David Allen Kovacs

David Allen Kovacs, 77, of Columbia, passed away on February 16, 2026. He was born May 21, 1948 in Norwalk, Connecticut, son of David Kovacs and Jean Kovacs. His father's lineage is Hungarian, and David Kovacs, Sr. was a gardener. His mother's lineage was English, and Jean was a nurse before becoming a homemaker.

His early life and education were in the Norwalk and Westport region of Connecticut. David learned violin and was especially enamored by folk music. David was a cross-country runner in high school, and he was heavily involved with the Boy Scouts of America. David became an Eagle Scout, and he formed a life-long love for the outdoors.

Pursuing interests in biology initially at Utah State University but later transferring to Oregon State University, he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Zoology in 1971. David continued his passion for sports through crew (rowing) while at Oregon. He married Shirley Anne Hull in June 1973, and the couple later divorced in 1988. David was a researcher at the M.D. Hubbell Research Center for Epilepsy in Buffalo, NY in 1974. Next, he was a faculty research associate with the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology between 1974 and 1976 at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. In 1976, David moved to Columbia, MO where he began graduate studies at the University of Missouri School of Medicine and graduated with a Master of Arts (with a thesis) Degree in Physiology in 1981.

David had a son in 1978, Kent Forrest Kovacs, and a daughter in 1983, Elaine Sage Kovacs, during his time in Columbia. He was a graduate student teacher in the Medical School until 1981. After graduation, David was a faculty research associate at the University of Missouri in the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Food Science and Nutrition. Beginning in 1985, he transitioned into a career as an analytical chemist. As an analyst in Analytical Bio-Chemistry Laboratories in Columbia, MO, David followed EPA study-specific operating procedures for environmental fate and transport pesticide residue analysis of water, oil, sludge, fruit, and forest litter.

In 1986, David was a supervisor for a year and a half at BSK & Associates in Fresno, CA. The company was a commercial environmental analysis laboratory serving environmental engineering firms, state and local governments, and private citizens. From 1988 to 2003, David was a senior scientist specializing in analytical chemistry support services to the US EPA in Ada, OK with ManTech Environmental Research Services Corp. Then from 2003 to 2012, the company was Shaw Environmental and Infrastructure, Inc.

David was an avid runner in Oklahoma where he completed many 10K races, qualified for and then competed in the Boston Marathon. David was in a band in Oklahoma where he played the fiddle. The violin was played by David throughout his life.

David moved away from Ada, Oklahoma in 2012 to Columbia, Missouri. David biked the full length of the 240-mile Katy trail twice while living in Columbia. Nancy Kautz was his partner in Columbia, and the two shared an interest in the arts, music, cooking, and gardening. David hosted a solo show of his photography of rocks, gemstones, and slabs at the Columbia Art League, and he was involved for more than a decade in nature photography in Oklahoma and Missouri. In Oklahoma, many photographs were taken of the Canadian River and in Missouri photographs were taken of eagles at a local nature reserve. David had frequent interactions with local photography and computer businesses to find the best photographic equipment. Nancy and David had season tickets at the Columbia "We Always Swing" Jazz Series. Gardening around the house was a hobby in his later years, planting herbs and perennial flowers. In the 2020 pandemic, Nancy and he visited the Amish north of Columbia to purchase produce and flowers. Vacations with Nancy included Colorado (Denver, Vail, and Cripple Creek), Florida (Sanibel Island), Oklahoma (Black Mesa), Arizona (Sedona and Tucson), and Maine (Acadia National Park and Great Duck Island). David struggled with Alzheimer's disease after 2020, cared for by Nancy and memory care facilities (Westbury in Columbia and the Four Seasons Living Center in Sedalia).

David Allen Kovacs was preceded in death by his father David Kovacs, Sr., mother Jean Kovacs, and former wife Shirley. Survivors include Nancy Kautz, son Kent Forrest Kovacs and his children, Anna Lin Kovacs and Samuel Rui Kovacs, of Fayetteville, AR; daughter Elaine Sage Kovacs and her daughter, Irene Oxford of Portland, OR.

Arrangements are under the direction of Parker-Millard Funeral Service and Crematory, 12 E. Ash St.; Columbia, Missouri 65203. (573) 449-4153. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.milardfamilychapels.com.