David Luther Moubray

David Luther Moubray, born on Easter Sunday 1943 in Harrisonburg, Virginia, passed away on April 22, 2020 after an extended illness. Without a doubt, he is already sharing jokes and stories with his friends and family in Heaven. Dave was preceded in death by his mother and father, Norma “Cricket” Kiracofe Moubray and Myers Luther Moubray, a sister, Betty Moubray Stoker, brothers-in-law Donald Stoker M.D. and John A. Horn, and nephew John P. Horn.

Dave is survived by his wife of 36 years, Iris Horn Moubray, who relentlessly battled for his well-being over the past seven years of declining health. He is also survived by daughters Virginia Ann Moubray and husband Christopher, Angie Glenn and husband Mark, Laurie Alvarado and husband Robert, and Lesley Bayne, as well as two grandchildren, Parker and Raegan Glenn, sister-in-law Jacquelyn Horn, and many beloved nieces and nephews. He will also be greatly missed by his loving companion and man’s best friend, Gabbi.

Dave was a man of faith, and a member of Elkton Seventh Day Adventist Church. He was a proud class of 1961/62 graduate of Harrisonburg High School (so that he could attend both reunions and have twice as much fun) and maintained lifelong friendships with his classmates. He played football and the baritone horn in the band. Dave was also a Master Mason and member of the Grand Lodge F.A.A.M. of the District of Columbia.

A videographer by trade, his career took off in the early 1960s as a news photographer and editor at Channel 9 (WTOP, WDVM, and now WUSA9) in Washington, DC, where he covered the White House and Capitol Hill beats, and was a member of the White House News Photographers Association. He became a film supervisor in the news department, and eventually made his way to the Documentary Unit at the station. He was photographer-editor for many documentaries and specials, and worked on shows including Harambee, Kids World, and PM Magazine. He received multiple White House News Photographer awards throughout the 1970s, as well as several Washington Chapter of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (Emmy Awards) for his professional achievements.

Upon returning to the Shenandoah Valley in the 1980s, Dave continued his career at and retired from WVPT (now VPM) in Harrisonburg. Throughout the past 35 years, Dave was closely associated with WVPT, as a videographer and most recently as a VPM PBS Community Station Board member. He played an integral part in many series, specials, and documentary films including Virginia Outdoors, Blue Ridge Journal, Living in Virginia, WVPT Cooks, and Field of Lost Shoes: The Battle of New Market; his knowledge of the Shenandoah Valley, both its history and geography, was invaluable to these productions. He received a bronze medal at the 1994 New York Film Festival for his videography work for Blue Ridge Journal. He is remembered for the fun he brought to work daily-most especially to all of the WVPT pledge drives. He was a devoted supporter of public television and greatly valued the relationships he built at the station.

Dave loved his family, nature, and the great outdoors, especially the mountains and his cabin in Briery Branch. Dave was an avid hunter, and had many other passions, including music, art, trains and railways, photography, stock car racing, Cowboy Action Shooting, and general tinkering. In the 60s and 70s, Dave was the winningest showroom stock racer in Virginia International Raceway (VIR) history. He holds track records which stand to this day. During his Cowboy Action Shooting days with the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) as the “Palo Alto Kid," he held high ranks in multiple events. He was proud of his many accomplishments, but enjoyed the friendships with his fellow hobbyists the most.

The family would like to extend gratitude to Grady Lewis and Gerry Gildner for their friendship, support, and time spent with Dave, especially in more recent difficult days. Your presence was a blessing and comfort to Dave always.

Dave enjoyed a good joke and told a lot of bad ones. As Jonathan Winters was his favorite comedian-philosopher, it seems appropriate to close his obituary with this prescient quote from Winters:

“Well, the most terrible fear that anybody should have is not war, is not a disease, not cancer or heart problems or food poisoning - it's a man or a woman without a sense of humor.”

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers donations to be made in Dave’s memory to VPM (formerly WVPT), VPM Attn: Member Services, 23 Sesame Street, Richmond, VA 23235; Elkton Seventh Day Adventist Church, 20995 Blue and Gold Drive, Elkton, VA 22827; or Wildlife Center of Virginia, PO Box 1557, Waynesboro, VA 22980.

A Memorial Service will be held 2:00 pm, Sunday, August 8, 2021, at Harrisonburg Seventh Day Adventist Church, 609 West Market Street, Harrisonburg, VA. Family Visitation will immediately follow the service.

The service will also be live-streamed on YouTube at https://youtu.be/nIAqboebDuI. Full obituary: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/weyers-cave-va/david-moubray-9145003