David William Dunaway

DUNAWAY, David William, 64, passed away in Richmond on Friday, April, 23, 2021. He was preceded in death by his parents, Samuel Mayhu Dunaway and Frances (Price) Dunaway; his sister, Sarah (Dunaway) Thomas; and his nephew, John Dunaway. He is survived by his wife, Isa Dunaway; his sons, Chris Dunaway (Jaime) and Lars Dunaway (Anna); his grandchildren, Elliot and Mayhew Dunaway; his brothers, Samuel Dunaway (Sharon) and James Dunaway (Nan); his nephew, Eric Dunaway; and his niece, Eitel Dunaway. In the late 1970s, David worked for seven months on a kibbutz in Israel and spent another four months hitchhiking through Europe with only a suitcase and a banjo. It was while hitchhiking in Denmark that he met his wife of 41 years, Isa. He received a B.S. in Horticulture from Virginia Tech and spent his entire career working in that field. David loved cultivating plants, cheap bottle rockets, road trips, napping in any available hammock, gospel music and roughhousing with dogs. He was especially proud of his family, most of all his grandchildren. He volunteered as an ESL teacher for many years and developed deep friendships with several of his students, who were refugees from the Middle East. He was always on the hunt for remarkable trees (which, to his family, looked like every other tree they had ever seen). David believed deeply that he had received generous kindness and mercy from Jesus, and he eagerly treated others with the same kindness and mercy. Family and friends will be received at Crestwood Presbyterian Church, 6627 Jahnke Road, Richmond, Va. 23225 on Friday, April 30, 5 to 7 p.m. A memorial service will be held at Crestwood Presbyterian Church, 6627 Jahnke Road, Richmond, Va. 23225 on Saturday, May 1, at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Bethlehem Bible College, bethbc.edu/support-the-college; or Palestine Children's Relief Fund, pcrf.net.