David Lacefield

Obituary for
David Clifford Lacefield

David Clifford Lacefield was born in Montrose, Colorado on July 15, 1937 to the parents of Clifford Roy Lacefield and Ada Marie (Morris) Lacefield. He was the second of three boys with his brother John being 3 years older and his brother Don being born 4 years younger. When David was born he came premature and showed just how determined he was to live. It was from that date on he would continually bump at death's door, but being the fighter he was he would always survive!

Needless to say, being born early he was extremely small. Who would have guessed that he would eventually grow to be 6 foot 6 inches and weigh as much as 282 lbs? His height would always be a challenge from trying to find cars that were big enough for him to sit in to having to continually duck his head when entering small places. He turned out to be a big man physically but he grew even more in terms of the heart. He loved people and people loved him back. So needless to say he always had a lot friends. In the short time he lived in Utah and with leaving this Assisted Living facility very little, me amassed quite a gathering of people who told us just how he touched their lives so much.

David was raised and reared in the Montrose, Colorado area except for a short stay in Washington State during World War II. Times were hard back in those days, and Clifford, his father, worked many jobs to provide for the family. Ada, his mother, would do what she needed to care for her three boys. Story has it from David that they used to purchase meat and other items from a store that was located at a long distance in the town. Since Ada did not drive, she would dress the boys up and march them all the way to the store and all the way back. One time in the heart of Winter with the snow and the cold, they purchased a roast only to find out after a long journey back to home that it was infested with maggots. Well, it was not any time that they made their way back to the store! David recalled that he remembers his mother pulling out the roast and throwing it at the owner as hard as she could! Thank goodness he was able to duck in time, but David recalls the roast slipping and sliding down the back of the wall. He said that his mother had proved her point and how they not only got a better roast, they left with a wide array of food and were escorted back this time by car!

David learned some things from those hard times. First of all, he would do everything he could to make sure that his family would never have to go through such hard times. He often had two or three jobs to make sure that the family was always taken care of. We lacked nothing!! It was not an easy task as he worked long hard hours at his job with the Colorado State Patrol. And then he would dig for worms for a sporting good store and the fishermen that attended that store. He would paint houses and entered into the wood cutting business. Through his ingenuity came up with a saw that was attached to an old engine of a car and he placed cutting blades where the normal fan blades belonged. It is a miracle that he never slipped and cut his arm off as we resided in the heart of the Colorado Rockies and had an abundance of snow and adverse conditions.

Before he joined the State Patrol, we worked a series of dangerous jobs. He worked at a few gold mines in the Ouray, Colorado area. He worked way underground and our Mom Judy recalls that when he came home and got into bed his whole body was ice cold. He would shiver and much to the kindness of our Mom, would put his ice cold legs against her's to try and warm up! She said it was hard to do but she just felt so sad that he had to suffer so much for the sake of providing for their family. While there, he witnessed the death of several co-workers. He himself was constantly blooded and beaten. It seemed like he always had a broken something, whether arm or leg! He constantly volunteered for the most dangerous jobs so that he could make a little extra. Finally he came to the realization that he probably was not going to live long under those conditions and looked elsewhere.

One job he took was when they were constructing a new dam in on the Gunnison River. He would working attached to a rope hanging on the face of the cliff. He along with others would remove jagged rocks from the cliff. While on this daily routine, a large limestone rock was removed from another worker above and was falling into the direction of another coworker. David could see that the worker was in danger and put out his hand to remove the trajectory of the rock. He did so and literally saved the man's life, but as a result left his right hand severely damaged. When he got to the ER the doctor on charge said they would have to amputate it. Dave informed the doctor that by no uncertain terms he was going to amputate his hand, that he had one good hand and if the doctor came anywhere close he would feel the impact of that hand! Finally, his childhood doctor came and salvaged his hand. That same doctor later in life thanked David because from all the times he looked over him he was able to buy several Lincoln Continental Cars!

Dave married this high school sweetheart, Judy Holman. He really loved her! He would mention on quite a few occasions that he did not feel worthy of her. He always felt like he married upward. The two of them worked hard together and watched out for each other. They sacrificed so much for the well being of their children They were married for over 59 years! When they were in the Assisted Living he really did not care too much what happened to him, but if something was not quite right with Judy's care you had better get it right, He sobbed on many occasions for her. Judy has Alzheimer's and is in stage four of that illness. She is totally reliant on others and sleeps quite a bit and when not asleep she cries in anguish. At the same time, Dave was suffering from prostate cancer that spread to the bones, had diabetes that caused him severe infections to the balls of his feet. So bad that they wanted to amputate the right foot and maybe part of his leg. He suffered from a yeast infection that caused a horrible rash on his bottom and crotch area. It got so bad that it hurt and itched to the point he would scratch it: thus making it bleed. However, we would never see him cry for himself, but for his wife. It affected him so much he cried on a few occasions in the sight of others. Who knows how many times privately?

David was a remarkable man! He was a hard worker! Excelled with the Colorado Highway Patrol. There he was the top ticket writer for the state on numerous occasions. You did not want to speed on the road he was patrolling because he would get you! David was a hunter and took that same instinct to the road. He even wrote a Supervising Officer for going to fast. One time he wrote up and Executive from a successful company and the man offered him a job and what he termed , " the way he sold him the ticket!" He was not trying to get out of the ticket, he simply like the way that David explained to him why he was getting a ticket and if he could sell him on a ticket that he would be do well selling anything! Dave was later promoted to Sergeant and retired after 31 years.

Dave loved his family! You knew he loved you. We were proud to have him as our Father. Mark remembers when he came to school as a small boy and just how proud he was of him. All the other kids thought he had the greatest father in the world! Mark knew he had the greatest father in the world! To this day both Mark and Mike feel this way! We will miss you Dad! Thanks for all that you did for us! Thanks for the lessons taught! Thanks for the example you were! And most of all, thanks for the love you gave!!

Dave is survived by his wife Judy - Elk Ridge, Utah. Sons Mark Lacefield (Wife Silvania) - Spanish Fork, Utah - Michael- Grand Junction, Colorado. Brother John Lacefield - Ouray, Colorado. Sister in Law Betty Lacefield - Ouray, Colorado. Grandson Samuel Monauer - Spanish Fork, Utah. Lucas Monauer (Wife Flo and Great Granddaughter Emery) Richmond, Texas. Granddaughter Karolina Blackham (Husband Michael and Great Grandson Eli) Draper, Utah. Sister- in Law Dorothy Holman Montrose, Colorado. Brother in Law Ron Holman (Wife Kathy) - Montrose, Colorado. Ken Holman ( Wife Maureen) Boise, Idaho He is proceed in death by his Father and Mother Clifford and Ada Lacefield. His brother Don Lacefield. Daughter Catheryn Lacefield who died as a baby! Some how we think if there is a person that he is with on the other side it is with her!! His Father and Mother in Law Glen and Vera Lacefield. Brother in Law Jim Holman. And also is little dog Lady. He loved that dog so much! Mom always said that he loved the dog more than her! She said that he would never let her lick him in the face as he let the dog!! Lady's ashes will be laid to rest with David at his request! We had to get that one right or we would have suffered a terrible wrath when we finally meet him. Also he is survived to the care takers that watched over him and Judy while here in Utah. What true angels they have been! Also the Branch Leadership of the Elk Ridge 9th Branch who radiated the true love of Christ! Also to his new found Brother Glen Hawkins who he loved more than life itself. Thanks Glen for your love and fellowship!

In closing, we would like to end with a quote from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf ( The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter -Day Saints,) that gives us a sense of relief and really explains what death really is. Said he,

In light of what we know about our eternal destiny, is it any wonder that whenever we face the bitter endings of life, they seem unacceptable to us? There seems to be something inside of us that resists endings.
Why is this? Because we are made of the stuff of eternity. We are eternal beings, children of the Almighty God, whose name is Endless and who promises eternal blessings without number. Endings are not our destiny.

The more we learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ, the more we realize that endings here in mortality are not endings at all. They are merely interruptions—temporary pauses that one day will seem small compared to the eternal joy awaiting the faithful.

How grateful I am to my Heavenly Father that in His plan there are no true endings, only everlasting beginnings.

David, we realize this is not and ending, but a mere interruption and a new beginning for you. May God, Our Eternal and Loving Heavenly Father, hold you in the palm of your hand. May you enjoy a new life without the pains and sufferings of this world. May you become reacquainted with those you have not seen in years and enjoy their associations again. May you learn more about God's Plan of Salvation and great mercy! May you feel the love of our Savior Jesus Christ as you grace his presence! And may you follow on the plaque you received upon retirement which reads "Old Troopers never die, they simply take arrest!"