Sandra Sue David of Ozark, Missouri, age 76, passed away surrounded by her loved ones on Friday, October 6, 2017. She was born on August 20, 1941 in Wewoka, Oklahoma, the daughter of Edward Lamar Newman and Willetta Mae (Irwin) Newman. In 1960, she married Larry Leon David, and together they had five children. Sandra traveled widely, from Louisiana and Hawaii to Alaska and Germany, following her husband wherever his military career took them; three of their children were born while the family was stationed in Germany, where they lived for several years.
Sandra loved her family and friends intensely and was in turn immensely beloved as a compassionate caretaker and matriarch. She guided her family with a steady hand for decades, fiercely protective of her loved ones, never losing her no-nonsense Midwestern attitude despite having visited such exotic locations as the shores of Hawaii and the canals of Florence, Italy. Even with her love of travel and wealth of worldly experience, Sandra enjoyed the simple things; she took great pride in her beautiful flower collection and loved to read novels, particularly mysteries and historical fiction. She was a loyal friend to neighbors both far and near, and will be remembered fondly for her wisdom and humor, which she often delivered in the same breath. Her legacy far exceeds her earthly existence.
She lives on in the hearts of her five children, Johnalyn Whaley and John of Montgomery, Alabama, Cynthia Davies and Lance of Nixa, Aaron David of Nixa, Larry David of Nixa, and Eric David and Beth Mosko of Fort Collins, Colorado; her ten grandchildren, Joshua Brown, Jamie Deering, Jackson and Jenna Whaley, Ryan Davies, Jacob and Ethan David, Kara Pike, Caitlin and Courtney Center; eight great-grandchildren, Bailey Brown, Madison Deering, Mackenzie Davis, Phoenix, Aysia, and Xander Davies, Matylyn and Laurence Pike; and a brother, Bill Newman and Linda of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, all of whose lives' have been indelibly affected for the better by Sandra's presence.
Sandra was preceded in death by her husband Larry in 1993, her father Edward Newman, and her mother, Willetta Brister. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, October 11, at Adams Funeral Home in Nixa. A graveside funeral will be held on 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at McConnell-Bledsoe Cemetery in Nixa.