David Christopher Stever was born to Loran Hoover Stever and Loretta June (Miller) Stever on February 11, 1948, in Lindsay, California.  He was an only child, who grew up around a large loving family of aunts and uncles and spent many years enjoying fishing, hunting, and camping with an extended family as one of the very few children in the company of many adults.   David attended Lindsay High School, from 1962-1966, and College of the Sequoias from 1967-1969, before enlisting in the United States Air Force, where he served stateside from 1969-1973, with the rank of Sargent.

During his time in the Air Force, he attended cooking school, trained for advanced response in disaster preparedness and search and rescue work, and was stationed in Victorville, CA at George AFB for most of his service to the USAF.  He married Constance Gaye Taylor in January 1970 and in May 1971 they welcomed a daughter, Kathryn Alice (Stever) Harper Onstott.  Katy's first few weeks as a newborn infant were spent at a military training facility in Denver, CO where David was sent for tactical air command & disaster preparedness training for nuclear disaster response.

After his honorable discharge from the Air Force in 1973, David and Gaye settled in Santa Cruz, CA where David worked briefly for Mission Linen as a production manager, and Gaye managed a small apartment complex.  The couple welcomed a second daughter, Patricia Louise (Stever) Blattler in November 1976 and decided to return to Tulare County for David to work at Pinkham Properties packing house in Exeter.

David followed in his father's footsteps in working for the Pinkham family, and his grandparents before that.  Three generations of the Stever family all worked for the Pinkham Properties packing house in Exeter, in various jobs, and Loran his father built a successful small business building, repairing, and servicing nailing machines and box machines, and other packing house equipment. David became well versed in those machines and their workings as well and built a lifelong career in maintenance and mechanical work related to building, installing, and troubleshooting large pieces of equipment for packing houses.

David was involved in the Exeter Memorial Ambulance District as a board trustee in the early 1990s, the Exeter Sportsmen's Association, and the Ducks Unlimited dinners in Exeter for many years.  He also was a regular and accomplished trap shooter who helped run the Lindsay Trap Club in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and a very talented gunsmith and marksman.  He repaired and customized firearms for many in law enforcement and enjoyed building an extensive of collection of firearms for his private use and enjoyment.

David was the cold storage and floor manager at Pinkham Properties in Exeter from 1976 until 1989. After he left the packing house role, he worked as the head of maintenance and security at Exeter Memorial Hospital for a few years, before assuming a position at Exeter Engineering where he worked for Jeff & Boomer Batchman for many years as a sales and technical representative for the company helping install and troubleshoot equipment operations throughout packing houses all across the United States and developing a specific acumen for working with the potato sheds in Eastern Idaho.

David and Gaye dissolved their marriage in 1995 but remained friends and kept in touch through their daughters for many years until Gaye passed away in 2006 from cancer. He had a great love for the outdoors, and throughout his adult life always delighted in making time for camping trips, fly fishing the scenic rivers of the Sierra Nevadas, exploring the eastern Sierras, and traveling by RV all across the western U.S.  David's marriage to Doris (Dee) Morehouse took place in June 2006 at a courthouse in Idaho Falls, and the couple embarked on a six-week RV road trip with their best friends across parts of British Columbia and Canada visiting spectacular country and flying by float plane into a remote fishing lodge.

Dave and Dee retired to Idaho Falls and made it their permanent residence in 2012.  Dee continued to work part-time for Sportsman's Warehouse for many years to help subsidize Dave's outdoor hobbies. Dave remained on retainer for Exeter Engineering as a client relationship representative until his passing. He loved to visit the packing sheds and help troubleshoot equipment, work with the growers, and shed owners, and impart his wisdom and knowledge of packing house operations to all he met.  He enjoyed sharing fresh California oranges with the shed operators and exchanged them often for fresh Idaho potatoes to send back to friends and family all over the country.

He also became an unofficial ambassador for Idaho, sharing his love and passion for travel with anyone who ever wanted to visit. He also enjoyed taking people all over Idaho and Wyoming to see places like Jackson Hole and the Grand Tetons, and Yellowstone.  He loved to travel and share his favorite sights, and attractions with friends that shared his great love of the outdoors.

Dave and Dee traveled a great deal to places across the US visiting Wyoming, Montana, the Dakotas, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and many places in between.  They always had a mini-Schnauzer with them on their trips, usually known for being a little bossy and obstinate just like Dave.

He will be remembered for his great love of the outdoors, his dogged spirit and tenacity for being a thorn in your side, and fiercely caring for his friends and people he admired and enjoyed being around. He was a loyal friend and one that always enjoyed picking up the phone and visiting. He called his closest friends almost daily and always took to time to share in their lives through visits as often as possible.    He was the kind of friend others would like to have as a friend, and his loyalty, devotion, and genuine interest in the great outdoors he shared with all those he ever traveled with or met along their travels.

David is survived by his wife, Doris (Dee) Stever; daughter, Katy Onstott and her husband, James, of Bryan, TX; his daughter, Tricia Blattler and her husband, Robert, of Exeter, CA; stepson, Richard Morehouse and his wife, Julie, of Kansas City, KS; sister-in-law, Terre Ogorchock of Idaho Falls; cousin, Larry Miller of Visalia, CA; and many lifelong friends scattered across the United States.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to your favorite animal rescue, animal shelter, or favorite national park, wildlife preserve, or wilderness area in memory of David Stever.

A celebration of life will be hosted on February 11, 2024, at the Exeter Memorial Building, in Exeter, CA. Cremation is under the direction of Coltrin Mortuary, 2100 First Street, Idaho Falls.