David Clarence England

David Clarence England of Oklahoma City entered eternal rest on Friday, November 28th, 2025. He was born in Mangum, OK, to Margaret and Curtis England in 1939. David’s family, soon to include younger sister Mary Margaret, moved for his father’s work several times before settling in Chickasha, where David graduated from high school in 1957. He followed in his father’s footsteps and became a Mason. Immediately upon graduation, David joined the US Marine Corps and was a radio signal operator and Japanese interpreter in the Philippines. When he left the Corps, his innate curiosity led him to pursue an academic career which followed several majors (Film Studies, Anthropology, Journalism, etc.) at several schools (USC, OSU, OU). He ultimately earned his bachelors’ degree and pursued a career in journalism at “The Daily Oklahoman and Times” where he was a copy editor on the city desk and later wrote a column on music and stereo equipment. While at OU, he met his future wife, Cynthia, in a Philosophy class in Dale Hall. They married in October 1970 and welcomed daughter Jennifer the following year. Several years later, the family grew to include son Dennis and eleven years after that, another son, Joel. David was an avid reader, an aspiring author, and early adopter of personal computers (PCs) for home use. He loved watching all sorts of movies, OU football games, listening to classical and jazz music, old Broadway musical soundtracks, and could identify nearly any military aircraft or naval vessel with one eye blindfolded. David loved creating the perfect cup of coffee, to be enjoyed as he worked the daily crosswords from the Oklahoman and USA Today with a cat in his lap and a dog at his feet. It was rare for David to miss “Jeopardy”; his instinctive curiosity drew him to seek knowledge and sharpen his critical thinking skills. Among the usual family gatherings, the year wouldn’t be complete if it didn’t include trying out new restaurants around the metro and spending time with first cousin and friend, John Neil and his wife Jane. David worked for A. C. Nielsen & Co, where he discovered a major perk of traveling the state was getting to sample onion burgers from restaurants far and wide. Though he had been wheelchair-bound for the last five years, David was always eager to participate as much as possible in family gatherings and outings, always seeking to support his children and grandchildren. David is preceded in death by his parents, nephews David and Robert, and son-in-law, Sean Burnside. He is survived by wife Cynthia, daughter Jennifer, son Dennis and his wife Kyla, son Joel and his wife Liz, sister Mary Margaret Bingham and husband Charles of Anchorage, cousin John Neil England and wife Jane of Tulsa. He is further survived by nephew Charley, nieces Mary and Cindy, grandchildren Leah, Lauren, Lourdes, Claire, Logan, Piper, and Daphne, friends, colleagues, and beloved pets.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Bill Merritt Funeral Service at 2pm Saturday, December 6, 2025.