David Davolt

December 30, 1946 - January 19, 2015
"My steadfast spouse of 46 years has finished his tour." MSgt. (USAF Ret) David Allan Davolt, Sr. was welcomed home by his mother, brother and grandparents and a host of angels alongside Lord Jesus Christ on Monday, January 19, 2015, twenty days after his 68th birthday. MSgt. Davolt was born on Monday, December 30, 1946 in Kansas City, Missouri to his parents Harold L. and Ruth L. Davolt. Upon graduation from high school David attended IBM TAB wiring school and then enlisted with the U.S. Air Force in July 1964. He was first stationed in Biloxi, Mississippi at Keesler AFB where he met his Air Force medic wife, Jeanette, during his 2nd enlistment. They married in May of 1968 with the independence of Capricorns and welcomed their first child, David Allan Davolt, Jr. in April of '69. Shortly thereafter, MSgt. Davolt and his younger brother received orders for Vietnam. He valiantly claimed the position of the first-born to spare his family from having two sons in harm's way. Putting family and others before self was a pattern he continued and maintained for the rest of his life. MSgt. Davolt flew the coast of Vietnam with the 903rd Air Evac headquartered at Da Nang AB as a medic caring for the wounded. R&R with his wife into his 11th month of service was a hopeful prelude to coming home from the war. However, upon landing back in 'Nam, the Red Cross informed David that his youngest brother had been involved in a fatal motor vehicle accident. David returned home from Vietnam changed and numb from his experiences of losses in the field. His homecoming was bittersweet with the joy of finally seeing his son after 11 months away from home, yet sorrowful at having to attend the burial of his youngest brother. MSgt. Davolt was stationed in Cheyenne, Wyoming at Francis E. Warren AFB from 1970 to 1971 where he was the NCO in Charge of the Flight Surgeon's Office. At this base he proudly welcomed his daughter, Kimberly, in March of '71. He was stationed in San Antonio, Texas at Brooks AFB from 1971 to 1976 and worked in the Audiology Section conducting clinical research in the altitude chamber. Donna, the youngest of their children, was welcomed into the family in August of 1973. David was stationed in Spangdahlem AFB, Germany from 1976 to 1979 where he held the position of NCO in Charge of the clinic. He also provided medical coverage for Army demolition operations and was a member of the Air Crash Recovery Team. In 1979, he was reassigned to help establish the USAF Hyperbaric Center at Brooks AFB, where he also created the medical photography program for documentation of wound healing. MSgt. Davolt earned the Meritorious Service Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Medal, NCO Professional Education Ribbon, Vietnam Service Medal with Bronze Star, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal and Air Force Longevity Service Award with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters. He was also selected as NCO of the Quarter at the School of Aerospace Medicine in 1980. MSgt. Davolt retired from the USAF in 1984 after 20 years of military service and joined the original hyperbaric pioneers with International ATMO. He created the medical photography program there as well and provided research assistance to many scientific projects. He was the co-author of some forty scientific papers. Most of the seminal textbooks in hyperbaric medicine contain photographs he generated. In 1998, the UHMS Gulf Coast Chapter acknowledged his work as they honored him with the Charles W. Shilling Award. He presented papers at several medical meetings and was well known for his special expertise in wound photography. He was an active member and Board of Governors member of the BioCommunication Association and a former Chair of the Texas Chapter. In addition to his duties as a medical photographer, he acted as a medical assistant at both the USAF and civilian hyperbaric centers providing direct care to innumerable patients. He was always a patient favorite recognizing each by name and providing personalized care. David retired from ATMO in 2009 and worked subsequently as a professional medical photographer and videographer for several physicians, dentists and surgeons. MSgt. Davolt always made time for serving God and supporting his community. David was baptized Roman Catholic in 1968 and lived a religious life. He was an active Eucharistic Minister while stationed in Germany. He was a parishioner at St. Matthew Catholic Church of San Antonio where he was a member of the Knights of Columbus and ACTS society. At St. Matthew David actively participated in church cook-outs, golf-tournaments and fundraisers. He was also a member of the VFW, Post 4676 and American Legion, Post 336. David also acted as a group facilitator for the "Bridges to Life" Program at Kyle Prison, where he would assist in ministering to offenders and the victims of violent crimes. David was also a Director for Helpful Hands, Inc. where he was able to assist disabled veterans and persons with severe disabilities transition back into the workforce and secure them employment in healthcare housekeeping. David was gifted with turning any scene into a beautiful piece of pictorial art. More important than using this gift for professional purposes, he used this skill to document the life and events of family and friends, and allowing those photos to be shared with those that couldn't be present. He could be readily identified by the camera hanging from his neck and camera bag slung over his arm, both of which were like natural appendages. David's children roughly calculated the astronomical number of photos into the hundreds of thousands. Each of his photos reflected his love of the flowers, wildlife, architecture and landscapes that he witnessed on his travels around 30 of the Unites States, Europe, Mexico and Sweden. He has shots of his volksmarches through Germany with the family, his whale watching off the coast of Cabo San Lucas, his submarine ride in Hawaii, his medical excursions to Honduras, and visits to the missions in Belize. He was the unofficially designated family photographer who was counted on to have his camera at the ready for all family births, birthday parties, holiday gatherings, funerals, scholastic awards, professional achievements, sporting events, concerts, choir recitals, reunions, as well as an assortment of interactive conversations among friends, children and strangers alike. David left the living a priceless gift through his love of photography; life through his eyes has been eternalized. David was a patient and kind-hearted husband who never failed to support his wife's spontaneity. He respected her professional commitments which were often accented by outlandish activities, extended hours, and days away from home. He could always be relied upon to willingly clean-up her power-point presentations and deliver forgotten needed items to fulfill frantic requests. Through sickness and health, through good times and bad times, David's love for his wife never wavered, and he remained faithful to his promise to her and to God. David was a sentimental soul and was successful at maintaining contact with his children, grandchildren, parents, siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, close friends and former co-workers on a regular basis whether through texting, facebooking, e-mailing, and making phone calls. David could be found more often than not sitting outside on his front porch enjoying a lively phone conversation or out on the sidewalk visiting with all his neighbors. David's family is grateful for the care, compassion and respect provided by the staff at the St. Luke's Baptist Hospital Emergency Room and Stroke Unit, his loyal and faithful friends from the medical field, the tall-tale tellers from the golf course and fishing trips, the turkey runs and deer hunting accomplished during his Missouri clan annual expeditions, the thoughtful male and female colleagues who reached into the past and notified old co-workers and friends, and the ever presence of dearest friends Dr. John and Judy Feldmeier particularly during this time of difficulty. MSgt. Davolt is survived by his faithful wife Jeanette and their three children: son, David Allan Jr. (USN EM1/SS) his wife Kathryn and their three children Denton, Danielle and Jamie of Dyersburg, TN; daughter, Kimberly Davolt-Flores and her husband Christopher, children Alyssa Hamilton of San Antonio, TX and Brother Nicholas Hamilton, SOLT of Detroit, MI, Taren and Zachary Flores of San Antonio, TX ; daughter, Donna Flores and her husband Kenneth and their five children, Ariana, Tristan, Mia, Farah, and Delilah of San Antonio, TX. Also by his father, Harold L. Davolt and wife Kathleen of Macon, MO, brother Steve Davolt and his wife Sandy of Lee's Summit, MO, sister Carole Fabro and husband Steve of Kansas City, MO. Several nephews and nieces, Aunt Betty Hatcher from Enterprise, UT and Aunt Donna and Uncle Dean McAllister from Salt Lake City, UT.
Visitation will be held from 5-7 PM followed by a rosary/vigil service at 7:00 PM Sunday, February 1, 2015 at Mission Park Funeral Chapels North. Mass will be held at 9:30 AM Monday, February 2, 2015 at St. Matthew Catholic Church with interment to follow at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to SAGE (San Antonio Guatemalan Endeavor) (www.sagemission.org), the American Diabetes Association (www.diabetes.org) or to the SOCIETY OF OUR LADY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY
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