Born Jan. 30, 1941, in Elma, Washingon Ralph David “Dave” Pearsall went to be with his Lord Jesus Christ on May 12, 2025. He passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his loving family.
The son of Ralph T. and Marcella C. (Hayes) Pearsall, he was raised on the small family farm on the Cloquallum.
David married his high school sweetheart Virginia (Ginnie) Jackson on Aug. 26, 1961 in Elma. Together they have 3 wonderful children David A., Ron J. and Jill K.
He is preceded in death by his father, mother, brother Stephen T Pearsall and sister Marcella M. Rattie.
He is survived by Ginnie Pearsall at their family home on “the prairie,” offspring David A. (Deana) Thurston County, Ronald J. Thurston County and Jill K. Carter (Tom Shane) Grays Harbor County, seven grandchildren: S. Kyle (Whitney) Pearsall, Ryann Pearsall (Lance Holz), Ron A. (Brittny), Chad (Kayla) Pearsall, Wyatt (Tristen) Carter Rachel Pearsall (Conor Robertson) and Cole Carter; and nine great-grandchildren Cason, Kaden, Easton, Corbin, Brynlee, Klhoie Pearsall, Mason Schaff, Ivy Carter and Mya Holz.
In the ’60s Dave was a deputy sheriff for Grays Harbor and Mason counties. He later worked as an insurance adjuster. He then took the giant step of making his passion of tree planting into a successful small business, Olympic Forestry Co. All three of his children grew up working in the family business. The company planted 22 million trees all over Western Washington. He liked to call himself the “Chief Tree Planter.” He and Ginnie also owned Olympia Log Yard at the Port of Olympia handling logs for shipment. Again all three of the children worked with their parents there.
He was proud of an article in The Daily World in 2016 that featured him along with his family members that worked in different positions in law enforcement, fire and corrections.
Dave loved spending his summers on their boat the Cest’ La Vie. The family spent 15 summers at Roche Harbor with several trips to Desolation Sound. He loved harvesting all the seafood the areas had to offer. Other hobbies were buying and selling antique tractors and old engines. Traveling to New Zealand and China as well as several road trips across America and Canada were among his favorite memories. One year when he got a new pickup truck, he and Ginnie ventured up the Alaskan Highway for 6 weeks.
His true loves were the Lord, his family and of course those Douglas Fir and Redwood trees.
A family graveside service will be held in McCleary for the family on June 3, 2025. A reception will follow at the Grays Harbor County Fairgrounds meeting room at 2 p.m. for all that would like to come celebrate the life of our dearly loved patriarch of the Pearsall family.
