David Lee Wolfenbarger

David Lee Wolfenbarger passed from this life on March 29th, 2023 at the Claremore Veterans Center at the age of 75. David was born on July 22, 1947 in Ridgecrest California to Richard and Lucille (Franklin) Wolfenbarger. He was the 7th of 9 children and spent most of his childhood traveling between California and Oklahoma with his parents and siblings. He married Susan Kay Naumann on July 14th, 1967. They had two children, Todd and Sarah, and lived in Tulsa and Sand Springs before moving to Tahlequah in 1979. They later lived in Hulbert before moving to Porter in 2009. David was an avid outdoorsman from an early age. The skills he gained in the woods served him well as an Army Ranger in the Vietnam War. He was a L.R.R.P., Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol team member. He excelled as part of this team, receiving multiple commendations. He loved to hunt with his longbow and was happiest when he was in the woods with all God’s creatures. He spent many years hunting and filling his freezer with deer, squirrels, rabbits and quail. Todd and Sarah didn’t know you could get meat from a store until they were older! David was a hard worker and had no fear of taking on any project (a mentality he passed on to his son Todd). They built their house in Tahlequah by hand over several years. Later when they built their house in Porter, Todd was there to help his dad with that project as well. In addition to hunting, David and Susan fell in love with golf at the young age of 50. Sarah and her husband Curtis got them each a new set of clubs and lessons. They were immediately hooked, bought a golf cart and joined the local city course in Tahlequah within a month of starting to play. It was a great connection for them, meeting many new friends and an opportunity to play with his brothers and other family members. David became a grandfather when Sarah had his grandson, Alex, in 1996 and granddaughter, Allison, in 1998. Being a grandpa was just what he needed. David had struggled with PTSD for years. Having grandchildren gave him a new purpose. Susan often commented that somewhere between the time they had Todd and Sarah and when the grandkids were born, that David became an expert in childcare, because he was always telling her how to take care of the grandkids. Grandchildren and a renewal of his faith helped soften the heart of a man who grew up hard. In 2006, David went to New Community Church in Muskogee with Susan, Sarah, his son-in-law, Curtis, and his grandkids. His future bow hunting buddy, Tim Salters, delivered a sermon on making peace with your past. The sermon was based on Colossians 3:12-15. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all of these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” From that day forward, David was 100% committed to serving God and serving others. He was all in at New Community, serving humbly in any way he could. He especially loved serving with the BOOM Outdoors team. It was a great opportunity for him to share his love of Jesus and his love of hunting with other guys. He was always happy to point out to his younger buddies, that they didn’t need their fancy compound bows. He could do just as well with his longbow and some homemade arrows! It’s nice to know that David is celebrating in heaven. He was preceded in death by his wife Susan; his parents; his brothers Richard and Dennis; and sister Carol. He is survived by his son Todd Wolfenbarger and daughter-in-law, Tatyana; daughter Sarah Spencer and son-in-law Curtis; grandchildren, Kristina Beck and husband Stone, Arthur Kosteniuk, Alex Spencer and wife Katie, and Allison Spencer; great-grandchildren Nathan Sullivan and Scarlett Joy Beck, and remaining siblings Eugene, Jim, Larry, Lonnie, Pam and brother and sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, and friends. There will be a family conducted “Celebration of Life” on Sunday, April 23, 2023. You are welcome to come by anytime from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at the American Legion Post 20 building at 201 SE Rail Road in Fort Gibson, OK 74434. The Honor Guard will do their salute to Dad at 2:00 p.m. with a gun salute, playing of taps and the flag presentation. We’re going to enjoy coffee, dessert and share stories about David. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in honor of dad with a memorial gift to the DAV (Disabled American Veterans).

David Lee Wolfenbarger

July 22, 1947 - March 29, 2023