David Grisham

David Rich Grisham, age 86, of El Dorado and Wichita, died Thursday, Sept.25, 2025. Services will be held at 10:30 am, Thursday, October 2, 2025, at First Presbyterian Church of Wichita. Interment will follow at Walnut Valley Memorial Park, El Dorado, KS

A resident of Butler County and Wichita since 1942, David was born Feb. 20, 1939, at Mary Greeley Hospital in Ames, Iowa, the son of Charles Dempsey and Garnet Lucille (Rich) Grisham. He grew up on the family dairy farm in Towanda Township, attending Elm Creek and Vanora rural grade schools and graduating from El Dorado High School in 1957.

As a youth, he was active in church and 4-H, serving as Associational BYF President and receiving the Kansas 4-H Key Award. He attended El Dorado Junior College and Texas Tech University and graduated from Kansas State University in 1961. At K-State he lived at the university dairy farm, and along with his studies he milked cows and served as an officer in the Clod and Kernel Agronomy Club.

David married Marilyn Foster September 8,1962 at First Baptist Church, El Dorado. They made their first home in Kansas City, Kansas, and in 1964, after a two year stint for David as an inspector with the US Pure Food and Drug Administration, they returned to El Dorado with son Christopher. At that time David began 30 years of work as a chemist at Skelly/Texico and in time served in several leadership roles in the United Presbyterian Church.

In 2000, David and Marilyn became the first to obtain a residential occupancy permit in the 400 block of Commerce in Wichita. David supervised and participated in the work of converting the Miller Broom factory Warehouse into an urban Loft, The Fiber Studio, and Art Gallery.

In retirement David gave generously of his volunteer time and resources for Presbyterian and American Baptist mission partnership projects with a special passion for schools and educational programs in rural El Salvador.

David is survived by spouse Marilyn, Son Christopher (Janice), Grand Daughters Alexis Grisham, and Allison (Ryan) Seitz, and Great Grandchildren Harper and Asher Seitz. Also surviving are brothers Rev John Wm Grisham (Sylvia) and James Stephen Grisham (Melinda). He is predeceased in death by his father, Charles D. Grisham, mother, G. Lucille (Rich) Grisham and brother Charles A. Grisham.