David Roland Whitehurst

David Roland Whitehurst, age 71 of Riverdale, passed away July 12, 2019 at Eternal Hope Hospice in Griffin, GA. He was preceded in death by his parents, McGilder and Sarah Whitehurst and sister, Alice Faye Chauvaux. Surviving are his loving wife of 48 years, Judy Morris Whitehurst; a son David Alan Whitehurst of McDonough; a daughter Marsha Hamrick (Russell) of Locust Grove; daughter Kristy Cisneros (Andy) of Pelzer, SC; sister, Linda Johnson of Columbus; sister, Annette Woodward of Gainesville; brother, Mackey Whitehurst of Columbus; sister, Mary Angela Wright of Columbus; grandchildren Kayla, Jacob, Kelsey, Zachary, Brooke, Logan, Madison, Isaac; great-grandchildren Austin and Jace. There are some people you cross paths with in life who make you a better person simply for having known them. This was most certainly the case with Roland: a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend. He was the very epitome of love, kindness and compassion. If you needed help with ANYTHING, you could always count on him to be there for you and his general m.o. was to put others before himself- especially when it came to his family. He said many times that the world would be a much better place if people would just be kinder to each other- and he lived out that philosophy each and every day of his life. His patience seemed to be endless and it was a rarity for him to ever lose his temper. (If he did, you probably deserved it!) He also had an extremely grateful spirit and was very quick to express his appreciation for anything that you did for him. He was easy to please and appreciated the simpler things in life. True to his Native American roots, he also believed in being a good steward of the earth and was very dedicated to recycling and reusing items when possible instead of just trashing them. Prior to retiring, he was a loyal, dedicated employee of Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. for over 30 years. In addition to his beautiful heart, he also had a gifted mind. He was a voracious reader and he loved to learn. He had an endless supply of knowledge about history facts and other areas of study. He had an inquisitive mind, and if he didn’t know how to fix something, he would go to youtube or check out a book from the library to try and figure it out. His kids would often seek out his wisdom well into their adult years. To say he will be missed is a gross understatement. He will leave a void that will never be filled in this lifetime. He was a precious child of God and he left an amazing legacy that will live on for many, many years. This is not goodbye, it’s simply “See you later.” Until then, we will love and miss you with every fiber of our being. A celebration of his life will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, July 20, 2019 at Haisten Funeral Home Chapel, 1745 S. Zack Hinton Parkway, McDonough, GA. The family will receive friends on Friday, July 19, 2019 from 5:00-7:00pm and Saturday, July 20, 2019 from 10:00-11:00am. Flowers are welcome; however, memorial contributions may be made to Eternal Hope Hospice in Griffin, GA or the End Brain Cancer Initiative at endbraincancer.org.