David Vincent Belcher

David was born on April 29, 1949 in Beckley, West Virginia, the son of Helen Louise McDowell Belcher and Arnold Duane Belcher. His father graduated from Emory and Henry College with a degree in English and afterward graduated from Duke University with a degree in Divinity. David grew up in the West Virginia towns of Oceana, Mt. Hope, Nitro (which was his favorite because of all the boys in the neighborhood), Moundsville, and Montgomery as his father served as minister in the Methodist churches of these communities. As a boy, David looked forward to going to summer camp at Methodist Church Spring Heights Retreat. There his father shared his rambles with the entire family. Their family camped in various West Virginia locations for their vacations including many returns to the Dahle Sods Wilderness. David graduated from Montgomery High School in 1967, where he played on the football team. After David graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College, he attended Marshall University and received his master’s degree in speech. He continued his education at the University of Florida and became a graduate assistant in the Theatre Department. David remained a die-hard Gator fan for the rest of his life.

David had many occupations while putting himself through his college and university years, including: Serving as an inspector on I-79 in Lewis County, West Virginia, because of his math skills, a nursing home attendant, a singer and guitar entertainer at a “fine” establishment on US Highway 301 in Florida, and maintenance at the Gainesville Country Club and many more.

David’s interests and creative talents led him to a variety of professions from Professor of English Literature at Saint Leo College in San Antonio, Florida, and as an Adjunct Professor in the Theatre Department at the University of South Florida. As a teacher David inspired his students as he truly wanted them to shine and prosper. He worked on stage crews for the Sarasota Opera, the Sarasota Ballet Company, with which he went on tour, the Straz Center for the Performing Arts and the Tampa Players where he met his wife Mallory. In addition, David served as a light designer, light operator and set stage builder for the Tampa Players and many other theatre companies in Florida. David volunteered his lighting abilities to the Henry B. Plant Museum Christmas Stroll.

David’s father officiated at the marriage of David and Mallory on June 30, 1990, at the home of Mallory’s mother, Mason Mallory Lykes.

After David and Mallory built their summer home in the mountains of North Carolina, the local contractor recruited David to work on quality control and marketing of their construction projects. He continued this work with two additional contracting companies.

In the North Carolina mountains, David and Mallory walked many miles on trails and they especially delighted in the hikes in Panthertown Town Valley. David became so knowledgeable about these trails that the sheriff and local families reached out to him to help find lost hikers in the Valley.

A special place for David and Mallory was Grand Teton National Park where they went on their honeymoon. For many years they returned there and stayed at the Jenny Lake Lodge from which they hiked every day and also enjoyed horseback riding, including an exclusive ride through and up Paintbrush Canyon.

David and Mallory shared a love for animals and all God’s creations. They adopted stray cats, a dog and parented three horses. Riding in the Withlacoochee State Forest was a favorite pastime. Eventually they had a horse farm across from that state forest where they spent long hours tending their horses.

Other pastimes that were special to David were hunting and fishing trips with his brothers-in-law in Florida and Texas.

David’s love for music was a life-long passion, particularly for folk music of his adopted State of Florida and his native Appalachia. He played the guitar and sang many folk classics and he composed folk songs of his own, one of which was about the Florida Folk Festival at the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park in White Springs. He was honored to have his Festival song used to close the Festival for many years. David was thrilled to be invited to perform at the Festival and to be one of the volunteers, including acting as stage manager at the Old Marble Stage. David’s most eagerly anticipated and treasured times were the evenings spent playing his guitar and singing around the campfire with musician friends at the Festival.

At his 75th birthday party, David, fighting the devastating symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease, delighted his audience by playing and singing one of his original songs “Although I Wasn’t Born in Florida, I Got Here as Fast as I Could.”

David fought his Parkinson’s Disease for many years with great fortitude and determination. He participated in the Tampa JCC’s and Federation Parkinson’s Program and worked hard with his dedicated personal trainer, Camilla Jordan. David particularly looked forward to vocal therapy at JCC and ended each session singing “It’s a Wonderful World.”

David was intelligent, witty, gentle, patient, compassionate and devoted to Mallory. David will be remembered for his loving good heart and magnanimous soul: “A loving good heart is riches and riches enough” - Mark Twain.

David was predeceased by his parents, his brother James Kirwan Belcher and his nephew Lawrence Hundley Dimmitt IV. He is survived by his wife, Mason Mallory Lykes; his brother Alan Ross Belcher and sister-in-law Cheryl Ann DiVita Belcher; nephew Alan Jr. (Jennifer Joyce Romagnoli) and niece Emily Beth Belcher Schirmer (Andrew John Schirmer); David’s daughter Erika Lynn Fagan and grandchildren Kaylee Suzanne Fagan and Chase David Fagan.

David is also survived by his sisters and brothers-in-law Genevieve Lykes Dimmitt (Lawrence Hundley Dimmitt III) and their children Mallory Lykes Dimmitt (Bertram Templin Martin III), Elizabeth Lykes Dimmitt ( Piers Robert Davies) and their son Hundley Parkhill Dimmitt Davies; Genevieve Lykes Dimmitt (Toby Michael Sheperd) and their daughter Celeste Dimmitt Sheperd; Susan Wall Lykes Mueller (John Harlan Mueller); Charlotte Lykes Jorgensen (Richard O’Neil Jorgensen ) and their son Charles Hunter Jorgensen; Charles Parkhill Lykes Jr. (Kathryn Rousseau Lykes) and children Careena L. Cornette, Mason Nell Lykes, Charles Parkhill Lykes III (Molly Anne Lykes); Dick Mayo Lykes (Susan Traylor Lykes.) Extended family members include Tania Carlisi Phillips and Michael Russell Phillips, godchildren Michael Peter Phillips and Mia Michelle Philips, Mercedes V. Carlisi, and other great nieces and nephews and many cousins.

The family is forever grateful to Concierge Nurse Tracy Levy and caregivers: Pamela Johnson, Mirna Lefranc, Marie Theodore-Manigat, Jacqueline Thomas Nash and Maryline Theodore.

Funeral Service will be held 10 a.m. Friday, March 20 at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 509 E. Twiggs Street, Tampa, Florida.

En lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to: Florida Folk Festival, P.O. Box G, White Springs, FL 32096; Tampa JCC’s and Federation Parkinson’s Program, 13009 Community Campus Drive, Tampa, FL 33625; Community Foundation of Tampa Bay ATTN: Love IV Lawrence, 4300 W. Cypress St. Suite 700, Tampa, FL 33607; or Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, 2606 Fairfield Ave. S., Bldg. 7, St. Petersburg, FL 33712.