David Wade Underwood

A friend to countless people around the world, David Underwood, age 68, of Searcy, Arkansas died Sunday, April 28, after a short illness. David was born October 20, 1955 in Duncan, Oklahoma to R. David and Myra (Wade) Underwood, who preceded him in death. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Jan (Lawyer) Underwood; sons and daughters-in-law Matt and Liz (Lee) Underwood of Searcy and Luke and Juliana (Stevens) Underwood of Little Rock, Arkansas; sister and brother-in-law Rebecca and David Dorfmueller of Madison, Alabama; brother and sister-in-law Bryan and Celestie Underwood of Roswell, Georgia; grandchildren Ellie, Thomas, Jess, Anderson, Simon and Scarlett Underwood; several nieces and nephews and a host of friends. Visitation is Thursday, May 2, from 5-7 p.m., at Downtown Church of Christ in Searcy, with the memorial service Friday, May 3 at 10 a.m. at Downtown Church. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the David Underwood Memorial Endowed Scholarship at Harding University or the African Christian Hospital. https://harding.edu/give/davidunderwood.html or African Christian Hospitals at https://ihcf.net. David and Jan were longtime members of the Downtown Church, where he served as both a deacon and shepherd. He loved the global church and counted among his close friends many ministers and pastors around the world. A 1974 graduate of Mars Hill Bible School in Florence, Alabama, and a 1978 graduate of Harding University, David spent his early formative years in Memphis, where his father was minister of the Germantown Church of Christ. His parents served as missionaries in the African nations of Nigeria (1965-66) and Liberia (1970-72). Upon returning from the mission field, they lived in the Florence area. Sports and music were two of David’s personal passions. He was the consummate Alabama Crimson Tide and Harding Bison fan. He coached Kensett’s pee-wee boys basketball teams and refereed high school basketball games for several years. While his musical tastes were broad and eclectic, he loved the Beatles and the singer-songwriters of the 1970s (James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Carole King, Cat Stevens and Jim Croce) and the soul classics (Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, among others). He loved James Michener novels, old western films and any movie starring Robert Duvall. Perhaps David’s greatest passions were his six grandchildren, who affectionately called him Pop-Pop. David rarely missed a sporting event or activity in which his six grandchildren participated. David began his career as a teacher in Memphis’ Springhill Elementary School but soon returned to Searcy where he taught fifth and sixth grade at Kensett Elementary School for 15 years. He briefly worked at First Security Bank before starting a 25-year tenure in August 1998 as a fundraiser at Harding University, a work that he dearly loved. He raised millions of dollars in support of student scholarships, endowments and capital projects. More importantly, he developed bonds with his donors that went beyond typical business relationships. Many of his donors considered him family, a testament to his gregarious personality and ability to never meet a stranger. His sister, Becky, well described his mutual affection with all who knew him: “In Africa (and probably elsewhere), Dave always knew everyone, from the beggars on the corner to the people in the embassies. And everyone always liked Dave. Every time I ran into someone associated with Harding in any way who also knew Dave, they would say, and I quote, ‘Oh, I just love him.’ “ Indeed, everyone loved David Underwood. Arrangements are entrusted to Powell Funeral Home of Searcy. www.powellfuneralhome.net

David Wade Underwood

October 20, 1955 - April 28, 2024