David Adams Stoddard

David Adams Stoddard quietly left this world on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving 2025. His wife and family were at his bedside experiencing mixed feelings. Alzheimer’s had taken the man a piece at a time, and contributed to some antics and indignities we would prefer to forget. Last Thanksgiving, he slipped out of the house unnoticed and had to be returned home in a police car after trying to break into a nearby apartment. Our husband, father, and friend seemed to have left us long ago. But at his last breath, we remembered the man he was before.

Dave was born in Pendleton, Oregon on September 23, 1947 to Henry Nibley Stoddard and Dezzie Adams. He was a straight-A student — but only in PE. In other subjects, unfortunately, he did not excel. His geometry teacher at Pendleton High gave the boy a D- and lamented, “Failure to do homework daily is David’s greatest handicap. Poor use of his class time is another.” Fortunately for Dave, the teacher ran out of writing space.

Notwithstanding his casual attitude in the classroom, Dave was passionate about basketball. He was Pendleton High’s starting point guard. Just a few months after the Apollo 11 moon landing, Dave and his Blue Mountain Community College squad went 18-0. That championship team, coached by Jerry Mosby, once scored 137 points in a game with no three-point line.

Dave was accepted to BYU in Provo, Utah, presumably not on the strength of his academic achievements. There he met Shirlene Burt. David was charming and witty, but not particularly romantic. This is a common trait of Stoddard men through history. He would take Shirlene on dates to the local Wienerschnitzel because he did not have a lot of money, plus he really liked hot dogs. Shirlene somehow saw a diamond in the rough and began planning their life together. Dave proposed marriage under a basketball hoop. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1974.

As newlyweds, Dave and Shirlene lived frugally. He coached women’s basketball at BMCC, and worked other jobs to make ends meet. A pizza parlor, Radio Shack, moving truck driver, and even wheat harvest worker. Most of the clothes he owned were sweatpants, some of which Shirlene had made for him. When he was offered a job at Smith Food Sales in Pendleton, his compensation package included a generous sum for new clothing. No more homespun sweats. David loved his new job at Smith’s. He loved his coworkers, who became his closest lifelong friends. He never worked anywhere else the rest of his career.

Dave sired four children who never matched his prowess on the basketball court. They surpassed his math skills, however, before leaving the fourth grade. While their father was never called on to help with homework, they all loved spending time with him. He took the whole family to the golf course on Monday evenings. They would divide up on the first tee to avoid upsetting management, but they would reunite on the second tee once safely out of view of the clubhouse.
 

Dave loved Jesus Christ and served in multiple callings for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - including bishop, high councilor, Sunday school president, and full-time missionary in the New England States Mission under President Boyd K. Packer. Dave set an example for his friends and family as a steadfast disciple of Christ. We are parted for just a season, but we look forward to seeing him and his smile again.

Memorial services will be held on Monday, December 1, 2025 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Pendleton at 609 NW 12th Street. A viewing will begin at 10am. The funeral will begin promptly at 11am.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation at your nearest Giving Machine.