David Ophardt died at his home on September 16, 2015, in Pasco, Washington. He was 63.

David was born on October 1, 1951, in Brockport, New York, to his parents, Richard and Florence. He grew up on their family farm in Hilton, New York, and married his high school sweetheart, Marianne Champney, in 1972. He graduated from Cornell University with a Master of Science degree in Pomology in 1975. After working in the Hudson Valley of New York, the Ophardts moved to Prosser in 1980, where David worked in the tree fruit industry and also maintained his own farm. David was a proud graduate of the Washington Agriculture and Forestry Leadership Program. David and Marianne moved to Pasco in 2007, and David later started selling health insurance.

David is survived by his wife, Marianne; son and daughter-in-law, Matt and Kaylah; son, Dan; granddaughters, Elizabeth and Rebecca; and sisters, Jean Alliman, Ruth Muck, and Marti O’Dell. He is preceded in death by his brother, Don.

His family remembers David as a man who loved his family and others, and who so often put them above himself. He was deeply proud of his family and always looked for ways to help them. He was a gifted agriculturist and almost certainly spent more of his life outdoors than in, sporting a farmer’s tan second to none.