The warmth you feel from the sunshine, that’s his love
An amazing father, grandfather, husband, and friend, with a ready smile and a joke; a larger-than-life kind of man, that was David. He could relate to anyone; strangers he encountered quickly became family. He went by BigFoot because he wore a size 14 shoe!
At home, David was fully present. He was married to Christine, also known as Sunshine, for 32 years. David built her dream home on the farm he had always wanted. He loved to drive his five grandchildren on the side-by-side and kept an endless supply of popsicles on hand. David and Christine raised two daughters, Samantha and Taylor. A quintessential “girl dad,” he let his daughters paint his toenails, fix his hair, and cheered them on in everything they did. Taylor remembers how David and the girls shared Oreos every single day; it was their thing.
Family trips were a treasured tradition. The Powells played board games and card games, often laughing until they cried. A lover of the outdoors, David put up bird houses around the farm and loved to sit in the quiet of the morning, listening to the birds sing.
David successfully operated his own dump trucking business for 40 years, earning multiple Business of the Year awards. Not only an excellent businessman, but David also had a gift for making people feel seen and important. He was a proud Navy veteran and supporter of Veterans Affairs.
Addiction ran in David’s family. He began drinking at age 10 and lived with addiction for more than fifty years. Although he tried other drugs, alcohol was his substance of choice. David was never mean when drinking; instead, the alcohol seemed to make him feel more like himself. For most of his life, he was highly functional while drinking, running a business and providing for his family. Over time, the disease took a visible toll. His memory began to fade, and he would repeat himself. If too much time passed without a drink, his hands would shake. His family watched the gradual deterioration of both his body and his mind, feeling helpless to stop it. They knew how deeply he wanted to quit and how defeated he felt when he could not. That internal battle weighed on all of them.
After David’s passing, his family learned about the quiet ways he helped others. He bought work boots and supplies for men trying to rebuild their lives. He paid for his pastor and his wife to take their first cruise. Near the end of his life, he spoke about wanting to share his heart with others in addiction and remind them that even in struggle, God is present.
The Sunday before he died, he told his family he wanted to be baptized alongside his son-in-law. He was emotional and sincere. He died the Tuesday before the baptism was planned. After years of internal conflict, physical pain, and mental strain, David took his own life.
His daughter, Taylor, misses his contagious laugh and the way he picked up the phone whenever it rang. David’s life cannot be reduced to his addiction. Substance use disorder affected his health and his mind, but it did not alter his character. Taylor remembers David with these words: “My father was a good, good man, the warmth you feel from the sunshine—that’s his love.”
David’s daughter, Taylor Trice, provided the information for this narrative.
December 29, 1961–September 23, 2025–Age 63
Narrative Writer: Barbara Francois
Portrait Artist: Shawn Faust
