David Lindsay Cropsey

On the Lord’s Day, June 5, 2022, Dave finished his course with joy and God fulfilled his desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better. Dave passed away at home in DeWitt, Michigan. He was preceded in death by his brother Christopher George Cropsey, father Harmon George Cropsey, and mother Ruth Marian Lindsay Cropsey. Dave is survived by his wife of 52 years, Nancy Cropsey; by his brothers, sisters, and their spouses, Robert and Shirley Cropsey, Alan and Erika Cropsey, Carolyn and David Toomey, George and Mandy Cropsey, and Lindsay and Jerome Eddy; by his four children and their spouses, Andrew and Lara Cropsey, Virginia and Tom Crum, Valerie and Jean-Jacques Cheloudtchenko, and Marie and Chris Nissley; and by 17 grandchildren. Dave expressed his gratitude to each family member and friend who cared for him during his final disability with a smile and with words when he was capable of it.

Dave grew up on farms in Iowa and Michigan. From a young age, he learned that he was a sinner, on his way to an eternal hell. Doing farm chores in the evenings in a dark barn motivated Dave to seek counsel from his mother, Marian. She explained that the gift of God is eternal life through the work of Jesus Christ. Dave prayed alongside his mother, asking God to forgive him and wash away his sins with the blood of Jesus Christ who died in his place. Dave liked to tell everyone that after that day, he was no longer afraid of the dark – if the “boogey man” jumped out of the hayloft and got him, Dave knew he was on his way to heaven! As a young teen, Dave recognized the call of the Lord on his life to serve on the foreign mission field. His greatest desire was to see others come to know the freedom of salvation.

Dave’s early education includes attending the Hycktown School, a one-room schoolhouse two miles from the farm; and Volinia School for elementary through junior high. For eighth grade, he studied at Geneva School in Cassopolis, and spent one year at Vandalia High School. Dave graduated 3rd in his class in 1966 from Penn High School, in South Bend, Indiana. He went on to Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina, in 1970 completing a Bachelor of Science double major in math and physics, with a minor in German. There he met his lovely bride, and in an obscure Modern Language Club play, where he played a German pirate, he dragged Nancy, a French maiden, offstage by her hair. They got along famously offstage ever since; they got engaged while on the Eiffel Tower during a culture tour of Europe and were married in July 1970. Dave earned his teacher’s credentials from Michigan State University in 1975, received his Master’s degree in Educational Leadership at Western Michigan University in 1977, and completed his Doctorate in Education from Bob Jones University in 1985. He continued his language studies at the University of Caen, in France; and the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa.

Dave and Nancy selflessly dedicated their life together to the ministry of the church of Jesus Christ, working as the Lord led them in Christian schools: Heritage Christian School, Temple Baptist Christian School, South Riley Bible School, Greenville Tech Community College, Perry Baptist Christian School, and Heritage Christian Homeschool which often included missionary kids from other families. Dave worked countless hours as Headmaster of Noah Webster Academy, Michigan’s first charter school, and founder of Good Hope Christian School(s) in Cape Town, South Africa. Dave and Nancy’s work included youth ministries, cross-cultural missions in France and South Africa, evangelism and church planting, and facilitating Bible translation projects. They have touched thousands of lives with the gospel of Jesus Christ. In his home life, Dave demonstrated the love of God for each child made in His image and reared his children with both the nurture and the admonition of the Lord. He expected his children to make use of the talents and gifts God gave them and helped prepare them for future ministry. He modeled in great measure both the humility of Christ and the patience of a teacher, even when the math student may have been much, much less patient than the teacher. Dave was unfailingly flexible and kind, even when plans did not work or cars ran out of gas (but he did keep a gallon can of gas in the trunk at times, just in case).

Dave loved his family, teaching, God’s Word, dad jokes, wordsmithing, tutoring math students, knowledge in general, farming, fixing rusty old pieces of farming equipment, mowing, fixing rusty old mowers, driving cars, fixing rusty old cars, and laughing, but he did not love horses. He absolutely loved Nancy and spent much time helping with her horses. As a mathematician, Dave would have appreciated the fact that his days on earth numbered 27,179. He was 74 years, 4 months, and 30 days old when he was promoted to heaven. Dave would have enjoyed informing his family and friends the number of his days includes 5 place values, 4 prime numbers, the square of 3, and that when added together the numbers total 24, which is significant because King David divided the service times of the priests and Levites into 24 rotations….

Visitation with the family will be held Monday, June 13, from 6-8 pm at the Gorsline-Runciman funeral home in DeWitt, Michigan.

Dave’s funeral service will be on Tuesday, June 14, at Maranatha Baptist Church in Lansing, Michigan, with visitation at 10 am and the service at 11 am.

Interment and a graveside service will follow at the cemetery in DeWitt. Gifts may be made to Bibles International or Good Hope Christian School; flowers may be sent to Gorsline-Runciman Funeral Home in DeWitt, MI