David Calvin Girven

David Calvin Girven, age 66, of Chad, Africa passed away on Saturday, October 17, 2015, at the Lehigh Valley Medical Center in Allentown, PA. David was born on April 16, 1949, second child and first son of the late Calvin and Harriet Ely Girven. He was a 1967 WVHS graduate and attended Drexel University before joining the Peace Corps. Since 1969, he had lived in Chad, Africa, where he spent considerable time helping with the economic and agricultural development of the Lake Chad region. While volunteering with the Peace Corps, and later working with SODELAC and CARE, he helped local farmers devise better methods of irrigation, drilled wells in remote villages to install hand pumps that provided clean drinking water, and maintained fleets of vehicles used to reach and transport foods to remote areas of Chad. He was a selfless man who always worked to improve the lives of those around him, whether it be family, friends, or complete strangers. Although a mechanic by trade, there wasn’t much he didn’t enjoy working on, from scratch-building kid’s tricycles, to rebuilding antiquated Land Rover engines for friends and neighbors, to setting up entire computer systems and networks for classrooms. He was a devoted and loving father who not only raised his own six children, but also those of his community, sharing all he owned and teaching all he knew. Surviving are his children: Adam (Caralee) Girven, Fatime (Abderamane) Akhouna, Koufra Girven; his current wife Nicole and their two children, Daniel Girven and Sem Girven; brothers Kevin, Timothy, and Randy and their spouses; sister Dawn; sister Kathy and her spouse; and numerous grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. He was preceded in death by his daughter Haoua. A Funeral Service will be held on Thursday, October 22, 2015 at 11:00 A.M. at P. Dean Homer Funeral Home, 1 Grovedale Lane, Wyalusing, PA with the Rev. Heather Baker-McAllister, officiating. Interment will be in the Wyalusing Cemetery. Friends may call on Thursday from 10:00 AM until the time of the service, at the P. Dean Homer Funeral Home, 1 Grovedale Lane, Wyalusing, PA. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Wyalusing Public Library, PO Box 98, Wyalusing, PA 18853 To send condolences or sign the e-guestbook, please go to www. homerfuneralhome.com. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of David Calvin Girven, please visit our flower store.