David “Dave” Harvey Easterday, 85, of Franklin, Tennessee, formerly of Meade, Kansas, and Tyrone, Oklahoma, was called home on May 20, 2026. A football coach, high school principal, and superintendent of schools, Dave spent more than four decades in education – in Tahoka, Texas; Leoti, Kansas; Meade, Kansas; and later in Tyrone, Oklahoma.
He was born December 5, 1940, in Fowler, Kansas, to Milton “Rusty” and Jean Easterday. He graduated from Meade High School and Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas, where he played football for four years. He earned a master’s degree from Western Colorado University. He married Wilda Loeppke on November 22, 1967, and together they raised three daughters.
Dave and Wilda returned to his hometown of Meade, Kansas, to begin a career he loved: first as a football coach and teacher, then as high school principal, and finally as superintendent of schools. He was given a second career as principal and superintendent in Tyrone, Oklahoma, a small community he came to love as his own.
His retirement years were defined by his service to the Meade Senior Center and Meade Church of the Nazarene.
In 2021, he and Wilda moved to Franklin, Tennessee, to be near family. There, a new chapter of service began. They opened their home to young college students, housing young men from New College Franklin. Dave loved the conversations, asked about their classes, and quietly let himself learn from these faithful young men.
His last four months were spent in and out of rehab and hospital, with only one week at home. He thanked his caregivers by name. He praised their skill. He encouraged them. His daughters watched him treat doctors, nurses, and technicians the way they remembered him treating school staff decades earlier.
In his final weeks, his daughters read aloud to him from Louis L’Amour stories he had loved his whole life. They read until his last day on earth.
Dave is survived by his beloved wife of nearly 59 years, Wilda; his daughters, Heather, Kyla, and Dara; and his sister, Cheryl Sharick. He is preceded in death by his parents, Milton and Jean.
A celebration of his life will be held on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at the Meade Church of the Nazarene, with James Strickland officiating. Burial will follow at Graceland Cemetery in Meade, Kansas. The family will receive friends on Monday, June 15, 2026, from 5:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. at Fidler-Orme-Bachman Mortuary, Meade. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Meade High School Alumni Association (https://www.meade226alumni.com/donate) or New College Franklin (https://zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/donate-to-new-college-franklin).