David O. Urban

David Osterfund Urban passed away March 9, 2011, in the Monmouth Nursing Home in Monmouth, Illinois. He was born July 10, 1917, in Sylvan Grove, Kansas, the only child of John Herman and Pearl Marie (Mamie) Urban. He grew up in Natoma and Lucas, Kansas. He graduated from nearby Lucas High School in 1935, attended the University of Arkansas for one year, then began a 46 year career working for F.W. Woolworth Company. He married his long-time girlfriend, Grace Margaret Doane, in Winslow, Arkansas, December 26, 1938, during what they both thought was to be just a holiday meeting. His family "encouraged" his relationship with Grace Margaret Doane, seeing to it that they got to see each other on several occasions, even after he was working in Louisiana. This was his one and only marriage; it lasted seventy-two years, until her death February 9, 2011. Together they had two sons, Prof. William L. of Monmouth, IL. and the Rev. John T. of Brandon, MS. He had five grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren; he was especially close to Stella and Hollis Narkiewicz of Monmouth, who gave him their last hugs only hours before his passing. He worked in Woolworth stores in Lafayette, Alexandria, Monroe, Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana; and managed stores in Kansas City, Missouri; Shawnee, Oklahoma; Waco, Texas; St. Louis, Missouri (twice): Overland Park, Kansas; and McAllen, Texas in 1976, where he retired in 1985. They remained in McAllen until the summer of 2007, when they moved to Monmouth to live in Legacy Estates, moving to the Monmouth Nursing Home last December. Although he had grown up in the Presbyterian Church, for many years he was an active member of the Methodist Church; when the weather was nice, his love of golf got in the way of attendance. He took up golf in his early adulthood and gave it up only as age and bad knees dictated, and he was better than average. He was an active member of the Kiwanis and the Elks Clubs, a Mason, and a Shriner. For fifteen years after his retirement he drove children for the Al Amin Shrine Temple in McAllen 250 miles from the Mexican border to the Shriners hospitals in Houston and Galveston, then home that same evening. David was known always to be affable. He had a unique ability to get along with all sorts and conditions of people. During his long career he managed two stores in St. Louis's toughest neighborhoods and his last store catered to the majority Hispanic population of South Texas. These stores were expected to be money-losers, and since his salary was based on sales, his family believed the assignments were intended to persuade him to retire before he was entitled to benefits; instead, he turned them into very profitable stores. This was largely because his staff, whether White, Black or Mexican-American, loved him. Since his wife almost died of gall-bladder complications early in their marriage, he devoted himself to her care. Family members did not expect him to long survive her passing, as was indeed the case. Services:Cremation has been accorded. Burial of their ashes will be in Lucas Cemetery in Lucas, Kansas. There will be a family service there in the summer. Turnbull Funeral Home in Monmouth is in charge of the local arrangements. Please visit www.turnbullfuneralhomes.com