David J Landis went home to heaven on March 14, 2025 at 12:47am after a courageous battle with cancer. 

He was diagnosed with CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukemia) in 2014. CLL is a less aggressive cancer and he had chemo treatments to put it at bay. There was also medication to manage the CLL. However in May of 2024 CLL turned into Lymphoma. This is called a Richter's transformation. Unfortunately, when this happens the cancer is very aggressive. The average is 12 months from diagnosis. 

He went through two different rounds of chemo treatments, neither worked. We then tried CAR-T cell therapy in December of 2024. A process by which the doctors take your T-cells, re-grow them in a lab, and turn them from a Honda to a Ferrari. Again, in January of 2025 we found out the CAR-T did not work at all. He then tried one last chemo which did not work. On 3/11/25 while at Mayo Clinic he made the decision to move to hospice care at home. He lived his last 3 days at home surrounded by his family until the end.

David was born to C. David Landis and Shirley Landis in 1955. While born in Maine, he grew up on a farm in Lititz, PA. The family grew tobacco, raised hogs, and turkeys. He played football and wrestled in High School for Warwick. 

He graduated from Juniata College which is where he met his first wife Catherine Middleton, Katie. One of the funny stories I remember them telling from their college days was of my mother being called to the dean's office because her car was spotted doing donuts in the parking lot.... needless to say that was not my mother. College was a struggle, as he had to work a full time job to pay for tuition and make it through. 

They were married August after graduating from Juniata in 1977. They moved to the very small town of Gridley, IL for work shortly after being married. He started work for an industrial metal siding/roofing company, kicking off an entire career in this industry. The community and friendships ran deep in this small town. Gridley followed them the rest of their lives. Both Drew and Zach were born while they lived in Gridley. 

David moved the family to Butler, PA in 1988. Their third son Ben was born here in 1989. They then moved back to Lancaster, PA in 1990. While living in Lancaster County it was very common for people to have an estate sale when they retired. They would auction off most of their belongings, house, etc, and downsize. There were many a Saturday the family would pop into an estate sale to look around. One such Saturday we stopped at a sale. The family came home, but my dad decided to stay. When he eventually come home, my mother asked him if he bought anything? To which he replied, "the house". Yes..... my father bought a house without my mother knowing. He never lived that one down. Keep in mind this was also a HUGE fixer-upper. But, we had many found memories of working on this house to get it ready to move in. Being handy was a skill I learned from my father through experiences like this. The next 4 years were filled with the joy of being close to all their extended family. 

In 1994, he was laid off from the small company he worked for. This took the family to Atlanta, GA. where he lived until 2024. 

David’s first love, Katie, preceded him in death on March 15, 2018. After the immense sorrow of suddenly losing his first wife, he was blessed to find love again with Denise Hall. They were happily married in 2019 and Denise brought David joy and comfort for his remaining years. Denise and David married July of 2019. Denise was a blessing to my father and this family. Denise unfortunately lost her mother at the age of 14, which gave her a huge sensitivity to the loss of a mother. She has an amazing strength, which in those early days we were morning the loss of our mother, Denise was able to hold the tension of being excited for her and my dad while also at the same time being sad for what we lost. Denise would often say, "this is not where any of us intended to be, but let's make the most of it, a bonus round." Because of this phase, I started calling Denise my "bonus mom." Stepmom always felt too removed for our relationship. Bonus Mom is just right. 

Dad never knew a stranger. He could strike up a conversation with anyone, finding common ground in his farm-raised Pennsylvania roots! I know so many of my friends, Zach, and Ben's friends deeply enjoyed conversations with him. 

All growing up he was a helper and a doer. We helped multiple families in our church build/renovate homes. Dad served faithfully as a deacon at Parkview church for a number of years being the hands and feet. Even in the final stages of cancer he had a hard time sitting still. He had to be doing something productive. 

 As I reflect on my dad's faith, I know without a doubt that he believed in Christ Jesus as his Lord and Savior. I think he, like many of us, struggled to always know how to best live that out. My mother, I know, challenged him constructively in his faith. I can remember many a morning coming downstairs and seeing him sitting with a bowl of cheerios, banana on top, with his Bible open, reading. I think he often tried to show his faith through acts of service, doing something for someone. He would be there to help you move, paint, do yardwork, etc. 

He loved the beach and spent the last year of his life just a short drive away from the ocean, moving to St. Augustine in 2024. Prior to that, regular vacations to the gulf shore, Outer Banks, or Jersey shore would find him knee-deep in the ocean, book in hand, rotating in slow circles to get evenly tanned. 

In retirement he was looking forward to having the time to participate in disaster relief efforts. He really wanted to be involved with Samaritan's Purse. Unfortunately with his cancer diagnosis, he never had the strength or clean bill of health to go and participate. In lieu of flowers, would you consider giving to Samaritan's Purse? They are helping so many people right now. 

David is survived by his beloved wife, Denise, and her two daughters that he adored, Erin (Andrew) Miller, and their children, Hayden and Noah; and Erika (Jared) Waldron, as well as his 3 sons, in whom he was immensely proud: Drew (Emily) Landis, and their children, Lydia, Arianna, and Cooper; Zach (Katie) Landis, and their daughters, Zoe and Eliza; and Ben (Amy) and their children, William, Ford, Bowman, and Lucy; and his mother, Shirley Landis; and brothers, Phil Landis, Mike (Pat) Landis, and Don (Beth) Landis. He is preceded in death by his father, C David Landis

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