David "Porky" Hemingway

David’s birth certificate states that he was born on March 31.  But his Aunt Elaine later insisted that he was actually born at home on April Fools’ Day. This “believe it or not” story perfectly fit his mischievous grin and lifelong sense of humor. 

 

David grew up on the family farm, where hard work made callouses but he made time for adventure. His childhood was filled with biking, hunting, fishing, and jumping from hay bales with his siblings and neighbor kids. Winters meant riding to school in the back of the pickup (while his sister Audrey stayed warm in the cab).  

 

David often laughed about his early “electrifying” lessons on the farm... getting shocked more than once by the electric fence and the cream separator. Farm life taught him perseverance and creativity: hammering crooked nails straight, never losing the red-handled hammer, cleaning calf pens for his dad and the neighbors, and avoiding egg-collecting duty by "accidently" breaking a few too many under those pecking hens. In a Hemingway Family History (written in 1980), David remembered in his own words: "Playing ball after chores at night in the yard, Saturday nights in Ellendale, 4H meetings, playing cards during the winter, skiing behind the tractor, and Mom's chocolate chip cookies and cakes." 

 

During his high-school years, David’s strong build and early whiskers made him one of the first boys in his class to look like a man- which might explain one of his happiest memories: earning a spot on the football team and becoming an All Conference Football player. Fond memories of his teen years also included fast cars, first loves and “crazy classmate adventures." His stories from those days could fill an evening (and often did).

 

As a young husband and father, the best part of David's day was coming home from work to play with Brant and Colette. With his video camera in hand, he captured silly and sweet moments, turning them into lasting memories. He cherished every birthday, holiday and family get-together with nieces and nephews and recalled many family road trips that spanned from Washington DC to Canada to Mexico.

 

David built his farm from the ground up- first working alongside his brother Jerry- and later branching out on his own. As a young farmer, he won community awards for innovative farming practices and field conservation and was named Outstanding Young Farmer in 1978. He added a shop, bins, sheds, larger machinery and thousands of trees as the years went on. In the winters, David enjoyed making trips to Beeville, Texas to help his best friend Bob Wayne in the fields. He took many hunting and fishing trips and even traveled to Europe on many seed corn trips. 

 

Over the years, David weathered both easy and tough times as a farmer, but he always remained steadfast in his love of the land and found joy in passing along that love to the next generations- giving combine rides to the grandkids in between their homeschool lessons, and teaching Susan and Lara how to drive a stick shift in the cornfields. David’s gentle patience and twinkling humor made every lesson memorable (and the kids always loved searching for his secret stash of M&Ms!) In later years, David looked forward to annual fishing trips with Brant, Ben and Daniel - even when they didn't bring home any fish! He was glad when Brant decided to farm but he never stopped listening for the sound of the grain dryer humming in the middle of the night... that familiar rhythm that farmers know so well, always half awake listening for any sign of trouble. Even in his final days on hospice, David told us that he was still listening for the dryer.

 

David and Deborah shared a beautiful life of 32 years together. Their honeymoon to Alaska was their first big adventure - fishing for salmon, camping under the stars, and picking wild blueberries while watching for bears! Over the years, David taught a city girl to climb bins, drive grain carts, tractors and semis and together they grew the farm into what it is today. Dave and Deb later traveled on a farm trip to Brazil where they explored soybean, cotton and corn fields, cruised along the Amazon River and hiked to the panoramic walkways of the Iguazu Falls, spotting exotic birds, lizards and even a panther! They also enjoyed camping trips to Canada with David's best friend Bob and Lisa- the trips were always filled with laughter, stories, and lots of fishing. 

 

But most of David's days were filled with simple joys- coffee buddies, watching old "Gunsmoke" episodes with Deb, helping neighbors with chores, blowing snow for the church in winter, and wielding his beloved skid loader as "Wreckin' Ralph."

 

David lived with kindness, laughed with his whole heart, and left this world a better place than he found it.