Lt. Col. Clayton C. David

Lt. Col. Clayton C. David 1919 ~ 2009 HANNIBAL - Lt. Col. Clayton C. David, USAF Retired, 89, of Hannibal, died at 6:15 p.m. on Friday May 15, 2009, at Beth Haven in Hannibal.Memorial services will be held on Sunday, May 24, 2009, at 4:00 p.m., at the First Presbyterian Church in Hannibal. Pastor Stephen Adkison will officiate. Cremation rites have been accorded and a private family inurnment will take place at a later date. Lt. Col. David was born July 19, 1919 at Topeka, KS, the son of James C. and Gladys Zinn David. He was married to Lenora M. Scott on February 11, 1945, at Scio, OH, and she survives. He and his wife moved to Hannibal in 1987. He is also survived by his two sons. Lynn A. David of St. Louis, MO; and James S. David and daughter-in-law Debbie of Macon, GA; his grandson, Jonathan David of Springfield, MO; his granddaughters, Sarah R. David and Nora Grace David both of Macon, GA; and his brother, Maynard E. David of Bradenton, FL. He was preceded in death by his parents, an infant son, a sister, Calista McCracken, and two brothers, Cmdr. F. J. David and John E. David. After graduating from Kansas State University in June of 1941, and working for the Pet Milk Co. at Siloam Springs, AR., Clayton entered the United States Army Air Force on Dec. 1, 1941. He retired from the Air Force Reserves on July 19, 1979. He was a pilot, flying combat missions in a B-17 with the 8th Air Force out of England, and he was reported MIA over Holland on Jan. 11, 1944. He evaded being captured by the Germans through Holland, Belgium, France, and over the Pyrenees Mountains to reach Spain and then Gibraltar. From there he was flown back to England on May 25, 1944. He received the Purple Heart in addition to other decorations. His evading experiences are the basis of a book, "They Helped Me Escape" which he wrote. He is also featured in the 8th Air Force Heritage Museum, Savannah, GA., and on a DVD, "Evade", produced by Word One. Mr. David spent more than 25 years with the Pet Milk Co. at locations in Ohio, Greeneville, TN, Salt Lake City, UT, and Neosho, MO, with responsibility for milk procurement. During that time he worked closely with universities and state agencies to improve dairying. He and his wife "Scotty" owned a Training and Motivational company, working with schools and businesses. He was Assoc. Professor Emeritus of West Virginia Northern Community College, Wheeling, WV, where he worked extensively with manufacturing plants, hospitals, and businesses to improve their supervision and management. An elder in the Presbyterian Church, Clayton was a past president and membership chairman of the Air Forces Escape and Evasion Society, Life member of the Reserve Officers Assoc., the 303rd Bomb Group, and the 8th Air Force Historical Society. He was a member of Who's Who in the Mid West, The Air Force Assoc., The Retired Officers Assoc., the Emmette J. Shields American Legion Post #55, and the VFW. Mr. David enjoyed traveling and was a avid golfer earlier in his life. He enjoyed his neighbors and he and his family are very grateful for the neighborhood kindness and assistance during this difficult time. Memorial contributions are suggested to either the First Presbyterian Church in Hannibal, or the Blessing Hospice of Hannibal, in care of the Grand View Funeral Home of Hannibal. Honorary Pallbearers will be Bill Cunningham, Harry Graves, Harry Hughes, Jim Humphreys, Steve Lane, Dr. James K. Mann, Jim Mitchell, Martin Sauer, Dirk Sauer, and Jerry Zimmer.