David “Dave” Wayne Popejoy, age 67, completed his boxing match with cancer on May 4^th, 2022.  He was married to the love of his life (and general pain in his rear) Debra “Debbi” Wynn Popejoy for 45 years.  They were joined in marriage on July 23, 1976 and have a legacy of 3 stubborn grown kids, Jaime Popejoy, Sean (Cindy) Popejoy, and Brian (Ashley) Popejoy. He leaves behind 7 grandchildren who will remember Dave as the ultimate pancake maker, which leaves their parents scrambling to fill those shoes.

Dave was born to Earle and Virginia on May 18, 1954 in Chapman, KS.  He was the eldest of 3, and his two brothers, Dana and Doug, adored him.  His childhood was influenced by his parents’ roles in the Red Cross including some time spent living in Germany.  He graduated from Elgin High School in 1972.  It was the 1970s when he met Debbi, so you can imagine the type of shenanigans that ensued.  He had an amazing head of hair and could always be counted on to be the life of the party.  In 1993, the Popejoy family moved to the Wynn vacation home in Merriam Woods, Missouri where they continued to raise their kids and where they lived for the rest of Dave’s life.

Dave worked in the auto body industry for over 40 years and was the hardest worker in the room.  His hobbies included collecting sailboat and nautical items, birdwatching, and watching and listening to the same music and shows for the past 40 years (looking at you ‘Singin’ in the Rain).  He was a master of the grill, carver of the turkey, wearer of the classic ‘dad’ New Balances, and if you ever need something for any type of car or home project, you could find it in one of his garages.  He passed on his love of cars to his youngest child and stubbornness to probably all of them.

Dave was preceded in death by his parents, father-in-law Gerald ‘Jerry’ Wynn, and brother-in-law Bob Straus.  He is survived by his wife, 3 children, 7 grandchildren, 2 brothers, and multitudes of others who love and miss him.  A celebration of life will be held on June 26^th at Black Oak Grill in Branson, Missouri at 2:00 pm.  Dave’s family sincerely appreciates the love and support shown to them over the past month and looks forward to reminiscing about Dave’s legacy later in the month.