sister, Emily, they were also amazing. And of course, Dawn was amazing and beautiful. So I’m certain that the first thing David would have me tell each of you is, “You are so amazing! Thank you for coming today! I love you so much!” And as his son, Eli, noted, he would say it as if you were the only person in the room.
David Lester Perrin was born in Henrietta, Texas on July 18, 1958 to Lester Ray Perrin and Lois Elaine Wythe Perrin. He moved with his family to Lubbock in 1959, where his parents began teaching at Lubbock Christian College, and they became a part of the church here at Vandelia. The Perrins would eventually have 5 children -– 4 boys and a girl -– and David was the third of five and the only boy who would not become a lawyer –- which was fine with him.
David was educated in Lubbock Christian Schools, Bowie Elementary, and McKenzie Junior High School, and graduated from Lubbock Christian University in 1980. He married his soul mate, Dawn Celeste Kelly, on December 30, 1978 in La Junta, Colorado at the 10th and Cimarron Church of Christ. After one year working for Ross Perot at Electronic Data Systems in Ft. Worth, he moved back to Lubbock and worked at Compu–Share (recently renamed nQativ) for the last 34 years.
David completed his journey to healing and met his Lord and Savior on October 12, 2015. Loved ones include his wife of 37 years and two sons, Kelly John Perrin and wife, Joy Marie Gregg Perrin, and David Eli Perrin, all of Lubbock; siblings, Doug Perrin and wife, Dana, Emily Rider, Tim Perrin and wife, Lucy, Mark Perrin and wife, Becky; one grandson, mother-in-law Hazel Kelly-LeMond, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and many friends.
David Lester Perrin was born in Henrietta, Texas on July 18, 1958 to Lester Ray Perrin and Lois Elaine Wythe Perrin. He moved with his family to Lubbock in 1959, where his parents began teaching at Lubbock Christian College, and they became a part of the church here at Vandelia. The Perrins would eventually have 5 children -– 4 boys and a girl -– and David was the third of five and the only boy who would not become a lawyer –- which was fine with him.
David was educated in Lubbock Christian Schools, Bowie Elementary, and McKenzie Junior High School, and graduated from Lubbock Christian University in 1980. He married his soul mate, Dawn Celeste Kelly, on December 30, 1978 in La Junta, Colorado at the 10th and Cimarron Church of Christ. After one year working for Ross Perot at Electronic Data Systems in Ft. Worth, he moved back to Lubbock and worked at Compu–Share (recently renamed nQativ) for the last 34 years.
David completed his journey to healing and met his Lord and Savior on October 12, 2015. Loved ones include his wife of 37 years and two sons, Kelly John Perrin and wife, Joy Marie Gregg Perrin, and David Eli Perrin, all of Lubbock; siblings, Doug Perrin and wife, Dana, Emily Rider, Tim Perrin and wife, Lucy, Mark Perrin and wife, Becky; one grandson, mother-in-law Hazel Kelly-LeMond, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and many friends.
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Well, the first thing you noticed as you walked into Dave’s office was that he was a St. Louis Cardinals fan. Between the Lou Brock bobble-head and the autographed picture of Jim Edmonds, the coffee-table book and the time line poster, the calendar, the pennants, and the miniature bat, there was no mistaking his loyalty. This was a love he inherited from his father and his grandfather and one he shared with his brothers and his sons. And I’m sure it will be passed down to little Charles Henry.
One of David’s last memories of his father was driving him and David’s Mom to Houston to meet his brothers for a Cardinals play-off game. A Cardinals game was playing the day of Dave’s birthday party last July, and when he was in the hospital, he somewhat contented himself to watching Cardinals games on Dawn’s iPad. |
To be a good baseball fan, you must be a master of minutiae, and this David inherited from his father in spades. As was said about Les, a co-worker recently noted there was nothing about baseball or church history that David didn’t know. Or about his genealogy -– David spent hours researching his family history and enjoyed telling stories about people in his past.
This command of detail was combined with the servant heart of his mother, which suited Dave perfectly for his job in software support.
David described his work with the following mission statement: "To pursue the resolution to a customer’s problem with dedication and resolve, while maximizing the customer’s (and our own) satisfaction."
This past week, one customer remembered, “I never had the pleasure of meeting him in person, but he always took care of us and brought us back off the ledge many times.”
Another wrote: “He was such a help; a calm, knowledgeable, and friendly voice whenever we spoke.”
And another, “He was always a bright voice on the other end of the line, helpful and kind.”
Co-worker Chris Oden summed it up well when he wrote:
This command of detail was combined with the servant heart of his mother, which suited Dave perfectly for his job in software support.
David described his work with the following mission statement: "To pursue the resolution to a customer’s problem with dedication and resolve, while maximizing the customer’s (and our own) satisfaction."
This past week, one customer remembered, “I never had the pleasure of meeting him in person, but he always took care of us and brought us back off the ledge many times.”
Another wrote: “He was such a help; a calm, knowledgeable, and friendly voice whenever we spoke.”
And another, “He was always a bright voice on the other end of the line, helpful and kind.”
Co-worker Chris Oden summed it up well when he wrote:
Over the last 27 years, I've watched David perform his support duties at work with a smile -- solving difficult problems and helping others in need -- and when I'd offer an occasional compliment for a job well done, he'd always respond with "it's what I do". I've been blessed by David, …and I'm not at all surprised with how that gentle, friendly spirit of his has touched so many lives. I can hear him saying "it's what I do".
Friend Geoff Casella saw this same spirit when he wrote:
Dave was one of the most humble people I know… He had a way of mentioning my name in conversation that would make me feel like I was the most important person in the world. He seemed to intuitively understand the scriptures that tell us to place others above ourselves. He may have thought about it or said it to others, but I don’t remember an unkind word ever coming out of his mouth, either in high school or the many years since.
Another trait David inherited from his father was a lifetime love of music.
In fact, four generations of Perrins have led singing here at Vandelia. David’s grandfather was the guest song leader when he came for a visit, and recently Eli has followed in the steps of his father and grandfather.
David was in chorus in High School and in Meistersingers at LCU, and he sang in a men’s quartet called The Messengers with his Dad. [Sample here.] David always wished he had majored in music, and was so proud that his son, Eli, had done just that.
David and his Dad loved the impromptu sing-along. As Sherry Casella put it, “Dave and Les could be prompted to sing at the drop of a hat -- half the time they preemptively threw down the hats,” and on many occasions those group sings lasted late into the night.
David usually sang tenor to harmonize with Les’ bass, but David could sing any part from high tenor to low bass.
Sherry added that "Dave had a knack for remembering other people's favorite hymns, and suggesting them instead of his own when his turn came around. When leading worship, he also had a gifting for choosing songs that he knew would speak a healing message into someone's current circumstances.”
David composed original songs, and if there was not a 4-part a cappella arrangement for a song he wanted to lead, he wrote one.
In fact, four generations of Perrins have led singing here at Vandelia. David’s grandfather was the guest song leader when he came for a visit, and recently Eli has followed in the steps of his father and grandfather.
David was in chorus in High School and in Meistersingers at LCU, and he sang in a men’s quartet called The Messengers with his Dad. [Sample here.] David always wished he had majored in music, and was so proud that his son, Eli, had done just that.
David and his Dad loved the impromptu sing-along. As Sherry Casella put it, “Dave and Les could be prompted to sing at the drop of a hat -- half the time they preemptively threw down the hats,” and on many occasions those group sings lasted late into the night.
David usually sang tenor to harmonize with Les’ bass, but David could sing any part from high tenor to low bass.
Sherry added that "Dave had a knack for remembering other people's favorite hymns, and suggesting them instead of his own when his turn came around. When leading worship, he also had a gifting for choosing songs that he knew would speak a healing message into someone's current circumstances.”
David composed original songs, and if there was not a 4-part a cappella arrangement for a song he wanted to lead, he wrote one.
David recently took part in two musicals at Lubbock Christian University, including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, where he played the part of Joseph’s oldest brother, Reuben. He became like an older brother to his cast mates, and Tod Towns wrote this week that David would always be Reuben to him.
Dave also played the guitar and loved the Beatles, and just last Labor Day, several LCU friends were gathered in his living room while he sang and played:
Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more.
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more.
Then Byron Rogers took his turn on the guitar, and we sang the familiar Dan Fogelberg song:
The leader of the band is tired, and his eyes are growing old,
But his blood runs through my instrument and his song is in my soul,
My life has been a poor attempt to imitate the man,
I'm just a living legacy to the leader of the band.
But his blood runs through my instrument and his song is in my soul,
My life has been a poor attempt to imitate the man,
I'm just a living legacy to the leader of the band.
And four days before Dave left us for a while, it was music that brought us together, as 26 friends and one mystery woman with a hat, gathered around his bed to sing. Dave was unable to speak much, but with a huge smile on his face, he mouthed the words of every verse to every song. [Video here.]
Back to Dave’s office. There was a trinket on his wall that was easy to miss but gained new meaning this week. Mounted to a bit of cork board, surrounded by Popsicle sticks, was a sticky note that read, “Gone to Dad’s to get your room ready. Be back soon to get you. Love, Jesus.”
David and Dawn attended Westmont Christian Church for a few years in the 1990s and early 2000s, and Dave served as an elder there from 1998 to 2001. And it was there that he very reluctantly agreed to attend Men’s Walk to Emmaus #20 in January, 1998. The experience was transformative, and David found great joy in fellowship with other believers in Jesus outside his own faith tradition. David would say that in Emmaus he learned to love God with his heart as well as his mind, and the sticky note was a souvenir of that weekend.
David was much-loved and respected in the Emmaus community, and in April, 2004, he served as Lay Director of Men’s Walk #53 at Mercy Center in Slaton, one of 14 walks in which he was directly involved. This week, Chad Oglesby wrote, “I will never forget David… as he was a big part of the life and heart change that took place in April of 2004 for me and the 35 other men on Walk #53.”
David and Dawn attended Westmont Christian Church for a few years in the 1990s and early 2000s, and Dave served as an elder there from 1998 to 2001. And it was there that he very reluctantly agreed to attend Men’s Walk to Emmaus #20 in January, 1998. The experience was transformative, and David found great joy in fellowship with other believers in Jesus outside his own faith tradition. David would say that in Emmaus he learned to love God with his heart as well as his mind, and the sticky note was a souvenir of that weekend.
David was much-loved and respected in the Emmaus community, and in April, 2004, he served as Lay Director of Men’s Walk #53 at Mercy Center in Slaton, one of 14 walks in which he was directly involved. This week, Chad Oglesby wrote, “I will never forget David… as he was a big part of the life and heart change that took place in April of 2004 for me and the 35 other men on Walk #53.”
David is in the second row, fifth from the left.
After one of those 14 walks, David discovered that Jeff Williams, a brother with whom he had just spent the weekend, worked downstairs from us, and we began an Emmaus reunion group, meeting Tuesdays during lunch to share and pray. One of those Tuesdays, we were at Jeff’s house, watching the news of 9/11 as it unfolded. It was also during this time that David began prayer-walking the Monterey Park Neighborhood, which he did for many years. Craig and Ann McDonald soon joined our group, and after Jeff moved away, the group moved to the McDonald’s home, where it continued to grow and be an important part of David’s life.
Through all of those experiences, it has been my joy to be the other David. And from the beginning we were never the only two.
When David came to Compu-Share, there was Neil’s brother, David Baldridge. Today, now that we’re called nQativ, there is David Conely.
Through all of those experiences, it has been my joy to be the other David. And from the beginning we were never the only two.
When David came to Compu-Share, there was Neil’s brother, David Baldridge. Today, now that we’re called nQativ, there is David Conely.
In January, 1982, our boss, Marvin, asked Dave and me to start the Support department, and he thought it would be neat if he could find another Dave to help. Sure enough, Dave Wagner joined soon after, and the joke at work was you could ask for Support or you could ask for Dave, and you would get the right person.
There were customers named Dave: Dave Griffis in Myrtle Beach, SC, referred to as "East Coast Dave", and Dave Dahlke in California, who was "West Cost Dave".
When David led the Walk to Emmaus, he arranged a song for the occasion, and to present it, he recruited David McCulley along with David Shelburne and me to form the "Four Davids Quartet".
That was so much fun, for the next Emmaus event, David added his wife Dawn, his neighbor Juan, and David Stewart, and we were "Dawn, Juan, and the Five Davids".
And this was just the beginning. For one walk, Perrin, Shelburne, and I were joined by Kirk McAfee, so we were "Captain Kirk and the Three Davids."
For a ladies’ Valentines tea here at Vandelia, we were joined by Doug Hale and we sang “Let me Call You Sweetheart” as "Doug and the Three Davids."
There were customers named Dave: Dave Griffis in Myrtle Beach, SC, referred to as "East Coast Dave", and Dave Dahlke in California, who was "West Cost Dave".
When David led the Walk to Emmaus, he arranged a song for the occasion, and to present it, he recruited David McCulley along with David Shelburne and me to form the "Four Davids Quartet".
That was so much fun, for the next Emmaus event, David added his wife Dawn, his neighbor Juan, and David Stewart, and we were "Dawn, Juan, and the Five Davids".
And this was just the beginning. For one walk, Perrin, Shelburne, and I were joined by Kirk McAfee, so we were "Captain Kirk and the Three Davids."
For a ladies’ Valentines tea here at Vandelia, we were joined by Doug Hale and we sang “Let me Call You Sweetheart” as "Doug and the Three Davids."
And on a typical Sunday morning at Vandelia, the worship team could include David Perrin, David O’Hara, David Shelburne, David Powell, and David Perrin’s son, whose full name is David Eli Perrin.
As Shelburne said a few days ago, while we are happy for our brother, we are bummed that the number of Davids in this life has been diminished by one.
Well, what a year-and-a-half we have shared with our brother. We have all been amazed and inspired by Dawn’s love and devotion to “her sweet husband”, and David wanted her to know that he knew she did everything she could for him.
Last Sunday, as Carl Cope came forward to tell us that David’s tumors were growing and his organs could no longer do what they were supposed to, Carl returned to the line Doug had quoted from the old hymn, “Trust and Obey”: “But we never can prove the delights of us love until all on the altar we lay.” “Well,” said Carl, “that’s been Dave’s story from the beginning. He’s been praying for a miracle, expecting God to heal him, but at the same time he’s just laid it out on the altar and said, 'Whatever you want to do is okay with me.' He’s been incredibly faithful.”
And that’s the word so many have used in their remarks these last few days.
And that is the sentiment of David’s favorite prayer, written by St. Ignatius of Loyola. David posted it on his bulletin board, displayed it as his login message, and printed many copies to give to pilgrims on the Walk to Emmaus. "And," he said, "when I first read it, I knew how it sounded!" During one of our last visits, he sang it to me one more time and asked that I play it for you today. [Listen here.]
As Shelburne said a few days ago, while we are happy for our brother, we are bummed that the number of Davids in this life has been diminished by one.
Well, what a year-and-a-half we have shared with our brother. We have all been amazed and inspired by Dawn’s love and devotion to “her sweet husband”, and David wanted her to know that he knew she did everything she could for him.
Last Sunday, as Carl Cope came forward to tell us that David’s tumors were growing and his organs could no longer do what they were supposed to, Carl returned to the line Doug had quoted from the old hymn, “Trust and Obey”: “But we never can prove the delights of us love until all on the altar we lay.” “Well,” said Carl, “that’s been Dave’s story from the beginning. He’s been praying for a miracle, expecting God to heal him, but at the same time he’s just laid it out on the altar and said, 'Whatever you want to do is okay with me.' He’s been incredibly faithful.”
And that’s the word so many have used in their remarks these last few days.
And that is the sentiment of David’s favorite prayer, written by St. Ignatius of Loyola. David posted it on his bulletin board, displayed it as his login message, and printed many copies to give to pilgrims on the Walk to Emmaus. "And," he said, "when I first read it, I knew how it sounded!" During one of our last visits, he sang it to me one more time and asked that I play it for you today. [Listen here.]