David Paul Heath

David Paul Cochran Heath - husband, father, 'granfer,' actor, jack-of-all-trades, and voiceover artist extraordinaire - passed away on Sunday, August 14, 2022 in Wenatchee, WA due to pancreatic cancer. He was 69 years young. Dave was born in Loyalton, CA on November 18, 1952, to Wiliam and Eunice Heath, the fifth of what would eventually be eight children. Not too long after, the family moved to Anaheim, CA, where William pastored the Church of Reflections on the grounds of Knott's Berry Farm. Mischievous David would take his offering money and sneak off into the park grounds, using it to buy whatever snacks or amusements it would afford. Dave's formative high school years were spent in the Philippines, where his parents served as missionaries for 18 years. Dave would always share stories of his time there - motorcycle rides on bumpy, rutted lanes in the barangay of Lupagan; learning Cebuano and conversing with his Filipino friends, cementing a lifelong love of travel and other cultures; and his pet monkey Moi, who would jump on the heads of passersby, making general mayhem and providing rich story material for his future children. On his return to the States, he ended up at Grace Bible College, where his future wife's father picked him out in the parking lot from afar as the best candidate for his daughter. Turns out Glenn was right and a few short years later Dave married Beth Ellen Oakes in 1976. A chance stroll by the tiny theater department at GBC landed Dave a role in their production, and his fate was sealed. He fell in love with performing and ended up graduating from Western Michigan University with a BA in Theater and English Lit. Several states and jobs later (one of which was a real life lumberjack!), David landed a position at a small theater in San Diego called Lamb's Players Theatre, and thus began a 30-year adventure. Not too long after moving, their daughter Carrie Ellen was born in 1982, followed by their son, Allan William, in 1985. Dave, using the stage name David Cochran Heath, ended up working with LPT for over 30 years, acting in 142 productions. Beth also worked at LPT for 30 years, serving as the Office Manager and Bookkeeper. Carrie and Allan were active with the theater from a young age, both onstage and backstage, making it a truly family affair. There isn't enough time and paper to name all of the varied characters Dave embodied but several favorites were Salieri, Mr. Toad, Robert Louis Stevenson, Aslan, Dracula, CC Showers, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Abraham Lincoln, Bottom, and, holding a special place in his heart, Atticus Finch. He performed alongside his daughter, Carrie, in To Kill A Mockingbird, where she played Scout Finch. Aside from being a member of the Acting Ensemble, Dave was also Facilities Manager and it wasn't unusual to see him up a catwalk replacing a light, or on the roof fixing the AC, or in the bathroom stopping a leak just five minutes to curtain. In his later years at LPT, he started doing more and more voiceover recordings and audiobooks, among which were three different versions of the Bible, and this eventually became his full-time employment. In 2016, Dave and Beth made the decision to move up to Leavenworth, WA, where they built a house, complete with a recording studio and Airbnb wing. They enjoyed hosting guests from all over the world and showing off their beautiful town and mountain environs. David will be remembered for his notable acting career in San Diego, stimulating the hearts and minds of all who watched him through the stories he told, and told well. More than that, he will be remembered for his hugely generous nature, his grounded humility, his goofy sense of humor, and his epic bear hugs. But most of all, he will be remembered for his steadfast faith in Jesus. His love of the Lord radiated out and drew people to him like a magnet, compelled by his earnest warmth toward others, his sincere and guileless nature, and that sweet, sweet smell of popcorn wafting in the breeze. David's legacy is carried on by his wife Beth and their children Carrie and Allan and Allan's wife Ava, along with Granfer's two precious granddaughters, Tatum and Tessa. A Celebration of Life will be held at Cascade Mountain Bible Church (11025 Chumstick Hwy) in Leavenworth, WA on September 24th, at 2:00 pm.

David Paul Heath

November 18, 1952 - August 14, 2022