David Jarvis III was born on August 10, 1966, in Columbus, Ohio. He grew up in the Linden neighborhood of Columbus, a community he would later serve for much of his career as a Columbus firefighter. He passed away on December 9, 2021.

David is survived by his loving wife of 17 years, Susan; children, Andrea (Patrick) Jarvis-Galvin, Emily Dunlevie, Brock Dunlevie, Carter (Payten) Dunlevie, and Jacob (Zoe) Dunlevie; grandchildren, JJ and Scout Galvin, Ella and Sawyer Dunlevie; parents, Marie Jarvis Mertz and David Jarvis Jr.; and siblings, Victor Jarvis and Linda Jarvis.

David had many roles—father, husband, grandpa, helper, soldier, firefighter, brother to many, and friend to all. He was famous for his quick-witted nature and mischievous grin. He was an accomplished craftsman, enjoying woodworking and home and vehicle repair. He was an avid reader with a special interest in history and a student of life. What David enjoyed most was storytelling; he was always happiest when regaling his audience with a story. And to know him was to have a story about him, often colorful, and always memorable. Above all, David was known and proven to be hardworking, dedicated, and motivated in everything he did; if David put his mind to it, there was nothing he couldn’t do.

David began his career with Columbus Division of Fire in 1994. He first served as a firefighter, earned his paramedic certification in 1997, and became a rescue technician in 2001. He was a Tactical Emergency Medical Service (TEMS) paramedic, responding with the SWAT team since the program’s inception in 2008. He was assigned to Station 7 for most of his career, serving the Linden area and The Ohio State University campus. Following his passing, his fellow firefighters memorialized him by arranging an Honor Flight in his name to send military veterans on a day trip to Washington, DC.

Beyond his career in the fire service, David served in the military for over 34 years, achieving the rank of master sergeant, and retiring from the U.S. Army Reserve in 2020. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1986. His service led him through many units and deployments for multiple overseas contingency operations. He participated in Operation Desert Shield/Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Over the course of his career, David earned the Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, and Air Assault Badge, among others.

David Jarvis III is deeply missed but will never be forgotten. He was never known to say “goodbye,” but instead quipped, “I’ll see ya when I see ya.”