Obituary of David Dee Cain

David Dee Cain passed away on July 1, 2025. He was born on April 26, 1949, a warm Tuesday in Fairmont, WV, to his parents Leonard Dalron Cain and Haseltine Woofter Cain. His siblings include one brother, Leonard Harold Cain (Kim), and one sister Sondra Jean Lambiotte (Joe). He also has a niece Jade Audia, and nephew, Stephen Audia, who shares his love of history and writing. David’s grandfather, James Dee Cain, was the former Sheriff of Marion County and Dave lived in the Sheriff’s residence with his parents for a few years after he was born. Some of David’s favorite childhood memories are exploring the woods around his home in Mt. Harmony and Prickett’s Fort, hunting for Native American artifacts. He loved his pet dogs, Rudy and Paco. David attended East Park Elementary, East Fairmont High School, and was a part of the 1973 class at Fairmont State University where he majored in his favorite subject, history. He was a member of 4H and was an Eagle Scout, a member of Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity at FSU, and faithfully attended their annual Founder’s Day picnics. David was married to the late Susie Markley, and they had one daughter, Jamie Lynn Kyer. He has one grandson, Andrew Vanscoy. David joined the Navy where he served our country for six years. He spent two years at Naval Weapons Station, in Concord, CA, where he was a tugboat engineer during the 1983 Operation Urgent Fury invasion of the island of Grenada. He and his team would meet the aircraft carriers to unload weapons from their ships onto barges to bring back to the base for inspection. It was necessary to creatively hide the weapons from the satellites that would photograph them during their overhead appearances. His next two years were spent serving aboard an ammunition ship where he led a team of eighteen in performing maintenance on the ship when it was dry docked at Mare Island Naval Base, in north San Francisco Bay. He enjoyed this tour, as the ship traveled to many interesting places, his favorite being Victoria British Columbia because of the friendly people and beauty of the area. During his off-duty hours, David explored the sites in San Francisco and the Sierra Nevada mountains where he caught cutthroat trout and panned for gold. After leaving active duty, David served in the Navy Reserves for two years. David worked at North American Phillips, Consol Coal Arkwright Mine and CNC Industries. He wrote a recurring column for the Fairmont Times about local history, and several articles for Wild Wonderful West Virginia magazine and one, “Massacre at Fort Seybert,” was adopted as required reading for a school in Seneca Rocks, WV. David also spoke to schools and groups about local history. His love of history and community involvement is shown by his membership in the Mason Dixon Civil War Roundtable, his time as a board member of the West Virginia State Civilian Conservation Corps Museum Association (WVSCCCMA), and his work as President of the Marion County Historical Society. He also served as a member of the Marion County Democratic Men. During his retirement, he enjoyed watching WVU and Pittsburgh sports, watching war movies and historical dramas, and listening to historical and classic novel audiobooks. David also volunteered with Meals on Wheels and the Lions Club, and he loved the people he served. In addition, he enjoyed hunting for artifacts with his best friend, Ralph Edwards, who has been a faithful and supportive friend to David over the past twenty years. He was also grateful for the time he had recently spent drawing closer to his sister, Sondra. Special thanks to Amedisys Hospice, the caring staff of Harmony at White Oaks and Genesis Pierpont Center, Wishing Well for all their compassion and assistance. The family has entrusted the arrangements to Ford Funeral Home, Ford Chapel, 201 Columbia Street, Fairmont, WV. A public graveside committal service will be held on Thursday, July 10, 2025 at 11 am at the W.V. National Cemetery, 42 Veterans Memorial Lane, Grafton, WV 26354 with the Marion County Veterans Council providing military rites. Online condolences may be made to www.fordfuneralhomes.com. Dave had a great love for animals, therefore, the family requests in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Marion County Humane Society.