Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death.
David Hamilton Messenger Sr., 85, passed away peacefully May 17, 2013, at Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital in Hood River, Ore. David was born Aug. 20, 1927, in Kingman, Kansas, to Roscoe Riley and Ruth Hamilton Messenger. He attended school in Kingman and upon graduation joined the U.S. Army in 1946.
After his honorable discharge, David met Doris Mae Nusser and they married in Syracuse, Kansas, on April 30, 1948. They moved to Dufur, Ore., in 1958, along with five children. The family then moved to the Hood River Valley in 1960 and welcomed their sixth child.
David had a passion for hunting, fishing and outdoor activities. Above all, his real joy was spending time with family and friends. David and Doris thoroughly enjoyed attending various activities of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was a longtime member of the Hood River community and was highly involved in the Elks, Masons and the Over The Hill Gang (a local search and rescue group).
David and Doris recently celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary surrounded by family and friends.
David is survived and will be dearly missed by his devoted wife, Doris; children Marsheena Kay Messenger, of Hillsboro, Ore., David Messenger Jr. (and wife, Nancy), of Condon, Ore., Michael Messenger, of Hood River, Sharon Lofton (and husband, John), of Monmouth, Ore., Teresa Fordham (and husband, David), of Albany, Ore., and Dewaine Messenger (and wife, Deanna), of Vancouver, Wash.; two brothers, Roscoe Messenger and Richard Messenger (and wife, Betty), all of California; 16 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; a host of distant family and many, many friends that he has collected over the years.
In addition to his parents David was preceded in death by three sisters and his half-brother.
A service to celebrate David’s life and mourn his passing is planned for 1 p.m. Friday, May 24, at Anderson’s Tribute Center, 1401 Belmont Ave., Hood River, OR 97031; 541-386-1000. Family friend and celebrant speaker Bob Huskey will lead David’s service and there will be tributes from the Masons, Elks and Military Honors.
A time of viewing and to visit with family will be on Thursday from 4-6 p.m. at Anderson’s.
Memorials are encouraged to be made in David’s name to either the Masonic Lodge or the Elks Lodge scholarship programs.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.