David Timothy Standish II, father, husband, friend and legend, passed away on January 1, 2024 with family by his side. David was the oldest of six kids, born on January 19, 1952 in San Diego, California to Barbara Standish-Harris and David Timothy Standish. David remained close with his siblings Mike, Kathy, Pat, Kelly and Steve throughout his life.
After living in Denver, Colorado for a brief part of his childhood, David spent his high school and formative years in Arlington, Texas. By his account, he kept his parents on their toes with his mischief and mayhem. As a young football phenom, David was proud to be recruited to play by Texas A&M in 1972. His interests and career experience in his early 20s was varied in his pursuit of adventure, from scuba diving at Possum Kingdom Lake to erecting steel framed buildings throughout central and South Texas.
Ultimately, David found his calling in military service, becoming a maintenance test and instructor pilot in the US Army. David’s aircraft expertise included Huey and CH-47D Chinook helicopters. Early in his military career, David married his love Tena Valee Vernon, who shared his passion for music, travel, and backyard parties with their military base families. Together, Tena and David raised three daughters: Reagan Dee was born in Ft. Rucker, Alabama in 1976, followed by Cameron Leigh in Savannah in 1978, followed by Lauren Lynd in Ft. Hood, Texas in 1981. After a solo tour in Korea in the early 1980s, David and Tena elected to be together for future tours that took the family from Ft. Eustis, Virginia, to Fort Kobbe, Panama, back to Ft. Eustis, then finally to Everett and Mukilteo, Washington. During his military career, David studied evenings to earn a master’s degree in aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, ever laying the foundation for his next adventure. But he was proud of his service record, which included earning a Bronze Star for leadership during Operation Just Cause, working with a reserve unit to fight wildfires in Montana in the mid 1990s, and executing a delicate choreographed aerial dance of giant Chinook helicopters during a Washington air show, much to the awe of spectators and family.
Once David retired as a Chief Warrant Officer 4 in 1996, he and Tena returned to their sunny home state of Texas. David initially pursued positions in airport management for small airfields in deep South Texas, but instead he found an opportunity in facilities maintenance at Texas A&M Kingsville, near the fabled King Ranch. In a matter of years, David became the Physical Plant Director at the university, helping execute building renovation and expansion projects on the campus. While in Kingsville, David again added to his friends and fans roster, always impressing his colleagues and neighbors with his work ethic and commitment to service, including his membership with the Kingsville Noon Lions Club.
After many happy years in Kingsville, and with daughters residing in Oklahoma, Kentucky, and San Antonio, Texas, David and Tena retired again - this time to Tyler, Texas. There David renewed his community service commitments, engaging with Habitat for Humanity and the Texas Ramp Project. David’s friends and co-volunteers could count on his attendance and readiness and handiness for projects large and small. He and Tena enjoyed an active social life with their neighbors who encouraged them to travel to the Texas Hill Country, the New Orleans Jazz Fest, and regular Fourth of July celebrations on the local lakes. David was also happy to be within a relatively short distance from his friends and family who reside in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, taking motorcycle cruises with his siblings and enjoying birthdays and annual Christmas festivities with the extensive Standish family.
In their golden years, David and Tena relocated to Oklahoma, to live closer to their daughter Lauren. David had just recently joined the local Harley Davidson Oklahoma City Chapter and was gearing up his travel trailer when his adventures were cut short. Gone too soon, David was a role model of service who never sat still and never wasted his time on Earth. He is missed.
David is survived by his wife Tena, his daughters Reagan, Cameron, and Lauren, his siblings Steve, Kelly, Mike and Kathy, and a multitude of nieces, nephews and cousins who he loved dearly. He is preceded in death by his beloved brother Pat, his father David Timothy Standish, and his mother Barbara Standish-Harris.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at Baggerley Funeral Home at 930 S Broadway, Edmond, OK 73034 on January 20, 2024 at 1 pm, followed by a reception.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in honor of David to Habitat for Humanity.
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