Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Lt. Col. David F. Winecoff, USMC, retired, 83 of Ellensburg, died suddenly on Sept. 28, 2022. A memorial service will be conducted at 2:30 p.m. Oct. 19, 2022, at the Ellensburg Foursquare Church. He will be laid to rest in a private family ceremony at Tahoma National Cemetery.
Lt. Col. Winecoff was born in Shanghai, China, on Aug. 12, 1939, to Joseph and Katherine (Challacombe) Winecoff, which is where his father was stationed with the Marine Corps. He attended the University of Washington, earning his bachelor's degree in Business Administration in 1962.
David is the fourth Marine in his family to obtain the rank of Lt. Colonel or higher in the Marine Corps. Two of his sons also were Marines. David met Wanda (Julie) Carlson while attending school at the UW, and they were married in June 1963. They had four children, Mary, Mark, Steven, and Scott.
In September 1962, David was commissioned in the Marine Corps and served as a regular infantry officer. He served three combat tours in Vietnam. While serving with Company H, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd MarDiv, during combat operations in Vietnam on Feb. 21,1968, Capt. Winecoff was awarded the Silver Star with Valor.
He was an instructor and company commander at "The Basic School" in Quantico, VA; he was the Operations & Training Officer of 4th Marines in Okinawa; and he led the Leadership/Human Relations section at Headquarters Marine Corps.
He earned his master's degree in Human Resources Management from Pepperdine University in 1977.
David retired with the rank of Lt. Colonel in June 1983. He served on the Mill Creek City Council for eight years. After retiring, he focused on professional speaking, writing, and counseling, acting as VFW chaplain in Ellensburg, etc.
Published books: "Forward March! The Life Manual of a Career Marine," 1993;
"Secret Weapon: Men Overcoming Chaos," 1997; and "Perish Without Spiritual Warfare," 2021
After a divorce in 1989, Dave later married Karen (Harris) Zimmerman on Aug. 6, 2000, and moved to Ellensburg, where they built a home on a ranch.
David loved his Lord Jesus Christ with all of his heart. He and Karen were involved in various ministries and traveled on various mission's trips. He was a longtime member and chaplain of the VFW Rodeo Post #683 in Kittitas.
David's impact on others was felt worldwide. David had a heart for military veterans, especially those impacted by PTSD. He actively served his Lord Jesus Christ. David's last focus was on sharing what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit, such as Matthew 3:11.
David is survived by his wife, Karen; his four children and their (spouses) – Mary (Scott) Dunlap, Mark (Karen) Winecoff, Steven (Natalia) Winecoff, Scott (Sharra) Winecoff.
Also five grandchildren, stepchildren: Mike (Delicia) Bozo, Wendy (Jerry) Ringen, Holly (Jon) Farnsworth, Cristy Cogle, and Heidi (Dan) Quinn; as well as 12 step-grandchildren, 16 step-great-grandchildren and his brothers Steven and Michael Winecoff.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Katherine Winecoff, and his step-grandson Colby Bozo.
