David "Dave" Ritezel Hobson, 86 years old, left his earthy home early Tuesday morning, November 28, 2023, and traveled by "The Way of the Cross" to meet his precious Savior, Jesus Christ, face-to-face. After a lengthy, courageous battle with cancer, he has now achieved complete healing and release from his suffering.

Awaiting to meet him in Heaven were his parents, David Chapman Hobson and Ruth Dickens Hobson Morris; stepfather, Frank Morris; sister, Vivian H. Gravitt; brother, Richard Hobson, and many other relatives and friends.

Remaining on earth to cherish his memory are his wife of nearly 41 years, Linda Briggs Hobson; sons, D. Scott Hobson (Angela) of Kernersville, NC and Mark A. Perry (Trudy) of Taylorsville, NC; grandchildren, Jacob Hobson (Gabrielle) of Hickory, NC, Gillian Hobson (Kevin) of Greensboro, Haley Hobson also of Greensboro, NC, Dallas Schunke (James) and Sarah Fulp (Jacob) both of Taylorsville, NC; great-grandchildren, Henry, Samuel and Michael Schunke all of Taylorsville, NC; brother, Gary J. Hobson (Susan) of Whitsett, NC; sisters, Wanda H. Klein (Leon) of Yadkinville, NC, Sharon A. Hobson of Slidell, LA and Lisa M. Gibson (Danny) of Canton, NC; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins, and special friends, Jack and Carolyn Gantt of Burlington, NC. The son of a sharecropper, Dave was born in the foothills of North Carolina. When he was eight years old, his family moved to the Greensboro area, where he remained throughout his life. The oldest of seven children, Dave worked on tobacco farms until he reached adulthood. As a young adult, Dave became a private pilot and enjoyed hundreds of hours in the air. He was known for giving his passengers a flight they would not soon forget. Also an avid water skier, Dave spent thousands of hours on the beautiful lakes of North Carolina and Virginia. He served three years in the National Guard, followed by three years in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. Dave loved "jumping" and continued as a civilian for some time. Upon his honorable discharge from the Army, he began a long and successful career with Duke Power (now Duke Energy). After an early retirement from the utility, he worked a variety of odd jobs, just to keep busy and to help his friends. It was during a long drive for one of those jobs that he found and began regularly listening to BBN, a Christian radio station.

Hearing the teachings of Dr. J. Vernon McGee, Dr. David Jeremiah and others on the radio led Dave to rededicate his life to Christ and get involved in a local church body. He served as a Senior Adult Sunday School teacher for several years, of which he said that (in preparing for the lessons) he "learned far more than those in the class." Dave also served as Chairman of the Deacon Board, lent his deep, rich bass voice to the choir, and helped maintain the church buildings and grounds as long as he was able. About 15 years ago, Dave began a personal in-depth study of God's Word. From this study, his book The Scarlet Thread: Finding Jesus through Old Testament Prophecy was born. His prayer was that his book bless and encourage all who read it. The family would like to thank Dr. Gary Sherrill and staff of the Cone Cancer Center, and Jennifer Brigman and Anne Batten of AuthoraCare Collective for their excellent care and compassion. A Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00pm (Visitation from 1:00-1:45pm) on Saturday, December 2, 2023, at RockHill Baptist Church, 4363 S NC Highway 62, Burlington, NC. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to RockHill Baptist Church, PO Box 190, Alamance NC 27201; PathWay College Ministries, PO Box 231, Burlington NC 27216; AuthoraCare Collective, 914 Chapel Hill Rd, Burlington NC 27215; or, the charity of your choice.

George Brothers Funeral Service is handling the arrangements.