David Clifton Mainesmith

David Clifton Mainesmith, 73, of Raleigh entered the arms of his Savior on May 10, 2023, after a valiant two-year battle with ALS. Even as his body continually weakened, his Christian faith and conviction remained strong. In the midst of difficult circumstances he found reasons to be thankful to God for his many blessings. He was an inspiration to all those who knew and loved him. A kind-hearted and patient man, David gave generously of his time and resources. He put the needs of others before his own and looked for the good in people. Ephesians 2:10 was an especially meaningful verse to him. He wanted to “finish well,” and so he did.

David was born on September 26, 1949 in Buffalo, New York. By the time he graduated from Lee High School in Huntsville, Alabama in 1969 he had attended 18 different schools due to his family’s frequent moves.  David enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1972, completed training at its School of Aerospace Sciences at Keesler AFB, Mississippi that same year, and while serving in the Air Force went on to receive his BS in Science and Mathematics from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida in 1976.  He served Active Duty (1972 -1976) and Reserve (1976 -1978) as a Warning Radar Repair Technician.  

David had a lifelong interest in electronics and technology, learning Morse code as a boy, obtaining his first ham radio license at age thirteen, and later achieving the highest classification for ham radio operators. In the days before cell phones, David worked with JAARS (Jungle Aviation and Radio Service) and would use his ham radio skills to patch through phone calls from overseas missionaries to their families back home.  During his professional career he worked as an electronic technician and field engineer, senior engineer in data general and mainframe computer repair, and as a telephone engineer with AT&T, Lucent, and AVAYA, earning advanced certifications along the way.  

A Baptist all his life, David was passionate about evangelism and apologetics. He taught children’s Sunday school, Vacation Bible School, and men’s Bible classes for over forty years. He designed the children’s lessons with meaningful visuals to capture their attention, increase their faith in Christ, and give them reasons to believe. David composed evangelistic bookmarks based on his Sunday school lessons and passed them out everywhere he went. He also did street preaching and prison ministry, sang and led worship services in nursing homes, and served at various Billy Graham crusades over the years. Even during his physical decline he led Every Man A Warrior classes via zoom and continued to memorize Bible verses on his own. He had memorized well over 100 by the time he was no longer able to do so. He shared his faith and convictions on Facebook and in ALS chat rooms.  

David enjoyed music his entire life. Blessed with a strong baritone voice, he sang in numerous school and church choirs. Having learned to play the guitar in his younger years, he later learned to play the piano as an adult. After retirement David also learned the art of piano tuning, became a Registered Piano Technician, and opened his own piano tuning business - Artistic Piano Tuning.  Always striving to improve his piano tuning skills, he took advantage of numerous workshops at the Piano Technicians Guild (PTG) annual conventions held in various cities around the country. Successfully passing the Registered Piano Technician (RPT) exam in 2016 after eight tries was a great accomplishment for him. It demonstrated his diligence and perseverance in pursuing a goal until he succeeded. David thoroughly enjoyed tuning pianos in churches and in private homes. He considered his profession a ministry, never missing an opportunity to share Christ with his piano customers.

David was good at working with his hands - building, repairing, and upgrading things around the house. Because he could think “outside the box,” his clever manual skills enabled him to come up with easier and better ways of doing things. He always had tools with him and was ready to use them to help people in need. In addition to working with tools, he enjoyed cooking, playing chess and playing tennis. During election time he served as Chief Judge at his local polling place. David also volunteered with the North Carolina Baptist Men on their Disaster Relief team, sometimes helping prepare thousands of meals for storm victims, as he did in New York City after Hurricane Sandy, and other times doing storm damage clean-up here in North Carolina. 

He made three mission trips to the Czech Republic, visited Germany and Austria, and toured Israel. David enjoyed traveling in the USA as well, some of his favorite places being the Ark Encounter, the Museum of the Bible, The Wilds, and the Pennsylvania Amish Country, where he attended many Sight and Sound Theater productions. 

David is survived by his wife Nancy, brothers Timothy Smith, Chip Smith (wife Kay), and Dennis Pollutro (wife Dawn), daughter Sharilyn Suzette Grayson (husband Robbie), son Ryan Joshua Smith (wife Tori), also brother-in-law Monroe Mock (wife Gwen), sister-in-law Carla Maines, stepson Ian Beavers (wife Ivey), nieces Tiffany Smith, Kimberly Smith, Amy Smith, Joann Harwell, nephew David Mock, and eight grandchildren: Katie Grayson, Edith Grayson, Liam Grayson, Aidan Grayson, Ellen Grayson, and Jane Grayson, Aryn Smith, and Leah Beavers. David was predeceased by his parents, Harold Bell Smith and Ruth May Mansfield Smith, sisters Kathy Mock and Rebecca Weatherford, sister-in-law Brenda Smith, and niece Deb Padgett.

David’s family wishes to thank the Veterans Administration for their generous support during his illness; the Duke ALS Clinic, the ALS Association of NC, the Paralyzed Veterans of America, and caregiver Nancy Darmy for their help. In addition they wish to express heartfelt appreciation to their faithful church family, dear friends, and kind neighbors for all the love and encouragement they gave to David and Nancy during this challenging journey. David’s family also wishes to convey its deep gratitude to everyone on the Duke Hospice team, especially Veronica Coker, Lori Smalls, Jessica Fields, and Lindsey Jackson for their dedication, skill, and compassion in caring for David during this final chapter of his amazing life here on earth. 

A celebration of David’s life will be held on Wednesday, May 17, at Lighthouse Leesville Road, 6211 Leesville Rd., Durham, NC 27703, with the visitation to begin at 12:00 and the service at 12:45.  Pastor Joe Henson III will officiate. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to TWR (Trans World Radio) PO Box 8700 Cary, NC 27512 - designation: Bible Resources for U.S. Hispanics.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of David Clifton Mainesmith, please visit our floral store.