David Cary Rigsby

1950 - 2020

On May 3, 2020, David Cary Rigsby, 69, peacefully passed away at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, a celebration of David's life will take place at a later date.
Mr. Rigsby was born Sept. 29, 1950, in Bainbridge, Georgia, to David and Dorothy Rigsby. His twin brother, Terry, preceded him by a few minutes.
David was raised in Fort Lauderdale before his family moved to Gainesville in the 1960s.
He was a proud graduate of the University of Florida, with a degree in landscape architecture. His career in landscape design and construction was a labor of love.
In the early 1980s, David worked for the City of DeLand as director of parks and recreation.
Being impressed by his work, Dr. Pope Duncan, then-president of Stetson University, persuaded David to join the staff of the university.
David spent 42 years as manager of streets and grounds, and was responsible for special projects. Through his work in historic preservation, he was instrumental in having many campus buildings added to the National Register of Historic Places.
David retired from Stetson in early January 2020.
In addition to his career at Stetson, David was deeply committed to the city of DeLand. His involvement spanned more than 30 years, including membership on the Planning Board, serving as a city commissioner and being elected mayor for two terms.
He was also elected president of the Florida League of Cities, and served in that capacity 1989-90.
Until recently, David remained a fixture in Downtown DeLand. He loved visiting with people and supporting the local merchants.
David was preceded in death by his father, David Green Rigsby. He is survived by the love of his life, his wife Kate Pearce; his mother, Dorothy; his twin brother, Terry (Sharon); his children, Jennifer Reid (Kevin) of DeLand, Josh Rigsby (Karen) of Asheville, North Carolina, and John-David Rigsby (Adam) of New York City; his stepchildren, Jessica Grochowsky (Jason) of Jacksonville, Will Whitely (Kylie) of Winter Park and Dorie Hanson of Jacksonville; eight grandchildren, two nieces, one great-niece and many, many friends.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Landscape Memorial Fund at Stetson University. Gifts may be mailed to Stetson University, Unit 8286, 421 N. Woodland Blvd., DeLand, FL 32723, or made online at www.stetson.edu/give. In the Designation field, select "Other" and enter "Rigsby Landscape Memorial." Lankford is in charge.