David Dave J. Gay Sr. passed away unexpectedly from pneumonia/cardiac arrest at the age of 89 on December 24, 2009, at Kennewick General Hospital. He was born on October 25, 1920, the 10th of 11 children to Richard and Elizabeth Blackledge Gay in the little town of Marion, Michigan. Dad's father was a farmer and his mother was a housewife. They both worked very hard to provide for their family and it was from them that he learned the virtue of hard work. He grew up during the depression and it was not uncommon for his family to feed people who came by because they were hungry. His mother was a wonderful cook cooking on a wood stove if you can imagine that and baker. She would bake pies and bread every day and he never had 'store bought' bread until he was a teenager. Although his formal education ended in the eighth grade, he was a very smart and hard working young man. He found whatever work he could to help his parents support the family at an age when most young people were having fun and complaining about school. He was definitely not a complainer and worked harder than the average person all of his life. Dad had a wonderful sense of humor, a great smile, was very independent and knew how to work to get what he wanted out of life. Dad met the love of his life, Margaret Fanny Stancombe, one day when he went to his sister Grace's house to visit. They were married on September 19, 1942, in Pontiac, Michigan, and were blessed with 56 years together until she passed away from cancer on December 7, 1998. In 1943, he joined the Navy and spent two years in the Sea Bees, serving in the South Pacific as a Chief Ship Fitter, until World War II ended in December 1945. He proudly kept a letter from President Harry Truman thanking him for answering the call of his country and helping to bring about the total defeat of the enemy. After he was honorably discharged from the Navy, he worked as an ironworker for a few years before joining the pipefitter's union. He worked the majority of his career for Local 636 in Detroit, Michigan and Local 598 in Pasco, Washington. At the time of his passing, he had been a member of the pipefitter's union for 61 years. Dad was also a proud member of Masonic Lodge 210 in Metamora, Michigan, and received his 50 year pin a few months ago. He loved his family and did whatever it took to be a good provider so his wife wouldn't have to work outside of the home. Shortly after becoming a pipefitter, he broke his leg and was unable to work for several weeks. After having to struggle to keep food on the table, he vowed never to let that happen again and sold his new home in the 'city' for a home and 93 acres in the 'country.' There he was able to raise cattle, chickens, rabbits and ducks; have horses for the family to ride; and grow/can enough food so his family would never be hungry while holding down his full time job which involved a lot of overtime. In 2001, after the death of his wife and son Stephen, Dad and Timothy left Michigan and moved to Kennewick to be close to his daughter Dianne. It was during this period of time that a different side of Dad came out. He was a man who always worked and never really had the time to have fun but that all changed when he got hooked on taking trips to the casino. He now had the time and the money for fun and he found something he really enjoyed doing with Dianne. Dad outlived his wife and 5 of his 6 children David, Jr., Ronald, Stephen, Timothy and Barbara. He was also preceded in death by his parents and all of his siblings 5 sisters Beulah, Grace, Mary, Nellie and Eunice and 5 brothers Paulie, Stanley, James, Robert and Andy. He is survived by and will forever be missed by his daughter Dianne, two granddaughters Sylvie and Clara, one grandson Aaron, a sister-in-law Lorraine, other special friends and numerous relatives. The family would like to thank the staff at Kennewick General Hospital for the compassion and kindness shown to Dad during the short period of time he was there. A memorial service will be held to celebrate Dad's life on Saturday, January 2, 2010, at 2 p.m. at the Cathedral of Joy 1153 Gage Boulevard, Richland, Washington. Immediately following the service, a reception will be held in the church restaurant. He will be buried in the family plot at Sashabaw Cemetery in Michigan next summer. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the charitable organization of your choice.