David Lovett, PhD Obituary

David is survived by his father Dennis Lovett and Lisa Swanson, mother Theresa Thomson and Gordon Thomson, brother Matthew Lovett and Joy McConnell, grandfather Harold Brown, five step-brothers and a step-sister, multiple uncles, aunts and cousins. David was preceded in death by his great grandmother Leeona Fagan-Kellum, grandparents Bill Lovett and Janice Lovett-Brown, and grandparents William and Maryellen Van Maren.

David was always a precocious child. He couldn't wait to be born so Feb 5 1988 he made his screaming appearance 23 days early. He walked out of the doctor's office for his 9 month check up by himself. By 10 months his playpen couldn't hold him, nothing could. At 18 months he scaled a bookshelf, got a pocket knife, opened it and cut his thumb. That poor thumb would suffer terribly over the years. When he was 7 he decided to carve soap, same thumb, same exact place, more stitches. Then he sliced the same place on the same thumb in the middle of the night at Arkansas University, you guessed it, playing with a knife. David was proud to announce his accident prone nature and few would dispute it. Breaking his arm by running to a brick wall at school, roller-blading on homemade ramps while using his face as brakes, and testing the aerodynamics of jumping dirt hills head over handlebars are all milestones in David’s childhood study of untethered clumsiness, but that was David. David could be studious and organized one minute and clowning around and fun-loving the next, but he was always caring and loving.

David was Sperry High School Class President for 2006 with a wide circle of friends. Completing his senior year while attending Tulsa Community College concurrently. David graduated with a semester of college completed and some small scholarships. After high school he attended OSU with a tentative major of Chemistry. That all changed in the summer of 2008 when he had a chance to be a camp mentor for Ramapo Children's Camp in New York for children with special mental needs. The camp and the kids there made as big an impact on him as he did for them. He changed his major to Psychology the next semester. Working at a local Goldies restaurant to put himself through school David graduated cum laude in May 2010. It was while attending Oklahoma State that David became the proud owner of two Dachshund puppies, Jezebel and Sophie. For the rest of his life, David and his cherished pets, “the girls”, would be inseparable. Continuing his passion for learning and psychology he went to the University of Arkansas for his Masters and PhD in Clinical Psychology. He received his Masters Degree in 2014 and his PhD in 2017. David’s postdoctoral studies led him to North Carolina where he studied at two VA hospitals working with veterans before returning to Oklahoma. After returning to his home state in 2018, David began working as the staff psychologist at Dick Conner Correctional Center.

David worked hard to help people and made a strong mark on so many people’s lives. He is loved and greatly missed.

A come and go Open House to celebrate David's life will be held on Saturday, August 29, 2020 from 2:00PM-4:00PM in The Club Room at Stanleys. In this unfamiliar time of COVID-19, social distancing standards will be in place along with the expectation of masks to be worn by all who attend. If you do not have a mask, Stanleys will provide one for you. Thank you for supporting David's family with your presence and being conscientious in doing so.

If you prefer to make a donation in David's memory in lieu of flowers please consider the ASPCA or your favorite charity.