David Lee Sarrett, MD, 87, departed this life on April 25, 2022, in Chesterfield County, Virginia. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Helen Wood Sarrett. David was born on December 3, 1934, in Huntington, West Virginia, at St. Mary's Hospital where as an infant he met his lifelong companion, Helen, who was born a week later. They were married in 1954, and together lived a life full of faith, devotion and love.

David graduated from Huntington High School in 1952, and attended Marshall University before receiving his medical doctorate from Hahnemann University Medical School in 1959. Hecompleted his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology as a Ware resident at the Medical College of Virginia in 1965, and spent the majority of his career practicing in Virginia Beach as one of the founding partners of Virginia Beach Obstetrics and Gynecology. Aside from dedicating his life to women's health, he was progressive in promoting women in the workforce, and actively recruited and proudly worked with some of the first female OB/GYN's practicing in Virginia Beach.

During his practice, he experienced "the miracle of life" thousands of times as he ushered babies into the world, a joy he never tired of particularly when he met his grandchildren. He was a physician leader serving as the Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital, and as an assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Eastern Virginia Medical School.

He was a man of limitless talent and ideas. In service of his profession, he was completely devoted to his patients and to advancing medical care. To that end, he holds several US Patents for the development of instruments related to laparoscopic surgery, and he trained many physicians as a pioneer, professor, and leader in the medical field.

In service of his children, his inventions and projects were boundless but include: boat building, crafting coops, making hutches, hot air balloons, crab traps, curtains, sports coats, marshmallows, swings, box cars, box kites, Santa traps, campfires, and basically whatever the imagination could offer. He could fix anything, solve any problem, and make anything he put his mind to which made childhood a constant and glorious adventure.

In devotion to his wife, Helen, they were each other's strength and shield, and he was fond of saying, "She can have whatever she wants." They enjoyed entertaining and together embraced any reason for a celebration. Through the years, they have nurtured a family, traveled the world, loved dogs, cooked, gardened, and played too many hands of gin rummy to count in their years together.

He was a devout and dedicated Christian who attended Eastern Shore Episcopal Church in Virginia Beach, where he served in many capacities including that of senior warden and vestry member. He attended St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia where he was a faithful and dedicated communicant.

In his later years, he was a prolific and accomplished artist whose paintings of the outdoor settings he loved now grace homes throughout the country. He loved mountains, water, and rivers, particularly the Lynnhaven and the Greenbrier, and on many an evening he could be easily found with a beeper, oyster knife, and bowl of cocktail sauce standing next to the bulkhead shucking and snacking.

He will be greatly missed by those whose lives he touched and by those he loved. In addition to his wife, Helen Wood Sarrett, of Richmond, Va.; he is survived by their three children: his son, Davis Tinsley Sarrett, (Susan), grandson David Phillips Sarrett (Janet) great-granddaughter, Harper Helen Sarrett, and granddaughter, Tinsley Phillips Sarrett, of Virginia Beach, Va.; his daughter, Anne Sarrett Pennypacker (John), granddaughters, Carrie Helen Pennypacker and Carlee Carroll Pennypacker, of Richmond, Virginia; his son, John Garrison Sarrett (Valerie), grandsons, William Mead Sarrett, John Laurence Sarrett and Scott Davis Sarrett of Richmond, Va.; his brother, Kemper Davis Sarrett, MD (Barbara) of Fort Myers, Florida; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 19, 2022, at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 6000 Grove Avenue, Richmond, Va. 23226 with a reception to follow in the parish hall. In addition, the memorial service will be livestreamed on St. Stephen's Website, ststephensRVA.org/memorial-service-livestream.

In lieu of flowers, please make gifts in honor of Dr. Sarrett to St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 6000 Grove Avenue Richmond, Va. 23226 or to Eastern Shore Chapel, 2020 Laskin Road, Virginia Beach, Va. 23454

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Published by The Virginian-Pilot on May 15, 2022.