David Becton was one of the most optimistic people his family knew, always looking on the bright side as he went through life with a smile on his face and a strong work ethic in his heart. He had a nickname for everyone, and many of them often stuck.
“If you have family, you are rich,” David often said, according to his mother, Lorelle Becton.
His life was cut short on Sept. 7, 2016, when the 31-year-old was stabbed to death in the West Philadelphia neighborhood where his family has lived for five generations.
David and his family were so loved that more than 400 people attended his funeral at Calvary United Methodist Church, where he had attended church with his family since he was young, Lorelle said.
Born in 1985, David was raised on the 1000 block of 46th Street and attended Philadelphia public schools, graduating from University City High. He went on to study at Kutztown University, where he majored in business and finance before returning to his old neighborhood.
While attending University City High in 2002, David met a young woman and walked away with her number written on the back of his hall pass. Nine years later to the day, he and Wydia Blackwell got married, and the high school sweethearts went on to have two boys, Brody and Brogden, according to an obituary written by the family.
He always managed to stay close with his family, even supervising his children as he administered a home school curriculum and supporting the couple’s oldest in his championship pee wee football team.
Throughout his life, David was known as a hard worker with many skills and a wide range of interests. At points he served as a taxi and limousine driver, furniture deliverer, PGW employee, supervisor for the Census Bureau, actor in historical documentaries, and most recently a worker and machine operator in the construction and excavation field. David was also skilled in masonry and carpentry and often helped his friends and neighbors improve the community.
In his community, David was a funny conversationalist, debater, and teacher. David’s neighbors could often hear him coming, beat-boxing a rhythm and humming the song in his head while walking up the street. He also loved the outdoors, animals and politics, but most of all his family.
“We always believed that we were together in other lifetimes, so please find me again,” Wydia said in an online memorial. “Please find me again. Please find me again. Love is not a strong enough word. But it’s the closest one I know to what we have!”
Services were held Sept. 12 at Calvary United Methodist.
