David Ray Barrows was born on August 16, 1953, in San Diego, California, and passed away peacefully on April 7, 2026, in Picayune, Mississippi. He lived the kind of life that doesn’t draw much attention to itself—one measured instead by what’s left behind: things built to last, promises kept, and a family that knew it was cared for.

While serving in the United States Navy, David took part in the recovery of the Apollo 17 and Skylab space capsules aboard the USS Ticonderoga. It was the sort of story that might come up once or twice over the years, usually without much detail, because he was not a man inclined to make much of his own accomplishments. He had a way of letting things stand on their own.

In 1976, he married Bobbi Tupper of New Orleans, Louisiana, and together they built a life that carried them through fifty years—steady, faithful years, the kind that are less about grand moments and more about showing up, day after day. Their marriage was rooted in faith and in a quiet understanding that love is something you do, not just something you say. His relationship with God was much the same—present, constant, and never in need of display.

David was a man of humility, fairness, and deep integrity, though he likely would have shrugged at all three. He did what needed doing, did it right, and went on to the next thing. Respect followed him anyway, in the way people would watch how he worked, or listen a little closer when he spoke.

He had the hands of a builder and the patience of someone who expected things to hold. If something needed fixing, he fixed it. If something needed building, he built it—and when he was done, you didn’t have to think about it again. His work took him through oil fields, energy plants, and mills, where his welds—artistic in their quality—held fast long after he’d moved on. He worked hard, often far from home, and didn’t say much about it, which is another way of saying he understood what it meant to be a provider.

Later, he brought that same steadiness to the Picayune School District, starting as a bus driver and eventually retiring as Director of Maintenance. Even after retirement, when his health allowed, he would stop by to check on things, not out of obligation but because some habits, once formed, don’t really leave a man. He remained loyal to the people he worked alongside and held a quiet admiration for his friend Nole Burge, whose work with young men reflected the same christian values David lived every day.

David was not a man of many words, but the few he offered tended to stay with you. His humor was dry and easy, often arriving with a small grin or a silent laugh, as if he saw something just a little clearer than the rest of us.

To know David was to understand that strength doesn’t have to be loud, and that faith, when it’s real, rarely is. Toward the end, through everything, he returned to the same simple reassurance, offered without ceremony and without doubt: "It'll be alright.” And somehow, hearing him say it, you believed it.

He is survived by his wife of fifty years, Bobbi Barrows; his daughters, Candice McCurnin (Jared), Jessica Greulich (Joey), and Dabi-Grace Barrows; his brother, Larry Barrows of Ramona, California; and his sister, Linda Simmons of Picayune, Mississippi.

He also leaves behind his grandchildren—Kerrington Neumann, Kagan McCurnin, and Max and Zoey Greulich—and his great-grandchildren, Makenzie, Madison, Mason, Marren, and Marc Neumann, all of Picayune, who will carry forward the quiet lessons he never needed to spell out.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Albert and Lorraine Barrows of San Diego, California.

Visitation will be held from 4:00 to 6:00 PM on Thursday, April 16, at Picayune Funeral Home, 815 South Haugh Avenue.