David Pauley

The Cochran Funeral Home & Crematory of Blairsville announces Memorial Services for Mr. David Pauley, age 67 who passed away on April 14, 2018 at his home.

On Four-Fourteen-Fifty-one, an oilman from Oklahoma, and a diner owner from Texas welcomed a second child into the world in Laurel, MS, and taught David Lynn Pauley how to love food and sweet tea. In fact, it led to a 35-year career in food service sales, which began at Maxwell house coffee. He loved coffee, meatloaf, and banana pudding.

He had a beloved older sister, Barbara, who will be glad to see him in heaven. They grew up in the small town of Heidleberg, Mississippi. David never met a stranger or forgot a face. Often embarrassing his children, when speaking to sales associates as if he knew them by calling them by their name from which he had read on their nametag. He loved watching college football-"Southern Miss to the top" and "Roll Tide".

He also loved people, hunting, the mountains, and music. In high school, where he was known as Donki (donkey), he played football and baseball and later, as an adult, on a church softball team. He was part of the high school chorus, men's quartet and had leading roles in several musical productions.

It was the school music director, Mrs. Risher, who arranged a blind homecoming date for David and Suzy. Fifteen-years-old and it was love at first sight. They married in 1970, while still in college and he graduated in 1973 from the University of Southern Mississippi with a business degree. The first one in his family to complete his college education. For the next 47 years, their love and caring of each other is an example for all. And he never stopped courting her with tender little touches and kind words. For example, up until his illness began, he always took Suzy's car and filled it with gas, opened her car door and handed her seatbelt, and they were the couple you saw holding hands when they went to church.

In 1974, he became a father, when David and Suzy welcomed Davina, a daughter and their first child who was named after him and matched his stubbornness, when she refused as a small child to pick up her blocks and held her ground. She was followed in 1977, by a son Jeremy who also challenged him by going against the grain and finding his own path, but he did follow in his dad's footsteps with his love for the mountains, and, in 1985 when Jared was born; he gave his dad a break and inherited the gentle side and has shown that he has his leadership skills. David was a large man with a gentle forgiving trusting soul. It doesn't appear that any of his children have inherited his extreme detail for organization, jokingly his family called him OCD. Everything had a place and must be put back into it when not in use.

Also, in 1974, the Pauley's joined Eastabuchie Baptist Church, where David joined a gospel quartet, "The Reflections" and sang with them for several years and recorded two albums. He loved music.

In 1986, David, Suzy, and their beautiful, wonderful children moved to Brandon, MS. For 28 years they were members of First Baptist Brandon. Over the years there David sang in the choir, a gospel quartet, and praise team. He became an ordained deacon, a youth Sunday school teacher, and part of the volunteer connection hospital visitation team. When his children were grown, he taught Sunday school for toddlers, preparing him for the future Paw Paw he would become. He loved children.

David's love of the mountains led his family to vacation in the Smokies almost every year since 1971. He tried many many times to find a work connection that would allow them to move there. But the Lord said wait. In 2003, David and Suzy bought a cabin in the smokies near Gatlinburg. And it was hard to get him to vacation anywhere else. He had his spot. This is where he belonged.

In 2013, Jeremy married Janie Watras on the Labyrinth here at the Hinton Center, they were gifted an amazing daughter-in-law, who was gracious enough to endure his loving teasing. She is special to the family.

But, when Suzy retired in 2014, David said, "We are moving to the smokies". When they arrived on Nov 1 there was snow on the ground, but it beat the heat of muggy Mississippi. It was a cold snowy winter (quite unlike the winters in MS, but he loved it), and in the spring of 2015 they moved to Murphy. And finally the mountain dream was real. After visiting many churches, the Lord sent them to First Baptist Blairsville, where they were greeted with open arms and loving hearts.

In 2016, they were blessed with a grandson, Tristan Douglass Pauley, who he taught how to make funny faces and motor boat noises. Found on his cellphone were silly selfies of them being hams together.

One day while sitting on their deck, looking at the amazing work of God's hands, a bald eagle soared very near. It was like God's promise in Isaiah 40:31 "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." We have hope. David is strong now. He is soaring on wings like eagles. He is running. He is walking. He is not tired. And he is singing God's praises in the heavenly choir. And we feel the love he is sending to us all.

Memorial Services will be held at 11:00 am on Wednesday, April 25, 2018 from The Hinton Center in Hayesville, NC.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions be made to your choice: Friends of the Smokies; Winship Cancer Institute - Brain Tumor Fund; or to Four Seasons Hospice.

Arrangements entrusted to Cochran Funeral Home & Crematory