| Sources |
- [S26] Berry Funeral Home, (www.berryfuneralhome.com), 24 Jan 2009.
Evelyn B. "Blackie" Ford obituary
- [S142] Newspaper Article, The Herald Dispatch (Huntington, WV), 28 Sep 2005.
David Ford IV: Friends, family remember solider
dmalloy@herald-dispatch.com
IRONTON -- David Ford IV was remembered Tuesday by his friends as a person who was fun, outgoing and enjoyed life.
Ford, a 2003 graduate of Ironton high school, was killed while on duty earlier this month in Iraq while riding in a U.S. Army tank in Baghdad. He joined the military after graduating from high school.
"He always wanted to follow in his dad's footsteps," said Shannon Bare, a friend who was in Ford's class. Ford's father, the late David H. Ford III, served in the U.S. Navy.
"He never had a sad look on his face," Bare said. "He always kept a smile on his face. He made friends with everybody. He called me a couple months ago to ask how everyone was doing back here."
Jason Edwards of Ironton, another classmate, said Ford "used to come by the house all the time."
Ford's cousin, J.P. Harris of Marion, Ohio, called his second cousin "a great kid."
"Everybody thought being in a tank would be safer," he said.
Harris, a 1996 Ironton High School graduate, said Ford intended to go to college after his military service was completed. "He was interested in forensic science," Harris said. "He wanted to get into CSI-type of investigations."
He's proud of his cousin's military service, saying Ford was doing what he wanted to do, serve his country. "It makes you proud he was a member of your family. He was the type of person who did what he was supposed to do."
Sue Blagg, a former Ironton junior high school teacher of Ford's, said the family has seen some tough times. "He was in junior high school when the principal had to tell him his father had passed away," she said. "When he was in high school, their home burned down."
The teachers did what they could to help the family have a good Christmas after their father's passing, she said.
Despite the troubles, Ford and his brother, Ray, both joined the Army, Blagg said. "They both turned out to be good boys," she said.
"He was a quiet student," she said. "He always had his work in on time and he was never any trouble."
The funeral is scheduled for
1 p.m. today at Jefferson Missionary Baptist Church in Coal Grove with burial in Hilgenbrg Cemetery.
Army Sgt. First Class John Grooms said the family has requested military gravesite services that will include an Army honor team to serve as pall bearers, the playing of "Taps," a 21-gun salute and a presentation of the flag to the family.
"I like to do this for the family," said Grooms, based with the 377th military police in Cincinnati. "To be picked for this is a great honor."
- [S1] U. S. Social Security Death Index, 224-51-4360.
Issued in Virginia, residing in Ironton, Lawrence County, Ohio
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1985 - 2005 (20 years)
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