David Shawn Suddath

David Shawn Suddath passed away after a brief illness on October 20, 2026, at the age of 66, at St. Joseph's Hospital in Savannah, GA. His wife and daughters maintained a constant loving presence with him during the entire time he was in the ICU.

David was born in Oahu, HI on December 26, 1959, to Mathew Lafayette Suddath Sr. and Nancy Malia Suddath. He grew up in a military family and was the youngest of five children.His parents had met when his father, a native of Statesboro, GA, was stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. While growing up with his older brothers and sister, he attended schools in Arizona, California, Illinois, Texas, and finally back to Hawaii to live in Makaha while Mathew Sr. was deployed to Vietnam. David was still very young and enjoyed building sandcastles and wading in the ocean while his older brothers bodysurfed and snorkeled. As he grew older, he enjoyed fishing and playing football. When his brothers flew their model airplanes, David would collect pieces of the wrecked ones, foreshadowing his long and storied career and love of all things mechanical, especially airplanes.

In 1973, David's father was assigned to a new duty station in Fort Devens, MA, and he began attending school nearby in the town of Ayer. It was there that he met a young lady named Janis Carrington. He and Janis, who was also from a military family, realized that they had found something special, and it was clear to everyone that she would someday be his wife.

After graduating from Ayer Jr. Sr. High School in 1978, David worked at various jobs until he and Janis married in 1980, and then he entered East Coast Aerotech School in Bedford, MA and graduated in 1981. He and Janis welcomed the first of their three daughters and moved to Richmond Hill, GA, close to Hinesville where his parents had retired. Two of his older brothers and their wives eventually followed them to Georgia, and soon the next generation of Suddaths began.

David worked for a number of companies during the years following their move, including Skytel Aviation and Butler Aviation in Savannah, and Key Airlines at the Savannah Airport. The family relocated to South Carolina for a time, where David was employed by Grand Strand Aviation in Myrtle Beach. Eventually, David, Janis, and their three girls moved back to Guyton, GA in the summer of 1994, and he began a career with Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation that spanned 32 years and was well-respected as one of their Certification Engineers.  David's values as a Christian husband, father, and friend were deeply ingrained in him.  While attending Rincon First Christian Church in the late 1990'S-2000's, he worked with the youth ministry and with college students. While at Compassion Christian Church (early 2010- present), he served with "The Journey" Christmas program for a number of years and also with the Ironworks Men's Group in Effingham for over 10 years. His favorite scripture verses were Genesis 1:1 and Proverbs 27:17.

David was a very involved dad and loved being a father to his three daughters and their husbands and Papa to his nine precious grandchildren. He was a gifted teacher and enjoyed sharing his knowledge of anything mechanical, automotive, and biblical. He also was a great fan of monster movies. In addition, David had a special relationship with his nieces and nephews, who loved going to Uncle Dave and Auntie Jan's house to visit and get spoiled by both of them, even after they became young adults. Their house was always open to family and friends, to share a meal or host a special event.

David was predeceased by his parents, CW4 (Ret.) Mathew L. Suddath and Nancy Malia Suddath and his brother Hunter Suddath. He leaves behind to cherish his memory his wife and high school sweetheart Janis Suddath, his daughters Katherine Wirey (Chance) and Sarah Sereff (Elliott) of Rincon, Amanda Warren (Paul) of Tuscaloosa, AL, brothers Mathew L. Suddath Jr. (Mary) of Richmond Hill and Peter Suddath (Colleen) of Savannah, sister Barbara Large (Dave) of Burford, Oxfordshire, England, nine grandchildren, eleven nieces and nephews, and many other special relatives and friends.

A celebration of life service honoring David will be held on Friday, October 30, 2026, at 6:00 pm at the Effingham Campus of Compassion Christian Church, 810 Fort Howard Road, Rincon, GA 31326.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making memorial donations to Compassion Christian Church.