David L. Babian

David L. Babian, Dave to those who knew him best, passed away on Sunday, January 26, 2025. He was a man of great integrity, and loved finding joy in the simple moments of life. His legacy will live on in the countless lives he touched, and his memory will be cherished forever by family and friends.

Dave was a beloved husband, father, papa, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend. Surviving are his wife, Betty Wernette Babian, daughter, Emma Nelson (Maylen), son in law, Anthony (Tony) Nelson and grandson, Connor Nelson.

Dave was born February 24, 1949, in North Platte, Nebraska, near his hometown of Maxwell. His family moved frequently due to his father's work as an American Baptist minister, living in Cadillac, Monroe (near the River Raisin), Grass Lake, and finally Mason, Michigan. A good student, he loved team sports and graduated from Mason High School in 1967. He went on to attend Lansing Community College before earning his degree from Eastern Michigan University in 1972.

He was the cherished brother of John Wesley Babian (Peg Foley), Charles Edward Babian, and Rebecca Helen Murthum (Peter). He was a proud uncle to his nephews and niece: Ben Babian (Angie), Andy Babian (Mindy), Phil Babian (Lindsay), Laura Murthum Cyrus (Aaron), and Max Murthum (Kennedee Semans). Dave adored the next generation of his family, including Nathan, Rachael, Emerson, Aaron, John, Hugo, Margot, and Ezra.

Dave was preceded in death by his father, Reverend John Babian (1971), his mother, Mary (Robertson) Babian Johnson (2013), his paternal uncle and aunt, Arthur and Thelma Babian, maternal uncle and aunt, Richard and Peggy Robertson, his sister-in-law Patty Babian, and his cousin John Calvin Robertson.

Dave had a special bond with his Robertson cousins, Richard, Sarah, and Bill, as well as his Babian cousins, Patricia, Barbara, Lori, Art, and Larry, and the extended Robertson and Babian families. He was further blessed by the second marriage of his mother to Richard Johnson (deceased), and loved the family, step-siblings: Jolaine (deceased), Leslie, Christine (Ron) Nakfoor, and David (Loree).

He was known for his strong work ethic, which began early in life at his Uncle Art’s golf course and continued through various roles at Wickes Lumber, Holden Reid, and Radio Shack. But it was his 25-year career at Michigan State University that left a lasting legacy. As a dedicated employee and supervisor in MSU Concessions and Laundry, he positively impacted the lives of countless students. He taught them not only work skills but life lessons in kindness, fairness, and integrity. For many students, he wasn’t just a supervisor; he was a mentor and a friend. He often treated his students to breakfast at the Flap Jack Shack as a token of appreciation for their hard work especially, during football season. Dave was excited to retire in 2011.

In his personal life, Dave met the love of his life, Betty Wernette, while working at MSU. They were married in April 1995 and celebrated nearly 30 years of love and companionship before his passing. When he married Betty, he gained a daughter, Emma, which was a blessing and a challenge, as gaining a young daughter could be. Dave was a loving step-dad who enjoyed playing epic driveway basketball games with Emma, he supported her in all of her sporting endeavors, band and dance recitals, taught her how to fish and always took her to see the manatees in Crystal River, Florida when they would visit (her very favorite thing to do in the whole world.) Emma started dating Tony in high school and he has been a part of the family ever since. Married in 2013, he was a great son-in-law to Dave and provided a lot of tech support to him over the years. Tony still recalls the day they successfully installed the HD TV together as Dave exclaimed ‘We did it man! We did it!’ Their love of Spartan sports was another common bond.

Dave’s deep love extended to Betty’s family, where he embraced the Wernette family with open arms. He cherished Betty’s parents, Don and Violet Wernette (both deceased), Gary (deceased) (Nawal), Terry Addington (Jim), Mary (Bill) Schoner, Ed (Kim) Wernette and their children Brian, Richard (Angel), Sandra (Justin), Daniel (Alexandra), Will (deceased), Jon (deceased), Becky (Carl), Matt, Lisa (Bub), Josh, Andy, Alex (deceased), Bryce and Jesse (Laura). He also had a special connection and was adored by the next generation, including 18 additional great nieces and nephews.

Friendship was a cornerstone of Dave's life. He treasured his lifelong friends, none more loyal or cherished than Chuck (Nancy) Walls, along with their sons Jeff and Greg, and Marty (Deb) Underhill (Kristin, Jon, Lisa). Whether it was deer camps, fishing trips, golf outings, or just enjoying nature, Dave thrived in the company of his friends. He was especially looking forward to spending time with his snowbird buddies in Florida (Paulie), trying out his new bionic hip, and golfing with friends at Forest Akers in his long-time MSU Golf League with Denny Lantzy, Jesse Clyma and John Phillipich, among others. He mourned many who have passed on before him including Larry, Roger, Janet, and Wendell. He held his friends in his heart.

In 2019, Dave was diagnosed with lymphoma, but his resilience, along with the support of his oncologist, Dr. Brittani Thomas, and a dedicated medical team, allowed him to fight through the diagnosis and live long enough to meet his beloved grandson, Connor, who was born in November of that year.

Being a Papa to Connor was one of the greatest joys of Dave’s life. He loved having Connor at his house every Monday and Friday and looked forward to the adventures they would share together. From ‘stuffy fights’ in the recliner to watching helicopter videos together, sharing snacks, throwing rocks into the water at The Little Lake, playing with swords, watching shows that he recorded especially for Connor, telling him ‘easy peasy,’ getting Connor surprises at Meijer, and doing facetime videos with him when he was in Florida, the joys were abundant.

The last two months of Dave’s life he was especially challenged by the recurrence of lymphoma and fractured ribs after a fall at home on New Year’s Day. This led to an extended stay at Sparrow Hospital and a shorter stay at Willows of Okemos.

The family wishes to extend their gratitude to Dave’s long time primary care physician, Dr. Dawn Springer, and more recently to the incredible staff at 5 West Sparrow. Thank you to all the nurses, techs, doctors and others who positively affected his stay there. They always had a “Happy Day” from Dave whenever they entered his room. The family is also grateful to all who prayed and offered support during this difficult time.

Dave’s life was a testament to the power of love, friendship, faith, and hard work. He was an active member of Redeemer United Methodist Church in DeWitt, Michigan where he was married, where his daughter was married and where his funeral service is to be held. His faith was extremely important and brought him much comfort, especially during his last few years with his cancer journey. Dave was known to send facebook messages with Bible verses of encouragement and kindness to people who needed those messages. He will be missed, but his spirit will continue to inspire those who knew him.

A visitation will be held on Friday, February 7 at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Home in DeWitt, 205 E Washington St., DeWitt, MI 48820 from 4:00 to 7:00pm, all are welcome. On Saturday, February 8, a visitation will be held from 10:00 am to 11:00 am followed by a Memorial Service and luncheon at Redeemer United Methodist Church, 13980 Schavey Rd., DeWitt, MI 48820, all are welcome.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Rainbow Homes in Holt Michigan: https://rainbow-homes.org/donate/, Redeemer United Methodist Church in DeWitt: https://secure.myvanco.com/L-Z297/home or The American Cancer Society https://raiseyourway.donordrive.com/campaign/David-Babian. Thank you.