David Barrett Givens was born January 22, 1926 in Joliet, Illinois. At 17, he joined the Army and fought in France as a combat infantryman in some of the toughest fighting of the war. Returning home to Illinois with two purple hearts, David decided to continue his education and attended the University of New Mexico and UCLA studying geology and developed his passion for rocks and landscapes that would last his entire career. A field geologist for Chevron, he enjoyed countless adventures working in the wilds of Washington, Alaska, New Mexico and Texas.
The second love of his life was his family. He married Betty Ree Alsup of Stanton, TX in 1964 and they had two children Katherine and Sharon. As a dad, David shared his enthusiasm for play and the outdoors with his daughters. He acted as Indian Princess, chief Red Fox. As a grandfather, David was a fair and focused referee for girls’ soccer, a craftsman of a beloved wooden rocking horse, and a good companion for just sitting around.
David’s curiosity and energy took him traveling around the globe far into retirement, most recently going to Guatemala with his daughter Sharon in 2018. Over the years, he collected a wide variety of beloved souvenirs and photographs, amounting to a personal museum within his home. Because he was an ongoing learner, he was also a wonderful teacher. At Parkview apartments, he delighted his neighbors with presentations about his travels. His incredible memory and access to information made him an open, engaged conversationalist and earned him the nickname, “Google.” David was so striking and so endearing in that he was able to be present with everyone he talked to. His alertness and care with conversation was always supported by his kind humor. Beyond the lessons he offered directly, on geological phenomena or financial advice, he was an active example of being true to oneself. His confidence in his own wonderful peculiarities was a gift to those around him. We’ve all known him to take care of his family first, and then spend the rest of the time doing what he loves.
He will be missed!
A “come and go” visitation will be held on Sunday, January 2, 2021, from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home. Only a limited number of guests will be allowed to enter the funeral home facility at any one time to maintain social distancing.
In support of our local, state, and federal govt including CDC directives and to protect the physical health, safety and well-being of our community, only a limited number of guests will be allowed to attend the funeral service.
A funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Monday, January 4, 2020, at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home Chapel, 2525 Central Expressway North, Allen, Texas. The service will also be live streamed at TJMfuneral.com on David’s obituary page by clicking on the following link: https://celebrationoflife.tv/blog/david-b-givens. After the service, the recorded live stream will be available for viewing at the same link location.
However, when the maximum number of guests are reached, those who would like to honor David and show their support to his family may remain at the funeral home in your vehicle, where you can watch the live streamed service on your personal device (laptop, tablet or smartphone) or listen through a designated FM radio channel.