David Thomas Ewing was born to Edwin L. Ewing and Edith M. Derry on April 4, 1933 in Buffalo, New York.

He accepted Jesus as his personal savior as a child and lived out his faith with integrity, honesty and kindness. He rarely spoke a disparaging word. He had a calm, even-keel optimism - "It will be OK" was his motto.

He graduated from Kenmore High School and attended the University of Buffalo receiving his Bachelor of Arts in Geology. He served 2 years in the United States Army as a radar operator.

Dave met his first wife, Lois Lee Ludwig, on a blind date. She knew he was a keeper when he reached in the back seat and presented her with a Frank Sinatra album. They were married in early 1960 during a blizzard. Shoveling snow was not his favorite thing to do, so he hand-typed (using the 2-finger pecking method) 100 resumes and mailed them out. He received only 2 responses and one of those brought them south to Jackson, Mississippi and soon thereafter to Houston. He was a geophysicist with Texaco for 22 years and other companies, such as Norcen and Quintana.

Their only child was born in 1968, Erin Elisabeth. She would prove to be a handful, but with her father's patience and kind discipline, and with her mother seeking God's help, she turned out alright. It was her greatest privilege in life to care for dad until his final breath. He was her hero.

He retired in the 90s and they built their dream home in Kerrville in 1998 where they lived out their lives. During his retirement, he followed his passion of playing Bridge, particularly enjoying duplicate Bridge. Their group played 3 days a week at the YO Hotel. It was a competitive game, and when asked, "How did you do?", if the answer was less than desirable, he always responded, "It was fun!" He always looked on the bright side. He was a member of the American Contract Bridge League and achieved his Life Master in 2003.

After his wife's passing in 2010, he met the 2nd love of his life, Monie Joyce on a weekend gambling trip. It took him a few weeks to make that first phone call, but he never regretted it. They married in 2012 and they were wonderful friends and companions to the end. They enjoyed visiting with friends, going to the symphony, eating out, and just being together.

To know Dave, was to love Dave. He truly was a patient and kind person. He also had the best sense of humor - but you really had to pay attention to when he would start to say something, or you'd miss it. His quick one-liners would have us all rolling the rest of the evening. His laughter was contagious.

Dave was predeceased by his parents; his brother, Edwin; and his sister, Jane Miller.

He is survived by his wife, Monie; his daughter and her husband David Jordan; one adoring grandson, Jerry, who followed in his grandpa's footsteps and served in the US Army, and Monie's three children, Ron, Kim and Jennifer who lovingly called him ''Daddy Dave.''

The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to Dave's VA and Peterson Hospice teams. The VA Home Care Team, Sarah, Marlyn, Leo, Phil, Haley and Tina served excellently the last three years. The Peterson Hospice team - Dr. Young, Mindy, Heather, Matt, Christy, Jennifer, Michelle, Marta, Alex, Julie, Courtney, Greg, and volunteers Brock and Mike - let's just say, we couldn't have taken such good care of Dave his last year without your invaluable help. Thank you all. And a big thank you to the Meals on Wheels staff, cook and wonderful drivers who kept us healthy and our bellies full.

Please join us for a celebration of life on Saturday, February 10th at Grimes Funeral Chapels in Kerrville, Texas at 2 p.m. Cake reception to follow.