David Matthew Southard

David Matthew Southard was born August 23, 1959 to Neil and Marjorie Southard in High Point, NC. He was the youngest of 4 brothers. He died July 9, 2017 in Tacoma, WA. He is survived by his brothers Victor and Stephen, and by a number of nieces and nephews, and by many friends. He grew up in High Point, NC. He loved the outdoors, including hunting and fishing, and he always liked airplanes. After graduating from high school, he got a job as a mechanic for a service station. He was in his beloved outdoors exploring in his jeep when he had his accident in 1979. He was hospitalized for six months, and in physical therapy for awhile after that. David attended Davidson County Community College from Summer 1980 to Fall 1982, where he studied Electronic Data Processing in the School of Business and was in the Data Processing Management Society. But his ambition for a job in aviation led him to Guilford Technical Community College, attending from Spring 1984 to Spring 1986 in the Aviation Management program. He earned excellent grades, and part way through got a job as a dispatcher for Atlantic Aero. David came to Seattle where he got a job as a dispatcher for Seattle Jet in 1988. He began as a dispatcher for AirLift Northwest in April 1992, working there for almost 20 years until he was unable to work any longer. After renting for a number of years, then living with a friend, he was finally able to buy a house in Lakewood, which friends fixed up to make it wheel chair friendly. He had surgery on his back in August of 2010, during which he had a stroke, which led doctors to discover a hole in his heart. He was not able to work or drive after that, as he lost some use of his right arm and hands. After several years of battling health issues, David died on July 9, 2017. David had a fighting spirit that didn't let his disability get in the way of living life and doing the things he wanted or needed to do. He was also a people person with a big heart. He made friends wherever he went, and would do whatever he could for those he loved. He was dearly loved by many to the very end.