William “David” Bush, Jr., of McKinney, Texas, passed peacefully on April 18, 2023. A steadfast and supportive husband, dedicated father, proud grandfather, great-grandfather, and man of God, David was loved by everyone he met.
William David Bush, Jr., who always went by David, was born to William David Bush, Sr. and Clairene Bendy Bush on October 12, 1941, in Woodville, Texas. An only child, his parents had given up on having children when they were blessed by the birth of David and always thought of him as their miracle child.
A mischievous child with freckles and a gap-toothed smile due to knocking out one of his permanent front teeth, David grew up in Beaumont, Texas, where he often snuck out of church after the service began so he could play, only to return innocently right as it was ending. Another time, he watched a neighbor painstakingly plant a flowerbed full of flowers and then went over and stomped on each one.
As he grew older, he became more serious. He attended French High School in Beaumont, where he played baseball and the saxophone. Throughout high school, he also worked at The White House department store, where he impressed his bosses with his commitment and drive and quickly moved up the ranks. However, instead of accepting a position on the management track at The White House after graduating from French High School, David decided to pursue a career as a Baptist minister. He enrolled at Lamar University and went to school part-time while working at the Tyrrell Public Library.
It was there that he met the woman who would capture his heart for the rest of his life. Erin Wells worked at the library also, and after finding excuses to shelve books near where she typed library checkout cards, he finally worked up the nerve to ask if he could drive her home. Thus began a love story that lasted until he took his last breath sixty-plus years later, although it is doubtful that even death could sever their bond.
David and Erin were married in Sour Lake, Texas, on January 18, 1963. They settled down in Beaumont, Texas, where David decided to abandon his plan to be a minister and instead pursued a degree in accounting. He graduated from Lamar University—the first in his family to earn a college degree—and went to work for The State of Texas Comptroller’s Office. Several years later, he joined ARCO Oil & Gas as an accountant, where he worked for numerous years, moving to Devon, Pennsylvania, and then Plano, Texas, for his job. Passionate about real estate, he then worked for several years as CFO of a property development company in Dallas before becoming a licensed broker helping people find their dream home, a job he adored and did until he was eighty.
A man who valued family first and foremost, David’s pride and joy were his children: his son, Andy, and daughter, Debie. From family camping trips, bike rides, and taking them fishing on the lake to attending band performances and piano recitals, he provided a calm and steady foundation for his family, always putting them first and preferring to stay in the shadows so they could shine. Never judging and with a quiet wisdom, his children, grandchildren, and clients relied upon his advice.
They say still waters run deep, and this was certainly true of David. Behind his quiet and reserved demeanor lay a mind that was intensely curious and inquisitive about a variety of topics. You only had to strike upon the right subject, and he could talk for hours. A fisherman, stamp collector, coin collector, and all-around handyman, he loved nothing more than to tinker with something or putter around. Later in life, he became keenly interested in genealogy and spent countless hours tracing his lineage, discovering that Pocahontas was his twelfth great-grandmother.
David is survived by his wife, Erin Bush; son and daughter-in-law, Andrew and Mendy Bush; daughter Deborah Dove (Mathew George); grandchildren Brandon Bush (Caitlin), Carissa Vanover (Shane), Allison Dove, Hayden Dove, and Caroline Dove; and greatgrandchildren Bennett, Ainslie, and Ella Claire Bush.
A graveside service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Monday, April 24, 2023 at Restland Cemetery, 13005 Greenville Ave, Dallas, Texas 75243. The family will receive friends during a visitation Sunday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home, 2525 Central Expressway North, Allen, Texas.