David Glen Adams

David Glen Adams broke the bonds of earth and flew joyfully into the arms of his beloved Jesus on Monday, February 5, 2024. He lived his life in love, faith, generosity, and service to others and was a true blessing to us all.

A proud sixth-generation Texan, David was born in Pampa, Texas on August 30, 1955 to Frank Douglas Adams and Patty Maureen Williams Adams. He joined his older brother, Doug, at the family home in Pampa, and then welcomed younger sister, Lori, in 1957 after the family moved to Hurst, Texas. David graduated from Hurst’s Lawrence D. Bell High School in 1973 and went on to The University of Texas at Arlington where he earned a BBA in Marketing.

David then embarked on a long and successful career in executive level management and consulting with corporations such as Gartner, Axway, Sterling Commerce (now IBM Sterling), and ICL. He developed a robust skill set that included cloud computing, mergers and acquisitions, leadership development, management, enterprise software, and much more. Before retiring in 2020, he served as Vice President for Executive Programs at Gartner, using his substantial talents to consult with Fortune 100 clients on digital strategies, plans, and transformations. He also led a team of executives providing advice to other senior executives on managing mission-critical initiatives and on succeeding as high-performing leaders. Throughout his career, David provided extraordinary guidance to clients and was genuinely loved and admired by colleagues.

David felt blessed to live a true love story with his wife of almost 29 years, Nancy Hammond Adams, whom he met while on vacation in 1993. David and Nancy lived close to one another in the DFW area at the time, but they had to go all the way to the Dominican Republic to find one another! They were married on April 15, 1995, and David gained a family with Nancy and her two sons, Daniel and Gary Piatt. The family grew with the addition of two children they christened Elizabeth Marie, in 1996, and Pierce David, in 2000. It would be hard to find a more committed husband and father than David. He cherished his family, and he especially cherished Nancy, his soulmate in every sense of the word.

Two other great loves for David were travel and the Texas Rangers. Whether traveling abroad or taking road trips in the U.S. (especially in a convertible), David loved seeing the world. A trip to Israel in late 2022 with Nancy and Gateway Church friends was especially meaningful, and he was grateful to visit France with son Pierce the year before that. As for the Texas Rangers, attending games with family or friends was a must. And how gratifying that his lifelong support of the team was finally rewarded with a World Series championship last year!

We should probably mention that David did have his shortcomings. He didn’t care for dogs or traditional Thanksgiving food, and he found perhaps too much glee in Monty Python and Mel Brooks films. It was easy to forgive him these and any other failings, however, because his sense of fun and enjoyment of life was so captivating. A sly sense of humor always twinkled in those blue eyes.

Ultimately, what defined David above all else was his powerful faith. He served God diligently in numerous capacities at several church homes and on mission trips over the years, and he was greatly loved by a large church family. Just nine days before he passed, he gave testimony at Gateway Church and was thrilled to baptize two young grandsons.

Even as his cancer journey began with a diagnosis of lymphoma several years ago and then acute myeloid leukemia these past 18 months, David’s faith remained unassailable. He believed God gave him additional years beyond his diagnosis to love his family and friends and to do good works. He acted on that belief in his ministry as a cancer support and advice counselor, reaching out to uplift and pray with hundreds of people experiencing cancer from all over the United States. As David put it, “The journey through cancer is often long and arduous, and being able to help others survive and thrive through it is my goal. I’m honored to give back to others from my own cancer journey.”

David was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Patty Adams. He is survived by his wife, Nancy, and their two children, Pierce and Elizabeth (who, as an adult, took the name Raith Addams). He is also survived by step-sons Daniel Piatt (Krystin) and Gary Piatt (fiancé Brittany Griffith) as well as by grandchildren Ethan, Roslyn, Landon, Donovan, and Jordan – all of whom adored their “Pop.” David’s brother, Doug Adams (Pam), nephew Tyler Adams (Stacey) and niece, Taylor Adams Cogan (Josh), as well as David’s sister, Lori Adams Jones (Don) and nieces Megan Turner Strong (Brent) and Courtney Turner also survive him. His immediate and extended family mourn his passing along with hundreds, if not thousands, of others whose lives he touched.

Though he may no longer walk among us, David’s remarkable love and compassion lives on in our hearts.

A Celebration of David’s Life will take place at First Baptist Church of Hurst, 1801 Norwood Dr., Hurst, Texas. The service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 24, 2024 with a reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations in David’s memory to:
MD Anderson Cancer Center, P.O. Box 4486, Houston, TX 77210-4486 or Click Here to Donate
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or Click Here to Donate