David Erwin Pearson

David Erwin Pearson, a dedicated resident of Fort Worth, and a man who saved Texas history, passed away at Harris Methodist Hospital on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, at the age of 93.
A graveside memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, at Greenwood Funeral Home-Masonic section, Ft. Worth. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Salvation Army.
David (Dave) was born in Fort Worth on September 21, 1932, to Ruby and Russell Pearson. He was a lifelong resident of the Tarrant County area, where he graduated from Arlington Heights HS in 1951 and attended TCU. His consistent routine, combined with a witty sense of humor, defined his life.
Peggy Pearson, his beloved wife of over 62 years, and Dave started Pearson Equipment Co. in 1971. Dave said, "Peggy and I made a good team. She was the manager and I was the seller." Their company later moved to Weatherford, TX, with a Honda distributorship that led to travels across Japan and Europe.
Dave's passion for preservation was a family inheritance. He was the son of Russell Howe Pearson, a WWI pilot who partnered with several other pilots, and founded the National Airplane Corporation in 1918, billed as the first commercial airline in the U. S. This family memory of innovation, loss, and honor inspired Dave's own life story.
His family knew him as a "collector and a fixer. He was affectionately called "Big Dave" by his great-grandkids who sent him broken toys to repair. His creative, fixing spirit started in elementary school. He drew a picture of a half-robot, half-bird creation named the "Brema DonDon". Dave was a man of specific and unwavering tastes. He believed his equipment, looked best in Caterpillar Yellow, and that the attendants at Whataburger get his order right.
In the late 1960s, Dave learned that the historic T&P 610 steam engine was at risk of being scrapped. He refused to let it be lost. Later he founded the 610 Historical Foundation and began the monumental task of restoration with other railway enthusiasts. The project faced immense hurdles. The train project almost failed due to soaring costs and a lack of track-usage rights. Dave developed a key friendship with a local philanthropist in town who helped finance the restoration.
Dave's quiet, true passion was saving memories. He was an archivist. He spent decades collecting Fort Worth's everyday history, which is now preserved in the Tarrant County Archives as the "Dave Pearson Collection". This donated 14-box collection of yearbooks, photographs, and scrapbooks ensures that personal stories of many Fort Worth citizens are preserved for generations.
Dave taught all who knew him to live day by day and stay in the present.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Ruby and Russell Pearson; his brother, Russell Jr.; his sister, Rose Ann Kornfeld; and his wife, Peggy Pearson. He is survived by his loving daughter, Lynn Steakley (Steve); caring grandchildren, Graeme Steakley (Kendra) and Lia Dicker (Russell); and his creative great-grandchildren, Ella and Liv Steakley, and Drew and Clara Dicker, and nephew, Vance Hobbs, and niece Ann McReynolds.

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