David was born to parents, Donald Edward Cole and Elaine Betty Cole (nee Wolbrink) in Klamath Falls, Or. His family moved to Anchorage AK. in ‘71. After graduating from Pleasant Hill High School in 1986, he spent the next 5 years in the U.S. Navy, part of which was enlisted on an aircraft carrier (the USS Carl Vincent) as a “plane captain”. The remaining portion at the US Naval Academy at Annapolis. God‘s plan for David was different than David‘s plan. David left the Navy and graduated from the University of Oregon.
David loved planes. He got his private pilots license in 1991 and commercial pilot license in 2004. He spent one summer flying down on weekends to Truckee, CA in his plane, only to hop in another plane to drop parachutists out of a perfectly good plane. He was always looking for a reason to fly. Part of the joy of having his own plane was just showing up at relatives’ houses in different parts of the country unannounced, just to surprise them! His RV-4 plane made those visits easier.
David was an absolute Renaissance man; he enjoyed Ayn Rand (Who is John Gualt ?), H. L. Mencken. He could weld, build, poor concrete, discuss architecture, study Austrian economics, and tax law.
In the last 10 years of his life, he thoroughly enjoyed interacting with his clients and helping people understand their finances. He loved his work family at Liberty Tax, especially Tom and Cynthia Aames. He always said, “It was good inside work for the winter”. He really wanted to make the world a better place. He renovated many old dilapidated houses to make them a proud home for someone to live in. He met Melissa in February 2004 and they were married September 04. They had just celebrated their 20th anniversary with a wonderful trip to Victoria BC to the Buchard Gardens. He was a generous, hard working, caring man. He was a devoted and proud father to Nic and Anna. He taught his daughters to love and honor the Lord above all else in life, and keep God‘s word close to their hearts. He delighted in teaching his girls everything, from the proper way to cook hot dogs over a perfect bed of red hot coals to the definition of “passive income”.
Before the girls could acquire their first horse, David had them do MANY cash flow spreadsheets (they were 11 & 13 yrs old). It turns out just like planes, horses do not flow any cash !
David was an Eagle Scout and proud member and past Master of the Creswell Masonic Lodge #112 AF&AM. David was a member of the Creswell EAA. He enjoyed taking kids on Young Eagle flights every Fourth of July.
David graduated to glory on February 17, 2025. I’m confident when he met Jesus he heard “well done good and faithful servant”.
He is survived by his wife, Melissa, daughters Nic and Anna of Springfield , Oregon, brother Eric, and nephew Gunnar of Anchorage, Alaska.
The family is grateful for all the care and kindness of the staff at The Willamette Valley Cancer Institute and the Pete Moore Hospice House.
A memorial service will be held April 19 th at 10:00 AM at NorthWood Christian Church, 2425 V St. Springfield, Oregon.
Memorial contributions may be made in David’s name to the Shriners hospitals.
