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| David Meggs Pipes 27 November 1948 - 3 January 2018 |
David
Meggs Pipes was the eldest child of Charles David Pipes and Betty Meggs Pipes.
He was born November 27, 1948, in Fort Worth, Texas. The family would grow to
include two sisters Mary Nel, Melinda Beth, and a brother, Bryan Charles. Charles Pipes was recalled to active duty for
the Korean War and the family moved frequently with U.S. Air Force Duty
assignments. David said that home was wherever his parents were and the church was
their extended family in San Antonio, New Mexico, North Carolina, Puerto Rico,
California, the Philippines, and Abilene.
David
started school in Roswell, New Mexico where he chased lizards and became an
avid reader. Young David dreamt much of sailing ships and heroic naval battles
with the historical Admiral Horatio Nelson and the fictional Captain Horatio
Hornblower. While in Puerto Rico the family enjoyed a cruise culminating in a
passage through the Panama Canal and, to his dismay, David suffered sea
sickness. Always able to make the best of a bad situation, he spent his days in
the library where an older gentleman taught him to play chess. Later in high
school, the chess club became a fun diversion and David formed life-long
friendships with his fellow club members. Many years later, he won the
competitions to represent Rice University at the NCAA chess tournament.
Upon
leaving Puerto Rico, the family was stationed back in California where David
was baptized into Christ Jesus and learned leadership skills for public
speaking from a dedicated Christian mentor whom David emulated as he mentored
young men in his church. David graduated from Ramona High School in Riverside
in 1966, as a National Merit Scholar. Immediately afterward the family was
stationed in the Philippines and Charles was flying into Viet Nam.
In
September 1966, David arrived in Houston to attend Rice University. He started as a "Hanszen gentleman" and was among the upperclassman who volunteered to move to the new college where he was a member of Lovett's constitutional committee. During
these college years David joined the Rice Players as a stage hand and had roles in Hamlet and School for Scandal. He often assisted Andrea
Castles (later Engle) in Brown College theater productions including The Second Shepherd's Pageant. He earned pocket money as a Physics grader and tutored Rice Basketball players. A gifted teacher, David tutored a host of friends at Rice and many young people through the decades. David played a
lot of bridge both on campus and duplicate on Friday nights with his regular bridge partner, Keith McGregor. While in graduate school, he was in Army R.O.T.C. serving as Executive Officer.
David began attending the
Central Church of Christ in 1966 and was an active member of their college group. Except
for the three years he spent in the U.S. Army, David lived in Houston and
worshiped with this church for 50 years, half of the 100 years we will celebrate
this coming weekend.
In
September 1967, David met K Cummings at Central’s college welcome party in the
home of Terry and Beverly Koonce. It took him a couple of weeks to persuade K
to go to a football game with him but almost from that moment they were a
couple. They ate both lunch and dinner together most days and attended various
campus events together. When David’s parents came to visit at Lovett College,
they were told “he spends all of his time over at Brown with K Cummings.” David
and K fell in love working with the children at Central's Drew Street Mission, at
college devotionals in the home of R.L. and Jean Sanders, and at the Sunday
night spaghetti dinners served to college students in Central’s fellowship hall
which is now The Black Lab restaurant. Eating at the site of so many happy
memories remained a special treat.
David
earned three degrees from Rice University: Bachelor of Arts in 1970, Master of
Chemical Engineering in 1971, and Master Science (Environmental Science and Engineering) in 1974. His was one of the first environmental degrees issued. David and K continued to be actively involved at Rice and are members of The Owl Club and Friends of Fondren.
David
and K were married on September 4, 1971. When David completed his graduate
work, he served his country in the U.S. Army Environmental Hygiene Agency.
During that time, he developed many standards for water treatment, including
the famous “Pipes sniff test” as the first indicator of a well-run plant. He
would sometimes introduce himself, “Pipes the name; sewers the game.” While stationed in Maryland, David and K
worshiped and taught children and David chaired the benevolence committee at
Aberdeen Church of Christ. Not long ago,
the elders of that church thanked him for his influence in Men’s Business
Meetings, creating an atmosphere of peace and forgiveness. David’s stories of
the Central Church in Houston had been “instrumental in teaching what a good
eldership might be. Remarkable wisdom in a young man.”
Having
completed his military service, David and K returned to Houston in 1976 to
enjoy the benefits of being close to Rice and to take up again the work of
teaching a generation and a half of children of Southwest Central Church, where
he served as a Deacon and then an Elder.
As a graduate student, David had worked on a consulting project for S& B Engineers and Constructors. Upon learning that David was job interviewing in Houston, Dr. Bill Brookshire offered him a position and in 1976 David began his career with S&B Engineers and Constructors where he would become
a Principal Process Engineer in a department that is ably led by his brother
and best friend, Bryan. David loved engineering and mentored many young engineers. He was honored to be awarded the company's S.A.B.E.R.--Safety, Attitude, Best Practices, Excellence, Reliability.
During a recent interview with a doctor about his goals
for treatment, David listed three things: “be at home with K, worship with my
church, and get back to work at S&B so I can be with my friends.”
David,
age 69, died Wednesday, January 3, 2018, while a patient at M. D. Anderson
Hospital in Houston, Texas, where he was cared for with great kindness by the
nursing staff.
David
is survived by his wife of 46 years, K Cummings Pipes, who held his hand
through this life’s journey, by his dear mother, Betty, by his brother Bryan
and his wife Dee, by his sisters, Beth Cook and Mary Nel McLane and her husband
Charles, by nieces, nephews, God children, extended family, and a host of
friends.
Honorary
pallbearers: his nephews, Josh Gregory
and his son Tilson, Kendall Cummings II, Bryan McLane, James McLane, Carl
Sinkule, Damon Easter, Joseph Niles, and David’s namesake, David Michelletti.
Do not “mourn as others do
who have no hope.”
1 Thessalonians 4:13—Weymouth New Testament
A memorial service was officiated by Steve Sargent, 8 January 2018, at Southwest Central Church of Christ, 4011 W. Bellfort, Houston, TX.
{The sounds of weeping and wailing are not from me or his family. Our church is culturally diverse and David, as a shepherd of the flock, was much loved and is deeply mourned my his extended church family.}
At his memorial service, his brother-in-law, Jack Gregory, offered these words:
"On behalf of
the Pipes family, “Thank you!” Thank you
for the overwhelming support offered to K through the past difficult
months. “Thank you” for your attendance
here at David’s memorial service today.
And “Thank you” for helping us honor God as we honor David.
Just a couple of days ago I read a short blog about prayer
that has impacted my thinking and, I hope, will impact my prayers in the
future. It’s amazing how one simple word
can radically change my prayer life.
For those of
us that live life on this side of heaven, our prayers are so often centered on
“us” – on the needs and wants that we face in our daily lives and not so often
on the eternal. Without a doubt, many of
you have joined me in praying for David’s healing through this “battle” that he
has been fighting for the past year especially.
We have all prayed in earnest and with a great deal of hope and faith
that David would be healed physically – that he and his situation would become
“better” . . .
And here is
that one little word . . . that one little change in my prayer:
Instead of
praying “Lord, make this BETTER” maybe
I need to pray . . .
“Lord, make this COUNT!”
God, David
is dying. Make the leukemia go away if
possible. BUT don’t just make it better,
make it COUNT! Make this time be about
YOU and YOUR kingdom.
That is
exactly what David knew was important – exactly what he understood when he read
(or when he asked K to read to him) Psalm 130.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you,
LORD;
2 Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be
attentive to my cry for mercy.
5 I wait for the LORD, my whole being
waits, and in his word I put my hope.
6 I wait for the Lord more than watchmen
wait for the morning, yes, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
On New
Year’s Eve, K heard David, in his sleep, say “I’m dying. No unanswered prayers!”
He wanted us to know that our prayers for
healing WERE NOT unanswered prayer just because he died. Just the opposite is true . . .
He
knew that, IT COUNTED! He had full faith
that “because of his life, he knew his death would COUNT for God’s kingdom here
on earth”. He knew it would count for
his precious church family here in this building. He trusted that lives . . . OUR lives would
be eternally affected and affirmed in the promise of eternity with God.
I
thank God for hearing our prayers and answering each of them fully.
I love
the phrase “In the Fullness of Time”. . .
For
David, it IS BETTER! And for each of us . . . Now – in the fullness
of time – IT COUNTS!
Prayer
. . .
