David Lecours

David Lecours was that friend we all wish we had. He was sensitive to the needs of others and always there to help and brighten your day. A gifted soccer player, successful businessman, devoted husband, amazing father and loving son, sibling and friend, Dave’s passing leaves a void in the hearts of many.

David Paul Lecours was born on July 3, 1975 to Paul Roland Lecours and Ellen Emille Yurick in Grand Rapids, Michigan. To support their growing family, Paul worked in sales and Ellen was an elementary teacher. They made their home in Norton Shores until moving to Walker when Dave was five. Dave and his siblings, Leslie, Dan and Chris were close and his brothers were his best friends.

Holidays were spent at his great aunts Peggy and Hattie’s cottage. These times were very special to Dave and his relationship with his great aunts was like that of a grandmother. During the summer, he loved to fish with his grandpa while visiting his grandparents in New England. Dave worked as a paperboy and in the summer he picked raspberries and blueberries to earn a little money.

Being a typical boy, Dave was known to get into a bit of mischief. When Dave and his cousin Josh were younger, the family was at Josh’s house visiting. Dave and Josh went up to the attic in the house and decided to throw all the furniture out the window to clear out the entire attic. They both got into a lot of trouble. Uncle Chuck, Josh’s dad, often called Dave and Josh the Blue’s Brothers.

Dave attended Westside Christian School and Calvin Christian High School, graduating in 1993. He was very active in sports and received many soccer honors in high school. He played on the Varsity high school team for all four years, where he received Honorable Mention All-State, All-Conference, All-Area. He also had the opportunity to travel to Europe to play soccer in a number of different countries. In addition to soccer, Dave also played basketball and baseball in high school. The summer before leaving for college on a soccer scholarship, Dave broke his ankle playing soccer! Thankfully, he made a full recovery. He went on to attend Trinity College, graduating with a double major in business and marketing in 1998.

After graduating from college, Dave made the decision to move to California where he faced some significant challenges. At the age of 25, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and spent a year and a half battling it, undergoing treatment with radiation and chemotherapy.

Upon returning home from California, Dave purchased a home in Walker and his two younger brothers moved in with him. They spent hours playing Rock Band on Play Station and even formed their own “rock band” with Dave as their drummer and fog machines for their “concerts”.

Life would forever change for Dave when a young woman entered his life. Dave met Kristen on Match.com. Over the period of one month, they sent hundreds of emails getting to know each other, before ever talking on the phone. Their first date was dinner at Carrabba’s and it lasted 24 hours after spending the whole night talking. Dave knew right away that Kristen was the one for him and after one month of dating, he told her that they would be married. He wanted to go shopping for rings after 6 weeks, but they ended up waiting 8 months to get engaged. Once Dave and Kristen were engaged, his brothers moved out of his home and the “rock band” disbanded. They always joked that Kristen broke up the band!

After dating for 15 months, Dave and Kristen happily married at Standale Reformed Church in Standale, MI on March 24, 2012. It was a beautiful, sunny day and after an unusually warm March, all the tulips and trees were in bloom. After a honeymoon at a beautiful all-inclusive resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico the couple returned to their home in Walker. Soon, their family grew with the addition of Emily on February 14, 2014 and Madelyn on January 29, 2016. Dave also had another daughter, Kirsten, from an earlier relationship. After living in Walker for five years, Dave and Kristen worked with an architect and builder to build their perfect home in the Providence Lake neighborhood in Byron Center. In April of 2018, they finally moved into their dream home.

Dave’s outgoing personality and determination made sales the perfect career for him. After graduating from college, he worked for a number of different companies including Konika Minolta, WS Reed, and Wilson Tool where he spent the past 11 years. Kristen worked as a 5th grade teacher at Lakeside Elementary in East Grand Rapids.

Dave, Kristen and the girls enjoyed memorable vacations to places such as Disney World, Gatlinburg, TN, Lexington, KY for horse racing country, The Ark, Smoky Mountains, and Mammoth Caves. Dave never missed an activity that his girls participated in. He coached many sports of theirs including soccer and softball, would volunteer at the school to help with holiday parties and volunteered as a “Watch Dog” at the elementary school. This is a role that dads could participate in to help at lunch and lunch recess. He loved surprising the girls as a “Watch Dog” a few times each school year. Each night, Dave would read the girls a bedtime story, say their prayers and lovingly tuck them into bed. He also took on the role of morning routine with getting the girls fed breakfast, packing their lunches and using the golf cart to drop them off at the bus stop.

In his free time, Dave enjoyed a variety of music, but his favorite band was Toad the Wet Sprocket. He was also a “Fancy Idiot,” a member and follower of the Free Beer and Hot Wings radio show. He loved to grill and many times would prepare the family’s meals. He loved a variety of food, as long as it didn’t touch other food, and he would only eat one food on his plate at a time. Dave was a huge collector of things, from sports memorabilia and trading cards to Legos and other movie and tv show memorabilia as well as Funko Pops. From the time he was a child, cats have always been a part of Dave’s life. He even brought a couple of cats home with him on his cross-country trip back from California! Currently, Gooby, Dawson and Lily are members of the Lecours family.

Dave was very involved in Make-A-Wish for many years. He loved helping grant wishes for children and three years ago started an initiative to help provide Christmas gifts to children in the area. It started during COVID when he posted on social media asking if anyone needed help. Soon, many families were coming by their home to “shop” for free gifts for their children. Dave and Kristen would wrap all the presents before they left their home. This became a tradition because it was so important to Dave that all kids have a great Christmas. The family plans to continue this tradition in Dave’s memory.

Fun-loving, compassionate and witty, Dave Lecours was a shining example of everything good in this world. We can honor his legacy by reaching out and helping others without the need for recognition. Dave was a passionate teammate, captain, cat-lover, co-worker, friend, brother, uncle, husband, and an amazing father. He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered.

LECOURS – David P. Lecours age 48, of Byron Center, passed away unexpectedly on September 29, 2023. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Roland (Geraldine) Lecours, Victor (Agnes) Yurick; and father-in-law, Roy Dettmer. David is survived by his wife of 11 years, Kristen; daughters, Kirsten, Emily, and Madelyn; parents, Paul (Ellen) Lecours; and mother-in-law, Donna Dettmer. Also surviving are his siblings, Leslie Lecours, Dan (Karrie) Lecours, and Chris Lecours; brothers-in-law, Kurt (Anne Marie) Dettmer and Eric (Kelly) Dettmer; and many nieces and nephews. David was an incredible father and husband and was involved in every activity that his girls participated in. His witty sense of humor will be missed by everyone. The Funeral Service will be held at 5 PM on Friday, Oct 6, 2023 at South Harbor Church, 907 64th St SW Byron Center, Michigan 49315. In addition, the family will gather for visitation on Friday from 12-2 and 4-5 at the church. Contributions in his memory may be made to Make-A-Wish foundation. Please visit www.heritagelifestory.com to read his life story, submit a favorite memory, photo, or to sign the guestbook online.