David "Dave" Clayton Backus

David "Dave" Clayton Backus, Sr., age 90, of Jacksonville, Florida, passed away February 12, 2021 from natural causes. Dave was born May 27, 1930 in Olean, New York to Gladys (Raub) Backus and Stuart Wilson Dickerson who was adopted by his aunt, Lucy Blake Backus and renamed Edward Dickerson Backus. He had one sibling, the late Phillip Edward Backus. Dave attended Wofford College and was a graduate of the Medical College of South Carolina, School of Pharmacy, class of 1956. After college he was employed by Parke-Davis which was bought by Warner Lambert and sold to Pfizer. He also was a licensed Pharmacist and later obtained a Master's Degree in Hospital Administration from the University of Florida. In April of 1953 he married the late Laura Lynn (Moye) Backus of Mount Pleasant and they celebrated 60 years of marriage before she passed away in 2013. Dave was a great outdoorsman who loved to boat, fish and sail. He was known for his 'tinkering' - whether building a car engine or a canoe from scratch, tying his own flies for fishing, making a pottery wheel and kiln to throw his own coffee mug, or making a seine net to haul fish from the beach. Most of all, he cherished time spent in the mountains of North Carolina.

Dave was a loving husband, father and grandfather. He is survived by his children, David Backus (Laura), Allen Backus, Raub Backus (Marti) and Laura "Lolly" Scott; his 4 grandchildren, Jessica VanderHeyden (Brian), Julian Backus, Claire Backus and Gabby West (Quentin); and his great grandchild, Eve VanderHeyden.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Dave's memory to Lutheridge of Arden, North Carolina.