David Alan Maggard

David was born on March 12, 1956, in Inglewood, California, to Delbert Maggard and Vivian LaVelle (Barker) Maggard. The youngest of their four surviving children, David grew up in Southern California, where he would spend nearly all of his life. He graduated from Lawndale High School and remained in Southern California until moving to the Phoenix area approximately a year and a half before his death to be closer to more family as he grew older.

For more than 30 years, David worked as a security guard, where his reliability and consistency made him a familiar fixture in the guard shack. He genuinely enjoyed the daily ritual of greeting employees as they arrived for work and again as they left at the end of the day, as well as welcoming visitors. It suited something essential about David: he enjoyed familiar routines and the everyday connections that came from seeing the same people day after day.

That same enjoyment of people was present throughout David's life. From a young age, square dancing became an important part of his world. More than simply an activity he enjoyed, it gave him a community where he developed lasting friendships and found a genuine sense of connection and belonging. During his many years of square dancing, David was often behind the camera, documenting dances and events through pictures. Over the years, he also accumulated countless square dance badges and mementos from the events he attended.

David enjoyed traveling, particularly taking cruises. He took several cruises with his friend Jo Hughes and his sister Carol, creating special memories along the way. At home in his California neighborhood, he enjoyed walking down the street, stopping to visit and catch up with neighbors.

When David moved to the Phoenix area, one of the things he looked most forward to each week was going to Roman's Oasis on Wednesday nights for karaoke night.

Family was a constant throughout David's life. He never married and always made his home with family. After the death of their parents, his sister Carol became David's faithful companion and caregiver for more than 30 years. Their lives were deeply intertwined, and Carol's love, devotion, and care allowed David to remain surrounded by family throughout his life.

David was a collector at heart and a great lover of holidays. He took particular pleasure in decorating for every holiday and accumulated decorations of all kinds. His other collections included M&M dispensers, Coca-Cola memorabilia, square dance badges, and even everyday things such as straws and condiment packets. David rarely encountered something he couldn't imagine having a use for someday, and those who knew him knew that persuading him to part with one of his treasures could be quite a challenge. It was one of the many characteristics that made David unmistakably David.

David also had a well-known sweet tooth. For decades during his working years, his daily lunch included a Hostess fruit pie or cinnamon roll—a small ritual that became as reliably David as so many of the routines he enjoyed.

David was preceded in death by his parents, Delbert and Vivian, his brother, Michael (Patricia "Pat") Maggard, and sister Sonja Jean (Herbert "Herbie") Manoli. He is survived by his sister, Carol; his nieces, Michelle “Missy" (Rick) Williams, Pamela (Paul) Villa, and Lisa (Bruce) Ervin; his nephew, Michael (Bonnie) Maggard, and other extended family.

In his final days, David was surrounded by the family who had been such an important part of his life. He died lovingly surrounded by his sister, Carol; his nieces Pam and Lisa; and his nephew-in-law, Paul.

David found happiness in many of life's ordinary things: a familiar greeting, a neighborhood visit, a square dance, a holiday to decorate for, something worth saving, a favorite sweet, and time spent among people he knew and loved. His life was rooted in family, routine, community, and belonging. Those who loved David will remember not only the things he enjoyed, but all of the familiar and unmistakable ways he was simply "Uncle David."

He will be interred at Forest Lawn in Cypress, California, at a later date, yet to be determined.