He enjoyed going to the movies when he was a child and getting chocolate malts (a dime at the time). He loved chocolate malts all of his life and in recent years loved going to Jimmy’s Diner in Wichita, where he could get them just like they were when he was young; even though he had to pay nearly $4.00 now.

He attended grade school at Dowling Park and the first 3 years of high school at Live Oak, FL. His family moved to Jacksonville at that time where he completed his high school education at Andrew Jackson High School. Dave had only a high school education, but he was never without a job.

Dave’s work ethic began when he was just a young boy. He would roast peanuts and take them to the sawmill when his father worked and sold them to the men for a nickel a bag. Later, when his family moved to Jacksonville, he had a job with a grocery store delivering groceries and kerosene on his bicycle. He earned $1.00 for working a 12 hour day and gave half of what he earned to his mother to help the family with expenses. He bought his bicycle himself and paid for it out of the money he earned at the grocery store. He recalled how difficult it was to carry two 5 gallon cans of kerosene to customers on his bike handlebars.

He performed many types of jobs to earn money. One day when he delivered groceries to a house, the lady asked him to kill a chicken for her for $0.25. It was his first time to kill a chicken, and after chasing it for a period of time to catch it, and having difficulty holding it still, he eventually accomplished his task. Dave also worked nights in a box factory lifting heavy boxes while a teen. Jobs were hard to find and he always knew that if he didn’t work hard, there were other guys sitting outside the store who would take his job.

During the first 25 years of his adult work life, he almost always had a second job. Dave was known to take military leave so he could work another job to better support his family. Throughout his life he would always work extra hours when he had the opportunity, often to cover for someone who was ill or just didn’t show up. His employers knew they could always depend on him to come and help them out.

With jobs being hard to find at that time, he joined the Florida Army National Guard at age 17. During this service he was stationed at Jacksonville, FL and later at Fort Benning, GA where he served in the Dixie Division. In those days, the young soldiers lived in tents (no barracks) that had dirt floors and small cots to sleep on. On training marches all troops carried a rifle. Dave, being the biggest man, was asked to carry the largest, heaviest gun for his squadron, the Browning Automatic. He received $3 more per month for doing this. Often, some of the other troops would tell him they were too tired to carry their rifle, so he would carry it for them.

The Army National Guard was activated in 1941; he then served in the Army Air Corps (the forerunner of the Air Force) from 1941 until 1947. In 1944 he was assigned to Smokey Hill AFB, Salina. He traveled by train from Miami, Fl to Salina. The train was so crowded that he had no seat, and had to stand the entire trip. Here, he was assigned to work as a mechanic on B-29s.

Following the end of WWII, the military recognized the great contributions the pilots and planes had made in the war effort. This lead to the reorganization of the military resulting in the Army Air Corps being split and becoming the US Army and the US Air Force, in 1947. Dave was sent to Barksdale AFB, In Bozier City, LA where he continued to service planes - first B29s and, after they became obsolete, the B-47s. He became a crew chief and line chief. This position oversaw all airplane servicing for his squadron.

He was proud that as Crew Chief and Line Chief for plane 092 and others, there were never any crashes, missed take-offs, and none were ever called back during a flight because of mechanical problems while under his careful watch. He received a letter of commendation from the Commander of the USAF praising him for his excellent service in maintaining the safety of the planes and crews, and for setting new standards of performance.

During his military service he also had numerous TDY assignments, including to England, France, Germany, Alaska, Bermuda, and Goosebay, Labrador. In 1958, he returned to Smokey Hill AFB in Salina and remained here until his retirement in June, 1961.

He loved his time spent in the military and considered it his primary occupation even though he retired from two other jobs following discharge from the USAF. He worked for 26 years as an electrician for Mid-States Armature Works in Salina and 18 years as a tool salesman at Sears. He retired at the age of 80.

He enjoyed several hobbles during his lifetime. He was a good mechanic and loved the time he spent restoring two of his favorite cars, a 1941 Ford sedan and a 1967 Mercury Cougar (a car he bought new and kept until his death).

He grew up playing baseball with his friends and his enthusiasm for baseball continued throughout his life. The St. Louis Cardinals were his favorite team. He spent many hours helping with Jim’s team (his oldest son) and enjoyed it when he could watch his grandsons play baseball.

He was always interested in trains, having traveled on them much of the time while he was in the military. During his later years, he acquired 3 model train sets. He built a special table for them that had 3 levels and placed one set on each level, thereby being able to run all three at the same time with whistles blowing ad smoke coming from the smokestacks. Before he became ill, Dave often took his grandchildren to his “train room” and ran them for the children to see. His grandson, Jed, had a Thomas train set and he would reciprocate by taking grandpa to his playroom to show him his train.

Dave was able to transfer his love of swimming to Russ, Mike and Susan by teaching them to swim. He watched with pride as they swam competitively during their grade school and high school years.

Dave’s grandfather taught him to carve when he was young. One of his favorite activities was to carve outdoor, wind-driven airplanes that he mounted on small poles. Some had one blade, and some had two blades that turned in opposite directions. Besides being ornamental, the direction of the wind could be determined with them. He made a number of them and gave most of them away to friends and family. He mounted the others in the backyard. All were styled differently.

David was preceded in death by his parents, Janie May Perry Scheffer and David Oscar Scheffer, Sr.; his only sibling, a sister, Thelma Strickland, Smithfield, North Carolina; and his first wife, Arlene.

David and his first wife, the former Arlene Nagel of Natoma, were married in Salina on May 17, 1945. She died in 1966. They had two children, James and Sherry. He married the former Connie Mog on June 15, 1969, in Salina. Their 3 children are Russell, Michael, and Susan.

Survivors include his wife, Connie; 3 sons: James Scheffer and wife, Kay, Ft Worth, TX, Dr. Russell Scheffer and wife, Laurie, Wichita, KS, and Michael Scheffer and wife, Jacki, Olathe, KS; his two daughters; Sherry Scheffer, Salina and Susan Clark and husband, Roger, Newton. There are 11 grandchildren: Crystal Schulz, Amy Calhoun (Jeff), and Ryan Ross, all of Salina; Matthew, Benjamin, and Daniel Scheffer, Olathe, and David Scheffer, Maddie, Jed, Lora and Nate Clark, of Newton. There are two great grandchildren, Kamden and Ashlyn Calhoun, Salina.

Funeral services will be at Trinity Lutheran Church, Salina at 10:00 am Friday, Dec. 12, 2008. The casket will be closed at the funeral. Burial will be in the Gypsum Hill Cemetery with Military Honors provided by McConnell AFB, Wichita, KS. Visitation will be Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008 from 1 until 8 pm at the Ryan Mortuary, Salina, where the family will receive friends from 6 until 7 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Trinity Lutheran Church Endowment or Hospice of Salina.