Birth date: Jan 13, 1939 Death date: Nov 11, 2025
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of David Vessell, who left this world peacefully on November 11, 2025, at the age of 86. Born on January 13, 1939, in the beautiful state of Hawaii, David's life was a rich Read Obituary
Grandpa David you old Fut, Grand daughter Kylie great granddaughter mersaydez
When I was a young girl, our family would go to the church every week to help clean. One day, while we were working in the yard, I was driving the riding lawnmower and accidentally went right up onto the fence. I was so embarrassed, but it’s a memory that still makes me smile whenever I think about those days with my dad.
When my mom and the rest of the family would go shopping in town, I would often stay home with my dad and play Hanafuda card games with him. One day, while we were playing, he said he was hungry and asked if I could make us lunch. I told him I’d make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
When I came back, he had fallen asleep. I didn’t want to wake him, so I gently placed his sandwich on his chest and went back to the kitchen. When I returned, he had rolled over in his sleep and smeared peanut butter and jelly all over the bed. It turned into one of those funny little moments that I will always remember and cherish with my dad.
-Shantell Hankins
One afternoon, Cody and I stopped in to visit. David brought out his photo albums and shared stories from his life, including his memories of the tsunami in Hilo. Sitting with him, listening to those stories, is a moment I will always remember.
One of my favorite memories with Papa is when he’d take me to McDonald’s, just the two of us. We’d get a big bag of hot, salty French fries, eat a few, then roll down the car windows and start tossing the rest out into the parking lot. The myna birds would swoop in like little maniacs, snatching fries mid-air and gobbling them up, while the doves, sweet and clueless, would just peck away at the rocks on the ground, completely ignoring the feast. Papa’s deep, contagious laugh would fill the car as we watched the show, turning an ordinary drive-thru run into one of the happiest moments of my childhood. I’ll never forget those simple, silly adventures with him.
All the times he took me to Cub scout and boy scouts outings and meetings it was good times we got to go to a lot of different places my favorite was camp malahia going in to the mountains checking out all that was to see and learning about how to respect the island we live on thank you dad we love you
