David Patrick walked into every room as if he were glad to see you, and for the people who were his family, he always was. He was Karon’s husband and best friend. He was Alex and Lauren’s dad and their steadiest fan, a stepdad to Kayla and Krysta, and “Pat” to a grandchildren’s table that kept growing. He believed that loving people well was mostly a matter of showing up, and he spent a lifetime proving it.
Beyond the family, he had a long list of other names. To his brothers, he was Davie, the baby of the family, a name that followed him well into grown life. At Goose Pond Marina, he was “Cap’n,” the man who would look up as you walked down the dock, smile as though you were exactly who he’d been hoping to see, and ask about your family by name.
David was kind in the unfussy way that is hardest to fake. He was interested in people, truly and specifically, and he kept track of their answers: the new job, the sick mother, the house under renovation. He would tell you exactly what he thought, but a joke always arrived just ahead of the opinion, so you were laughing before you could be bothered. His wit never left him, not on the best days and not on the worst.
He was also the person you called. When something around the house needed fixing, when a car needed buying, when a decision needed a second opinion, his family dialed him first, and the answer was nearly always right. Alex and Lauren grew up believing there was no question their dad couldn’t answer, and they never found reason to doubt it. He was simply that smart, and he shared what he knew freely, without ever making you feel small for asking.
And he showed up. He was in the stands, the audience, and the front row for every school event, game, and award ceremony that Alex and Lauren ever had. He carried boxes into dorm rooms, and years later, with a U-Haul in the driveway, into houses in Birmingham and Chattanooga. He was there for Karon in everything. When both of his children married within the last year, he was well enough to be fully present for all of it, to take in every moment, and to meet the people they will spend their lives with. He loved Ann Kay and Jordan from the start and welcomed them into the family with open arms. We hold that gift close.
His favorite place on earth was the deck of Lumber One, his houseboat at Goose Pond, with the water going gold and his friends close by. He knew the Tennessee River like the back of his hand and could navigate it anywhere. When he was on land, he was most content at the condo, in a slow morning with Karon, their sweet cat Kitsy, who spent nearly eighteen years happily in his lap, and his favorite shows from another era: Adam-12, Matlock, Perry Mason, and The Andy Griffith Show. Music was the soundtrack to all of it, especially the sounds of the ’60s and ’70s: the Beatles, Glen Campbell, the Eagles, Frank Sinatra, Van Morrison, the Doobie Brothers, and Alison Krauss. He was a proud Auburn fan, and like any true Auburn fan, he stuck with the Tigers through good seasons and lean ones.
He knew what he liked, and he was loyal to it: crispy Geno’s pizza, a good homemade filet or ribeye, Diet Coke, black coffee, Sharon Proctor’s coconut cake, and Little Debbie powdered doughnuts. Even in his final days, he was still placing his order, sometimes even in the middle of the night. We like to think he was at least consistent.
David was the third generation of the Patrick family to lead Patrick Lumber Company in Scottsboro, where he grew up and where he later served as president. He was proud to carry on a legacy begun in the early 1900s, one that grew from a local hardware and lumber store into a builder of homes and a developer of so much of Scottsboro and Jackson County, work the Patrick family continues to this day. It was a business built on serving the people of this community, and it gave many of them good work and a place to belong. That same spirit drew him into service with the Rotary Club of Scottsboro, Habitat for Humanity, and the Scottsboro Industrial Development Board. The Patricks have been woven into Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Scottsboro for generations, and David’s Christian faith was real and alive in him. You could see it in his kindness, his patience, and the grace he showed everyone he met.
For more than eleven years, David lived with cancer. It brought pain and a calendar crowded with appointments, and still it never managed to dim him. He stayed hopeful about life through all of it, kept asking about everyone else, and kept smiling. So much of that strength came from Karon, who was a fantastic caretaker and never left his side. She was always there to keep him going and to lift his spirits, and her love carried him through.
What his family will miss most is hearing from him every day. For many, many years, Alex or Lauren talked with their dad every single day. His texts were a steady comfort, asking about jobs, spouses, homes, and trips. They never had to wonder whether he was thinking of them. He always was.
David Copeland Patrick was born October 23, 1959, in Scottsboro, Alabama, the youngest son of Richard C. Patrick Jr. and Mildred Patrick. He attended Scottsboro High School and the University of Alabama in Huntsville. After a long and courageous fight, he passed away peacefully and comfortably on October 20, 2026, at the age of 66, surrounded by his family and loved ones. He is now in the arms of Jesus, with no more pain and no more suffering, and what a blessing it is to know exactly where he is. In the words of Paul, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)
He is survived by his loving wife and best friend of 19 years, Karon; his children, Alex Patrick (Ann Kay) and Lauren Berger (Jordan); stepdaughters Kayla Walker (Brett) and Krysta Whitecap (Brad); and grandchildren Owen, Grady, Arlie, Titus, and Evander. He is also survived by his brother Steve (Sandy) Patrick; his sister-in-law Sharon Proctor; nephews Steve Patrick Jr. (Kathy) and Matthew Patrick; and a wide circle of friends, including former coworkers, his boating family at Goose Pond, and everyone who was lucky enough to know him. He was preceded in death by his parents, Richard C. Patrick Jr. and Mildred Patrick, and his brother Richard C. “Dicky” Patrick III.
This Friday would have been David’s 67th birthday, and his family invites everyone who loved him to celebrate his life together that day. Visitation will be Friday, October 23, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by a service at 1 p.m. at Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Scottsboro, with Reverand Micaiah Tanck officiating. Burial will follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery, and all are welcome to join the family there. Serving as pallbearers will be Chuck Abercrombie, David Taylor, Kevin Roney, his brother Steve Patrick, and his nephews Steve Patrick Jr., Matthew Patrick, and Billy Beavers.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to the American Cancer Society, Habitat for Humanity of Jackson County, or a local Scottsboro or Jackson County charity of your choice.
Arrangements Entrusted to Scottsboro Funeral Home
