David Frank Pillion

David Frank Pillion died at home on Saturday July 11th from complications of a rare and aggressive bladder cancer. He is survived by his wife, Mary Beth Beazley, his daughters Elizabeth (Charles), Anne (David), and his three grandchildren: Kai, Quinn, and Morgan.

David was born 71 years ago to Frank and Cleo Pillion in Toledo, Ohio. As a child, he spent time each summer on his father’s family farm in Tennessee, where he climbed barn rafters and did chores. He attended Stickney Elementary School and Woodward High School, and he earned a B.A. in political science from The University of Toledo. David attended graduate school at UT, but ultimately left to begin working in politics. Teaching was a favorite part of his graduate studies. He liked to walk into class, declare himself dictator, and require his students to explain why, how, and if being a dictator violated the Constitution.

David worked on numerous campaigns for Ohio Democrats, including Dick Wittenberg and Sherrod Brown. He worked for Sherrod as a field representative when Sherrod was Ohio’s Secretary of State. One of his fondest memories of that work was attending an event to celebrate women who had voted in every election since the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. Another was the work Sherrod’s office did to persuade Ohio McDonald’s franchises to print voter registration forms on the back of their placemats to promote easy voter registration. He was also grateful for the lessons he learned from “Democracy Warrior” Peg Rosenfield, who was working for the office at that time. David was always a big believer in the power of any individual to achieve change through voting and engagement in their community.

David was a man of high ideals who loved his country and wanted it to live up to the values expressed in its founding documents. David loved democracy as much as he hated bigotry. The corruption that often alienates people from politics was a constant thorn in his side as he sought to promote candidates that would create a system that helps all people, not just those who could afford to make large donations.

David met Mary Beth when they worked together on the U.S. Census in Toledo in 1980. They reconnected when he moved to Columbus in the mid 1980's, and married in 1988. They welcomed two children and went on to have three grandchildren.

David spent the majority of his career working as an investigator for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. Although he loved maps, he learned Ohio’s 88 counties like the back of his hand and could drive through almost any of them without direction, and name the county seat as well. As an investigator, he believed strongly in going to places in person. He learned much by looking at accident scenes live, and he insisted on delivering subpoenas personally whenever possible.

David’s real passion was public service. David began volunteering for the American Red Cross in 1990, centering his work in Red Cross Disaster Relief. Locally, this work meant he would monitor responses to local disasters. Few people realize that when a house fire puts a family out on the street, a Red Cross volunteer shows up to make sure they have a place to stay that night, and to put them in touch with other community resources. David helped dozens of families in this way and also toured burned-out homes to conduct damage assessments. As he gained more experience, he assumed leadership roles with local and national Red Cross Disaster Relief, serving on committees and teaching courses for new volunteers.

On September 12, 2001, David was in one of the few planes in US airspace as he and other Ohio volunteers were flown to New York to assist with the World Trade Center Disaster. He was supposed to report to the Emergency Operations Center, but that building had been destroyed in the attack. He spent about five days in the Ground Zero area before relocating to a more distant location. In 2005 David worked Hurricane Katrina as the Liaison between the Red Cross and FEMA, sleeping on a cot in a shelter set up for volunteers. David worked on over 20 large-scale disasters. Over the years, he spent many weeks in Florida and Louisiana working hurricanes, but he also worked on tornadoes and on numerous wildfires. In 2006, his local Red Cross chapter awarded him the Citation for Exceptional Volunteer Service.

In 1993, David joined the Ohio State Highway Patrol Auxiliary. Though Mary Beth teased that he was just in it for the radios – he had a Ham License – he was a diligent participant in trainings, patrols, and sobriety checkpoints. He achieved the rank of Auxiliary Staff Lieutenant. In 2015 he received the award for Auxiliary Officer of the Year; in 2016, he received the William J. Duffy Award of Excellence.

David’s decades of volunteer service convinced him that the United States would be less divided if every citizen fulfilled a service requirement of some kind. Although he was a staunch Democrat, he made friends from across the spectrum as they worked together for the public good.

David retired from his position at the AG’s office in 2013. He and Mary Beth moved to Las Vegas in 2017 as empty nesters while Mary Beth worked as a professor at the William S. Boyd School of Law. David loved to travel, and he enjoyed living somewhere new, even though he never entered a casino gaming area during his eight years in Vegas. He loved to drive and would often “go on rambles” or drive back to Ohio to visit, stopping at numerous State and National parks along the way. David and Mary Beth traveled to Scotland, Singapore, and Spain, but David’s favorite city in the world was Paris. Apparently, he looked French: on several occasions, he was asked for directions by French tourists, despite not being able to speak a word of French.

In 2025 David and Mary Beth moved back to Ohio to be closer to their grandchildren. David was very proud of his title as Baba, given to him by his second grandchild, and he loved nothing more than to make funny faces to make them smile and laugh.

David was lucky to be healthy and active for most of his life. He became sick with muscle-invasive bladder cancer in January of 2026. David had surgery to remove the cancer in March, but it returned within ten weeks and despite treatment, David’s health rapidly declined. He will be missed by his family and many devoted friends. David had been hoping to be able to vote in the midterms this November, and his family would ask anyone who is able to please register to vote or help a friend register in David’s honor.

David’s family would particularly like to thank Dick Wittenberg and Lisa Simpson for their help and support during these difficult months. They also appreciate the support of David’s Davids – Dave Borer and Dave Speidel. They would also like to thank the Ostomy nurses at both the Mayo Clinic and Ohio State’s James Cancer Hospital. These heroic nurses make a huge difference in the daily quality of life for Bladder Cancer patients.

In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make a donation may consider the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee or the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, links listed below.

A visitation will be held at Schoedinger Worthington, 6699 N High Street, Worthington, OH 43085, on Friday July 17, 2026, from 4:00-7:00 pm. A Funeral Service will take place at the same location the following day, Saturday July 18, 2026, at 11:00am with a reception to follow. Inurnment will be private.