David Allyn Elmore

David Allyn Elmore, 92, of Chetopa, passed away from this life to his heavenly home at 7:35 p.m., Saturday, August 29, 2020, at the Chetopa Manor.

He was born on October 4, 1927, to George I. and Ruth (Pinney) Elmore in Omaha, Nebraska. As a young boy, he grew up in Omaha and attended Washington Elementary and graduated from Central High School in 1945. He attended Omaha University until being drafted to serve as a radio repairman for the United States Army in the Korean War.

On October 8, 1954, David and Irene Lister were united in marriage. He was a hard worker, who loved his family and did various jobs to support them. For several years, he was a manager of King's Food Host in Omaha and enjoyed visiting with the people who came in to eat. In 1966, when the opportunity came to purchase his own restaurant, he and his family moved to Chetopa and ran Dave's Good Food. The couple served delicious food for 20 years before retiring in 1987.

He was a member of Faith Victory Church. Prior to 1984, David served as First and Second Reader at the Christian Science Society in Vinita, Oklahoma. He loved singing hymns, Christmas carols, and was a member of the Tri-Statesmen Barbershop Chorus in Joplin, Missouri, for many years, and a member of the Keenagers Chorus in Riverton, Kansas. He was a member of the Kansas Restaurant Association, the Kiwanis Club, the Chetopa Chamber of Commerce and had served on the USD 505 school board in the 1970's. After retiring, David and Irene joined the Christian Motorcycle Association (CMA). They loved riding motorcycles together and traveled to many places to attend rallies. His greatest joy came from spending time with his family. He had a great smile and loved talking with people. He also enjoyed listening to his record collection of jazz, Big Bands, classical, musicals and various comedians.

Survivors include:

His wife of 65 years – Irene, of Chetopa, Kansas

Two daughters – Nancy Cunningham (Scott) of St. Louis, Missouri

Barbara Deyoe (Ted) of Chetopa, Kansas

Two sons – John Elmore (Janice) of Glendora, California

Rich Elmore (Susan) of Liberty, Missouri

Twelve grandchildren – Paula (Jamie), Charlie, Justin (Noelle), Jennifer (Brad), Greg (Sixta), Tim, Jessica (Drew), Josh, Jake, Nathan (Whitney), Tyler, and Abbey

Seven great-grandchildren – Jozie, Taylor, Ayden, Lucas, Andrew, Christian, and Mia

One sister – Jane Becker of Chetopa, Kansas

Two nephews – Steve Becker (Kelly) of Tulsa, Oklahoma

Dan Becker (Teresa) of Lee's Summit, Missouri

The funeral service will be at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, September 5, 2020, at the Bath-Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home in Chetopa. Inurnment will take place at Oak Hill Cemetery in Chetopa. The family will receive friends from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., on Friday at the funeral home. The funeral can be viewed live on the Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home Facebook page. For all events, social distancing guidelines will be followed.

Memorials are suggested to Faith Victory Church. These may be left at or mailed to Bath-Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home, P.O. Box 346, Chetopa, KS 67336.