David Edward Neeley II

COLUMBIA - David Edward Neeley II, 65, passed away peacefully, Tuesday, October 7, 2014 after a short heart related illness. Funeral service will be held at 12:00 noon Friday, October 10, 2014, at Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel, with burial in Denmark Cemetery, Denmark, S.C. The family will receive friends from 6 until 8:00 p.m. Thursday, October 9, 2014, at Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel. Serving as active pallbearers will be Tony Mitchum, Ben Spring, Neele Eubanks, Chris Eubanks, Harvey Kinder and Cedric Fulmore. David was the son of Marjorie B. and Grady H. Neeley. He was a resident of the Babcock Center, Pinevale House, for many years as well as the family home. David was a happy, gentle, man with a strong sense of right and wrong, a good sense of humor and a loving heart. Family was everything to David. He was part of a big family whom he loved very much and who loved him. He was named after his grandfather which was always a source of pride for him. He enjoyed spending time at the family summer home on the Edisto River with his “river” friends and family. He was a wonderful swimmer and in his younger years spent most of his time in the water. He participated in the Special Olympics swimming events, winning numerous medals. David loved music of all types. He would spend hours listening to his CDs. He was a big television watcher liking all kinds of police stories, with one of his favorite shows being Law and Order, Special Victims Unit. He especially liked Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay)! His passion however was the Dukes of Hazzard. He talked about the characters as if he knew them personally and liked to be called “the boss” or “Boss Hogg”. He had the entire series of DVDs as well as pictures and Dukes tee shirts. He liked to wear overalls because Uncle Jessie wore them! David spent a lot of time at his family home in Columbia where he had a special den where he kept all of his DVDs and would spend hours watching them. His family always looked forward to having David home. He loved barbeque, especially his Uncle Ed’s, and hash and rice! The family 4th of July cook out was always a big event for David. David was very lucky because he had two families who loved and cared for him very much. His Babcock family was just as important to him as his blood family. He lived at the Pinevale House with three men, Charles, Kevin and Calvin who were his best friends. They lived in a safe, loving environment looked after by staff who treated them as if they were their own. They had cookouts, went on trips, and attended dances all under the loving auspices of these very special people. David also attended a rehabilitation workshop every day. He loved the workshop and all of the staff there. He did not like it if something happened and he could not go to the workshop. It takes extraordinary people to work daily with adults with disabilities. The Babcock staff that cared for David was just that. The staff at the Pinevale House in particular were always so loving, caring and understanding of David, but never so much as in this last week of his illness and time in the hospital. They had people at the hospital in ICU with David around the clock to make sure he would not be afraid and to communicate with the hospital staff for David if necessary. They helped the family also and were of great comfort. While it is too many people to mention individually, David’s sister and brother want to thank all for this outpouring of help and love. In particular Anika Goodwin, who could do more with David than anyone, was a very special angel. He loved and felt safe with her and she loved him. Cedric Fulmore, Craig Montgomery, David’s House Managers, Nikia Dosreis care giver and Vanessa Mclendon, David’s Babcock nurse, thank you. David had many challenges in his life, but he always tried to be a good man and to do the best he could. He took pleasure in the simpler things and because of that helped his family “stop and smell the roses” and enjoy things in life that sometimes we adults get too busy to notice. It was a joy and a privilege to have had our precious David, he was our angel. Now “Our Pal” is with the angels. He was predeceased by his mother and father and maternal and paternal grandparents. He is survived by his sister, Kathie Neeley of the home; brother, Grady Neeley (Ruth) of Blythewood; nieces, Elizabeth N. Mitchum (Tony) and Neeley Anne Mitchum all of Beaufort, Melissa N. Spring (Ben) of Columbia; aunts, uncles and many cousins. In lieu of flowers, please send memorials to the Babcock Foundation, PO Box 3608, West Columbia, SC 29171. He will be buried in the Neeley family plot in Denmark, South Carolina.