David, we think about you often and wish you were still here with us living in Nocona...It has not been the same in Nocona without you...Love Steve and Norma

My sincere condolences to the family.  I worked with David for many years.  David took great pride in his work. He performed a critical function for Hunt Oil and was excellent at it.  When you got information from David, you knew it was correct.   He was always willing to share his knowledge and expertise with others.  He was a great example to many of us.

I love this picture. He’s waiting patiently for food and wearing two of his favorite types of shirts.

David loved rescue dog, Heidi.  She loved him so much.  She never stopped staring at him.  She knew he saved her.  She had been set on fire and left in a ditch when she was a puppy.  Never knew her age. She and Hank great dogs.

For my David


When I see a bird on high
Pigeons on a ledge
Hawks flying in the sky
Roses in a hedge
I think of you

When I’m in the country side
Driving in the car
You my navigator by my side
Looking at a star
I think of you

We loved seeing pretty trees
All that God has made
You cried when they lost their leaves
Missing all the shade

Fields of goats made you smile
Cows, longhorns did too
We drove a lot of miles
I loved my time you

I will never say goodbye
I feel you in my heart
As I sit here and cry
I know we’ll never part

I’ll see again someday 
Listen to your funny jokes and more
Your pain and suffering gone away
We’ll meet at Heavens door.

A message from Brenda Woodle Akins 
one of our friends:

“Nola one of my dogs is a dumped puppy in a box (9 years ago) all of my dogs have been rescues either showing up or not wanted. Only reason I’m telling you this today is I thought I would make a donation to one or two local animal rescue places in memory of David.”

I cried all day...I will miss the good times, mainly when we were all young...We really wanted to see you while you were in the hospital, in Dallas and Mesquite, but had no way to get there.....I loved when Nola put you on the phone shortly before you passed and you called Steve and me by name and told us, you loved us....We loved you too, Buddy....

I came across these one day 15-16 years ago and showed Dad. 
“How ‘bout that! You keep ‘em!”, He told me. 
I’m glad I did.

When Amy and Darren were little, we made sure we had family time every weekend.  We  would go to Caldwell Zoo in Tyler.   At that time, there was no charge for the zoo, and it was a very nice zoo.  We would always get snow cones!  Loved their snow cones.  Sometimes we would split a meal.  Sometimes we would go to the  Brookshire’s Museum after the zoo. It was always fun.  On the way back home, David always stopped at a gas station in Canton to fill up.  This particular station had a Subway inside and always go in for sandwiches. 

When it was First Monday at the Canton Flea Market, we would often go there. We only went to Dog Alley.  David loved looking at the dogs.  We all did.  Many times we did more than look.  We came home with puppies!  They were all good puppies.  David would check their gums to make sure they were healthy.  One of the first dogs we brought home from there was a Toy Fox Terrier.  We named him Sparky.  He was a great dog.  Another time we came home with a Chihuahua.  I think Darren is the one who named him Nick, from a Godzilla movie. Amy had Sparky; Darren had Nick.  We brought other dogs home and had a variety of dogs.   David would sometimes say no to getting another dog but he ended up getting one. 

He liked picnics and fishing at purtis creek.  He wasn’t ever ready to leave. We’d either bring sandwiches and chips from home or we’d pick up grandys on the way there. He loved that park.   Sometimes we would stay until dark when you could see the glowing eyes of raccoons digging for food in the trash cans.

Amy and Darren, your dad was very proud of you two..

Darren and Family and Amy and Family...We know how much loosing your dad means to yall...He will always be with you...I feel his presence with me...He was a great man and will be greatly missed, by all who loved him...With Love Aunt Norma and Uncle Steve

He always had to be the one holding her 🩷

Four "kids" going out on a double date, together...I believe this was December 1977...

Just one of his visits. They loved their nap times together.

Dad had called us outside to see his new truck- 2013 Ford F150.. I think it was really just an excuse to see Eisley 🩷

Smoked turkey made with Green Egg Smoker...I miss those days..

A year or more ago, David got together for lunch with some of his former co-workers from Hunt Oil.  He loved it.  Thanking Christine for making it happen.

Great time with his favorite (and only) barber.

David loved going to his barber for a shave and haircut. She spent so much time with him and so understanding about his Alzheimer’s.   I thank her for all the special attention she gave him

Even after David was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, we found time to go out together everyday.  Sometimes it was between doctors appointments; even going to appointments was okay because we were together.  He always asked many times in waiting rooms why were there.  Sometimes he would say, “Let’s go and come back another time.”  No matter what, he had me up bright and early to go get breakfast, then maybe a snack; always lunch, and dinner and snacks.  I made sure he ate healthy when I could keep an eye on him.  We went on drives.  He loved riding in the car while I drove. He was my navigator.  I wished he could still drive.  He loved the hawks, all birds, trees, flowers….all the beautiful things God made.  He cried when trees lost their leaves in fall and winter even though I told him that was natural.  His last few months, if he could see trees out the window, I wanted him to notice the leaves.  A couple of times he would look out the window and see ducks flying in the sky.  I told him I didn’t see them but that his eyes were much better than mine.  I would tell him he’s my boy and he would say I was his girl.

I have so many good memories with David. He accepted me into the family and I will always be grateful to him. He would always be there no questions asked if you called him for help. I remember having to race him home from work when he first retired because he would always want to mow for me so I could spend time with my family. I know I told him I appreciated it but such a small thing meant so much to me. He was always stopping by to see if we needed anything. That’s just who he was. Protective and caring. The way he would drop anything in his hands when Eisley ran to him with her arms open yelling “DEPAW!” Shows how loving he was. I miss having him ask me “how do you think the cowboys are going to do this year?” He loved football and I enjoyed giving him advice for his fantasy football team (which he won and was very proud of). To me he was just someone I loved to listen to. I am proud to have known him and  learn from him as a father figure.

One Friday, I walked into work at the clinic I was currently employed with, to literally a box of puppies. I was told that a client of ours, who was the principal at a middle school near by, found them in the school’s dumpster and rushed them in. One was already deceased, the others were covered in feces, urine, and vomit. It was close to Christmas, so it was cold and also raining that day. The staff quickly cleaned them up, then the receptionists, including me, were in charge of “puppy-sitting” for the day. The doctors looked them over, dewormed them and instructed us to find them homes. I called my dad and sent him pictures of he puppies. The “blonde one” stood out to him. I told him, if he wanted him, he better get him soon because there was already a lot of interest in him. The next day, after hours, Zack and I met him at the clinic to get his puppy. Dad just held that dog so close and was even tearing eyed. “How could anyone do this to these puppies” he kept asking. 
He got his dog. He had such a bond and connection with Hank. I’d never seen him like that with any other dog in my life. Hank’s first water bowl was Dad’s 25 year anniversary crystal bowl from Hunt Oil Co (LOL). Only the best for Hank. He had to tell everyone he met about that dog, and what he went through as a puppy. He even took him to Sonic for a burger often, and to his favorite gun store, B&K Guns, to show him off. I’d joke with him how he loved that dog more than me.. he’d laugh, but he’d quickly “scold” me for saying “such a thing”.. LOL.

It was for his company picnic, so it was free (LOL). These “old timey” cars, Yosemite log ride, mini mine train, and “The Right  Stuff” imax simulation were his favorites..

Best memories are of you and Lance and Hank...There is nothing like the love of a dog....

Christine and Jimmy invited me to their home for dinner around December 4, 1977.  When i arrived Chrissy told me I was finally going to meet David.  She had wanted us to meet for quite a while.  We all sat at the dinner table and talked as we ate.  I said I had recently been to a Boz Skaggs concert but I not heard of him before I that time. David said he liked Boz Skaggs and had some of his albums.   We sat there talking for what seemed like hours, and at some point we were the only only ones at the table.  Finally it was time to leave and we walked out to our cars.  There was moisture on the windshields. I picked up a leaf to wipe my windshield dry. David ran to his car and got a cloth to wipe my windshield.  I thought that was so nice.  Since it was dark, he asked if he could follow me home.  I said no, I lived close by.  He had a long drive back to Addison where he lived at the time.  

I called Christine the next day and told her that I liked David she could give him my number if he wanted it. When David saw her at work, he said he had a great time and wanted my number.   

We started dating and he would drive from Addison to see me almost every night.  He grew up in the same area of town as I did and said he could stay with his mom if it was too late to go home. Most of our dates were going to Montgomery Ward stores.  He loved that store. We went to the one at Big Town in Mesquite most of the time.  We did venture out between Big Town and Addison. 

A lot of the times he came over,  he would sit in the living room with my Dad, talking and watching TV. They had a lot in common and would laugh a lot.  My parents loved him. 

I was out of town for a few days.  When I got home I found out David had bought a house down the street from us!  He had also been visiting with my parents while I was gone. We were married on April 2, 1979.

My dad loved his watches. He’d have them laid out on display and loved looking at them, making sure they were set correctly. One day around maybe 15 years ago, I was looking through his collection and he came up to me and picked up one of his watches and asked me “do you remember this one”? I looked up at it and said I didn’t. He said, “you gave me this watch for Christmas last year and it is my favorite watch. I just had a new battery put in it”. It was literally a $10 watch from Walmart I grabbed doing last minute Christmas shopping. I had no idea what kind to get him, so I just grabbed one. 
And every time he saw me and he wore it, he’d hold up his wrist and say, “look what I’m wearing!” He was so proud of it, even though he had so many other nice(r) watches. At the time I didn’t know why he liked that one so much. I even remember telling him, “but Dad, that was just a cheap watch”.. he’d say, “but it’s still a good watch and it’s my favorite”. I get it now.
There were 5 years were we became very close. He’d call me several times a day to make sure I was ok. Whether a storm coming, or it was getting dark outside and my husband wasn’t home yet- he wanted to make sure I was home safe. And if I needed him, he’d be there. Often, he’d just show up randomly with surprises for me, including a pink Fossil watch. He’d call me every Wednesday morning (my day off work) wanting to take me out for breakfast, just us two. I looked forward to his call every week. 
When my daughter, Eisley, came along, he told me he was going to make sure he took good care of himself because he wanted to “be around long enough to watch that little girl grow up”. He’d love spoiling her with frozen yogurt. 
I miss him so much. I started missing him when he started losing himself. Before he was not able to speak anymore, we visited him in the hospital and he told me he was ready to go. I asked him “where to?” He said “ihop”. I know it that moment he remembered our Wednesdays.

When Oliver was a baby we used to sit on the back porch with “D-paw” and watch the dogs run. David was always outside with them, playing fetch and giving them extra treats. He was so proud of his dog Hank, and he had lots of funny stories to share about him. Oliver loved when David would flutter his fingers towards his tiny neck to play “tickle bird”. Even when he was struggling, the grandkids and the dogs could bring a big smile to his face.

Growing up, I always remember my dad being very strict. I know it’s because he loved us so much and he wanted what was best for us.  As hard as he was, he was very nurturing. If we had a problem he would stay by our side til it was resolved. When I couldn’t sleep he would stay up with me and watch cartoons, while he rocked me back to sleep. We used to stay up and watch actions movies and comedies. He loved Jackie Chan. I was always so excited to go on our trips to the gun show and shooting range. The smell of gun powder has great memories behind it, taking me back to being a kid with my dad. I’ve come to really miss my car rides to school with him. With his talk radio and slow driving, I always got a good nap. I remember the day he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I felt like I lost him. But we had many great memories since then. He loved my cooking. We loved to have him and my mom over for bbq and home cooked meals. He always finished everything on his plate, then back for more. He loved his grandchildren very much and they loved their D-Paw. Although things weren’t perfect at times, I will always remember him for the great and kind man he really was.

I remember about 40 years ago, giving David a shirt for his birthday...I got it on sale at Montgomery Ward, back in the day, when  gift wrapping was included at no extra charge...Like I always taught my boys, "the key word is free"...David really loved that shirt and wore it many times throughout the year.....The following year, on his birthday, I had a wrapped package, in my closet, (didn't remember what was in it) with the card reading for David....When he opened the box...to my surprise it was the identical shirt, to the one I had given him the previous year....The funny thing about it, he was wearing the shirt I gave him the previous year...It was funny and we really got a good laugh out of that.... .When David's kids came along, he treated his little baby girl like a little princess..He was so proud of her....He was equally as proud of his son....David, you were like a brother to me and Steve .. We will miss you....Nola will think of you always, with love, in her heart.........Norma Scheppmann

OBITUARY

David Vernon Harkness Jr.

September 10, 1950 – September 18, 2023

Grove Hill Funeral Home & Memorial Park

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