David Newman Chaffins

David Newman Chaffins, of Coconut Creek, passed away at age 56, on June 16th, 2015. David was born on July 7th, 1958 in Winchester, Virginia to James and Louise Chaffins. He grew up in Staunton, Virginia and graduated from Robert E. Lee High School. He was an avid flute player and a member of the varsity basketball team. He graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in Criminology. After college, David began working in the insurance industry and stayed with this career for the rest of his life. He married Tara Wine and they had their only child, Courtney Chaffins, in 1990. David moved to Florida with his daughter and in 1997 he was remarried to Valerie Chaffins and had the honor of also becoming Alice Fay’s father. David enjoyed spending time with family and friends at Tampa Bay Lightning, Rays, and Buccaneer games. He also enjoyed volunteering his time in the children’s ministries at his church, because, as many who knew him often said, he was a big kid at heart. His other love was his dog, Skipper. He would take his lunch breaks at home to be with him, taught him how to “pray” with the family, and all knew that he considered Skip to be his 3rd child. Above all else, David was a man of God and he loved his family. He did anything and everything for his wife and two children no matter what. His demeanor was the same with his work family whether it was at Foremost, Tower Hill, Citizens, or People’s Trust. His coworkers knew they could always count on him for anything and David always tried his best to deliver for them. David’s love for helping others and his positive outlook on life never wavered, even in the last two years of his life during his battle with Melanoma. He continued to work throughout his treatments and procedures with a smile on his face, often making jokes with all of his nurses and doctors to make the best out of a difficult situation. He fought hard, but fought harder for his family, to make sure they knew how much he loved them and wanted them to be happy, even until his last days. David was preceded in death by his mother Louise Chaffins. He is survived by his father James Chaffins, brothers Doug (Linda) Chaffins and James (Martha) Chaffins, his wife Valerie and daughters Courtney and Alice. He is also survived by his nieces Sarah (Steve) Petrucci, Amy (Joel) Cliborne, Tasha Trimm, and Shauna Trimm, his nephew Nathanial (Cory) Chaffins, brother-in-laws Scott Trimm and Paul Trimm and grand-nieces Piper and Abbigail. His celebration of life will be at First Church Coral Springs at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 20th, 2015. David will be interned next to his mother in Staunton, Virginia at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to First Church Coral Springs or Sylvester Cancer Center, for all of their support and because many of their ministries were very close to David’s heart.

David Newman Chaffins

July 7, 1958 - June 16, 2015