Charles David Persons, 75, of Columbia City, died at 8:10 p.m. Tuesday, December 8, 2020, at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, IN.

Charles David Persons was born on December 20, 1944, in Winchester, IN, to Rev. Milton and Madonna (Mullenix) Persons. He had a big sister, Gretchen Persons, waiting for him at home. His mother wanted to call him Charles David, but family and friends called him Dave and David while the Military, coworkers, and shooting buddies knew him as Charles or Charlie.

Due to the United Methodist Church policy of moving ministers every four years, David attended two elementary schools in Anderson, IN, middle school in Mentone, IN, and his first three years of high school in Albion, IN (now Central Noble). He spent his Senior year at Goshen High School, graduating in May 1963. While in high school, he played football and ran cross country and track. Later in life, he attended class reunions for four different high schools every five years.

David attended Taylor University in Upland, IN, for two years, where he was on the track team and went on a 1000 mile bicycle tour with Wandering Wheels through southern Indiana. He graduated from Lain Technical Institute in Indianapolis, IN, receiving an Associate of Science in Architectural Drafting in 1967. David went to work for Central Soya Company in Fort Wayne, IN, as a Senior Drafter and Field Engineer.

In 1968, he joined the United States Army Security Agency where he received the Expert Badge Rifle M14, Expert Badge Rifle M16, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device (1960- ), 2 Overseas Bars, Good Conduct Medal, and Army Commendation Medal. He also ran on the Army track team. He completed a tour in Vietnam as a Traffic Analyst (cryptoanalyst) and held several different top-secret crypto security clearances. He was attached to the 374th Radio Research Co. supporting the 4th Infantry Division in Pleiku and An Khe.

Following Vietnam, David was stationed at Two Rock Ranch, CA. He and his wife, Sharon (Dexter) Persons, lived in Petaluma, CA, until he was transferred to Fort Meade, MD, where he was assigned to the National Security Agency in Baltimore. He was honorably discharged in February 1972, and the couple returned to Columbia City, IN.

He married Sharon (Dexter) Persons in Columbia City, on December 21, 1968, after meeting her at Taylor University in 1964. They have made their home in Columbia City since 1972 and have one son, Matthew, who was born in 1977.

After returning to Columbia City, David also returned to work at Central Soya Company, staying with them until 1988. From 1978 to 1980, he took courses in Civil Engineering at Indiana Institute of Technology in Fort Wayne, IN. From 1986 to 1988, he worked for Schenkel and Shultz Architecture in Fort Wayne, designing county jails and office buildings. In 1990, he changed career paths and went to work for Zimmer Inc. in Warsaw, IN, as a Principal Designer of custom surgical instruments. While there, he received at least eight patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. David retired from Zimmer in March 2011.

David had many hobbies and interests he pursued through the years: knife making, rifle making and shooting, hunting, woodcraft, and making walking sticks and canes.

He was a member of the American Bladesmith Society, attending knife making schools at Haywood College in North Carolina, the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association, National Rifle Association, and the American Single Shot Rifle Association (ASSRA), where he held  lifetime memberships. He was on the Board of Directors of the ASSRA Beeson Range in Etna Green, IN, where he was range manager for many years. David held many shooting records in the .22 Long Rifle, Rimfire, Schoyen, Kelly, and Bench matches, including several national records.

He also stayed in contact and was a member of several patriotic organizations because of his love and admiration for this country for which he fought. Among others, these were Old Time Specs, Indy/ASAers+ (Army Security Agency), Old Spooks and Spies (Southeast Asia ASA Veterans Association), Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. Post 5582, and American Legion Post 98.

David loved his family and God. He was a member of The First Church of God but attended New Hope Wesleyan.

He loved traveling and using his skills to help build community. He enjoyed mission trips to Haiti and his vacation in Europe, where he toured nearly a dozen countries with his wife and son.

David is survived by his wife of 51 years, Sharon; his son Matthew (Jessica) Persons of Chicago, IL; his daughter by request, Amanda (Ben) Rempe, and grandchildren Summer, Owen, and Luci Rempe of Noblesville, IN; a sister, Gretchen (John) Greubel; and nephews Eric (Bobbie) Greubel and Brad (Leslie) Greubel, all of Fort Wayne, IN. He was preceded in death by his parents, Rev. Milton and Madonna Persons, and his mother-in-law, Cora Dexter.

The funeral service is 11 a.m. Tuesday at Smith and Sons Funeral Home, Columbia City. Burial is at the Greenhill Cemetery. Visitation is 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at the funeral home.

Memorials to the New Hope Church or the Whitley County Humane Society.

This service will be live-streamed to our Facebook page.