Beloved son, husband, father and friend, David Alvin Willson passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his loved ones on February 20, 2023, at the age of 63.
David was a long-time resident of Turlock and served his community with pride. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, David spent summers of his youth with his grandparents exploring parts of Canada, the Sierras and the Central Valley which sparked an early love for the area.
David met and found his soulmate Loddie Pualani Amado in 1998. They married in 2000 and raised their family in Turlock.
David was quite a character. He was one-of-kind. If you knew David, you could safely say that you didn’t know anyone else like him. He was the unique combination of a fighter, a “man’s man”, a spiritualist, and a consummate joker. David had a distinct sense of humor and an uncanny ability to create his own sound effects. If he was in your life, you likely have one or two his sayings in your vocabulary.
David was an incredibly hard-working man and believed that “anything worth doing, is worth doing well or might as well not do it at all.” Often caught saying, “positive waves, man”, David focused on what could be made right rather than what was wrong. His unrelenting positivity, quirkiness, charm, and strength garnered respect and love wherever he went, whether it was a passing encounter with a store cashier or a conversation with a family member.
David loved life and exploring nature. He especially enjoyed BBQing, working on cars, riding his motorcycle, fishing, camping and road trips. From a young age, he also spent a great deal of time fixing things for family and friends. His natural gifts as a tinkerer led to a strong career as a mechanic, HVAC, and finally, as dedicated employee of the Turlock Unified School District (TUSD). David served TUSD for 25 years and retired as an Operations Manager in 2021.
Though always spiritual, David officially dedicated his life to Jesus in 2022. He actively attended and participated as a congregate at New Life Christian Church in Turlock.
David had the rare gift of knowing with absolute conviction and clarity who he was, what he wanted from life, and what was important and what was not—living life to the fullest, living in the present (not hung up by the past) and living life with those you love, your family and friends.
David is survived by his wife, Loddie; five children, Diana, Justin, Joshua, Victoria, and Jeremy; 14 grandchildren, Elijah, Isaiah, Tearsa, Gage, Lily, Eve, Lea, Noelani, Jasmine, Malia, Kapono, Alex, Kawika, and Johnny; and one great grandchild, Kainoa; his mother Betty, 7 sisters, Verna, Elizabeth, Allison, Lisa, Christina, Leanna and Carla; two brothers, Robert (Chip) and Billy, and dogs, Koa and Happy.
He is preceded in death by his father Alvin, brother Timothy, dogs, Homer and Chewy.
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