David Fay born in Springfield, Missouri in 1934 and died on April 10, 2026.

David was preceded in death by his father, Everett “Teak” Fay, his mother Jean Houghtlin Fay, and two sisters, Doris Witt and Nancy Howard.

Survived by his wife, Martha “Bitty” Harrison Fay and 2 children, Trisha Fay Fitzhugh (Elvin Fitzhugh), Chip Fay (Jude Fay), 6 grandchildren Lauren Johnson, Katie Fitzhugh, Ben Fitzhugh, Christina Rodgers, Kiernan Fay, Connor Fay, and 5 great-grandchildren, Elizabeth and Caitlyn Rodgers, and Robert, Vera, and Evander Johnson.

Please keep David’s family in your prayers, and may his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

David was born in St. John’s hospital on the same floor, one day apart from his future wife, Bitty Harrison.

He attended Rountree Elementary, Greenwood High School, and the University of Mississippi at Oxford. His guidance counselor was unable to read his famously bad handwriting and thought that he had asked for his transcripts to be sent to the University of Mississippi instead of the University of Missouri, where he earned a Naval ROTC Scholarship.

David travelled the world as a Lieutenant in the Navy, being stationed primarily in the pacific near Guam and Japan, and brought home many photographs which he projected as slides on the living room wall to the delight of his children and family in later years.

Once discharged, David moved his young family from Springfield to Nashville in1966, after a short stint at the Purina Company in St. Louis, to take a job as an industrial engineer at Dupont, a job he held for 25 years.

He enjoyed playing basketball, singing in the church choir, and was an avid St. Louis Cardinal fan. He was a gentle man with a quick wit who never missed an opportunity to make a Dad Joke or a pun that had everyone groaning. He was also a firm believer in technology and was an early adopter of computers and hybrid vehicles, as well as helping his children take home science fair ribbons while they attended St. Joseph elementary.

Memorial Mass will be held  at 11:00 AM on Friday April 24, 2026, in Immaculate Conception Catholic Church with Father David Hulshof celebrant, under the care of Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Maple Park Cemetery.