David Lee Small

David Lee Small, 87, of Mills River NC, passed away peacefully on Sunday, November 26, 2023 at Valor Hospice, Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville NC after a 4 month battle with prostate cancer.
David was born in Illinois to Marion (Young) and Victor Small on July 11, 1936. At the age of 18, David enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served on active duty for 20 years, followed by 10 years in the Fleet Reserves. During his service in the USMC, in 1960, David wed Peggy (Campbell) Small, and they welcomed two sons, Christopher Todd and Michael David, just 18 months apart. During his military career, a professional achievement David was most proud of was being accepted to training to become an aircraft electrician, despite only having an 8th grade education. David excelled in his field, which led him to become a Chief Aviation Officer, HMX, which included Marine One, The Presidential helicopter, during the Nixon administration. David was promoted to Chief Warrant Officer, USMC, during the Vietnam War, the rank at which he retired from active duty. Following his military career, David and his family relocated to Western North Carolina. David taught electronics at Tuscola High School, and later became employed at Westinghouse, where he remained until his 2nd retirement.
After his retirement from Westinghouse, David and Peggy spent years RV'ing with a special group of friends that all gathered in Melbourne Beach, FL every winter. Home, for David and Peggy, was the River Oak Community in Mills River, NC. During his time there, David welcomed 2 grandsons, Timothy David and Henry Lachlan. Traveling continued to be an important aspect for David and Peggy, with numerous trips, including Disney World, Hilton Head, Canada, etc. In 2014, David's wife of 53 years, Peggy, passed away, and David surrounded himself with his remaining family, continuing to travel to FL, the Outer Banks of NC, a Baltic cruise, as well as various other locations. Grandson Timothy was especially able to spend lots of time with David, traveling and isolating in home with David during the Covid outbreak. David met his neighbor and special friend, or as he lovingly called her, his "girlfriend", Patricia Myrto, and he shared a very caring and supportive relationship with her for the last 2.5 years of his life.
Locally, David is survived by his two sons, Chris and Mike (Cora), his two grandsons, Timothy and Henry, as well as his siblings, Donald Small and Diane Freeland of St. Louis, MS.
Services with Military Honors will be held at the Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery in Black Mountain, North Carolina on Wednesday, December 13th at 2pm.
Memorials may be made to the following: Mills River Library through the Henderson County Library System: Donations and Memorials | Henderson County North Carolina (hendersoncountync.gov) (please specify for Mills River Library on the form) or to the Marine Corps Association Foundation: Foundation - MCA (mca-marines.org). The decision for these two are related to his love of reading and his frequent use of the Mills River Library as well as his appreciation for the Marine Corps and the opportunities that his military career afforded a man who had such a challenging start in life.
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