David Michael Karr

David Michael Karr passed away peacefully on April 24, 2024 at the age of 81. Dave was born in Portsmouth, Ohio and graduated from Portsmouth High school in 1961. He met his first wife, Vida, in Portsmouth at the local ice cream shop before he left to start his military career.

Dave was a proud veteran, serving 35 years in the Air Force and Air National Guard. During his service, he was on active duty in Vietnam and Germany, and stationed all over the world while serving in the Guard. Dave achieved the rank of Chief Master Sargent.

Because of his time in the service, Dave and Vida moved a few times around the country before settling in Whitehall, OH to raise their sons, Michael and Brian.

Dave was a jack-of-all-trades, and enjoyed almost any kind of building, wrenching, fixing, and tinkering. He was happy to pass on his knowledge of anything mechanical to anyone willing to learn, especially his sons and their friends.

Dave was actively involved in the Boy Scouts of America. He was a proud Eagle Scout and was happy to see Mike and Brian continue the scouting tradition, serving as Assistant Scout Master for their troop.

After retiring from Western Electric (now Nokia) after more than 30 years, Dave and his second wife, Peggy, enjoyed extensive travel and became avid cruisers. From the decks of many ships, Dave and Peggy took in the sights of Alaska, Hawaii, the Panama Canal, and many more beautiful places.

He is survived by son, Michael (Jessica) Karr, and stepdaughter, Shawna (David Riggs) McCafferty. His grandchildren include Shawna’s children, Jason (Shelby) Smith,Jr., Ciera (Brandon Davis) Smith, and Cheyenne (Jason Hughes) McCafferty, and Michael’s stepdaughter, Halle (Spencer Van Fleet) Williams. Dave was great-grandpa to Ally, Jace, Journee, Brandon Jr., Jason III, Cianna, and Donavan. He is preceded in death by first wife, Vida; second wife, Peggy; son, Brian; and brother, Donald.

In May 2023, Dave got to fulfill an item on his bucket list- to celebrate his service by flying with Honor Flight. He was so proud to be a part of this organization and honored to fly with them. We are asking that you consider donating to Honor Flight Columbus in lieu of flowers. Donations can be made at https://www.honorflightcmh.org/donate-today

Services will be held on Monday, April 29 at the Dwayne Spence Funeral Home in Canal Winchester. Calling hours will be from 11am-1pm, followed by a service by Pastor Alex Feldman. This will be followed by a graveside interment at Franklin Hills Memorial Garden and a luncheon at Lithopolis United Methodist. Friends, family, and loved ones are all welcome to join us.
To view a livestream of the service, click on the following link...https://view.oneroomstreaming.com/index.php?data=MTcxNDE2MTA1MzMwNjU3NSZvbmVyb29tLWFkbWluJnZpZXdfYnV0dG9u