Even in his youth, David Pitts showed an entrepreneurial mindset.
“When he was a senior in high school, he drove his school bus and would sell candy bars to kids on the bus,” said his daughter, Ruth Pitts Eiland.
Mr. Pitts, who founded David’s Interiors / Antique Wholesalers in Greenwood, died Saturday morning at his residence in Greenwood. He was 68.
Mr. Pitts was born in 1953 in Fulton and raised in Tremont, where he graduated from Tremont High School in 1971.
“He was just a character. He was full of vivid stories,” Eiland said. “He would travel two to three hours to eat at his favorite restaurant.”
She said her father’s favorite restaurant was Houston’s in Memphis.
But above all, he loved to find and sell precious antique items.
He founded his antique business in 1980 while still selling insurance in Grenada.
“He liked finding great antique items and delighted if he found something worth a lot and made a good deal on it,” Eiland said.
Eiland said Mr. Pitts would light up around his grandchildren. She said some of her fondest memories of her father involve him and her daughter, Reynolds.
“He loved his grandchildren more than anything else, and he prayed for years and years that I would have a little girl,” Eiland said.
The Rev. Dr. Jim Phillips, pastor of North Greenwood Baptist Church, said he had known Mr. Pitts or been his pastor for at least 25 years. He said he always marveled at Mr. Pitts’ willingness to give.
“David was always one of the most generous men that I had ever known,” Phillips said. “He was always generous to me, always interested in my family, and I’ve lost a great friend.”
Phillips said many years ago, he was searching for an antique ceramic Christmas tree to buy for an office decoration.
He posted about his search on Facebook, and 30 minutes later Mr. Pitts messaged him that he had several of them at his antique store and invited Phillips to come by and pick one out.
Phillips said he went to the store to try to buy one, but Mr. Pitts wouldn’t take his money and gave it to him for free.
Eiland said her father had dealt with heart problems for some time and needed a heart transplant in 2013. However, because of complications from prostate cancer, he wasn’t able to go through with the transplant.
Instead, he was given a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) in 2014 to help pump blood from his heart to the rest of his body.
Eiland said that the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where he was treated, told them that most patients don’t live more than five years with LVADs. However, at the time of his death, UMMC said her father had survived longer with the device than any other patient there had, she said.
Eunice Smith, a former Greenwood resident who now lives in Monroe, Louisiana, said, “I considered David to be a good friend. He was there for you in the good or bad times.”
Mr. Pitts is survived by his former wife, Janet, who resides in Carrollton; Eiland, who lives in Madison with her husband, Taff; and son Davy, who lives in Pelham, Alabama, with his wife, Katie. His grandchildren include the stepson and daughter of Eiland, Noah and Reynolds, and the son and daughter of Davy, who are named Gabriel and Piper.
Eiland said her father wanted his body donated to science, and therefore there will be no funeral service. She said the family is still working on the details for a memorial service.
- Contact Drew Richardson at 581-7233 or drichardson@gwcommonwealth.com.
