David Alfred Zuhars, Jr,

David Alfred Zuhars, Jr, 80, a faithful preacher of the gospel, won the battle over Parkinson’s disease and went to be with his Lord and Savior on Sunday, March 2.

David was born on January 13, 1945, in Portsmouth, Ohio, and was the first-born son of David Alfred Zuhars, Sr and Eloise Williams Zuhars. After high school he went to Lexington, to attend Lexington Baptist College where he met the love of his life, Lee Ellen Knowles. (side note: David did complete a bachelor's degree in theology from the Kentucky Mountain Baptist College in Richmond, in 1990.) They married on June 6, 1965, and a few years later they moved to Dayton, Ohio where he worked for the Regional Transit Authority for 10 years.

David was called to the ministry in his late thirties and 1982 he and his wife and children moved to Fortaleza, Brazil, where he served the Lord for 22 years. During his ministry in Brazil, he pastored the First Baptist Church in the Garden of the Olive Trees, founded a Bible Institute to train church workers and men who were called to preach and was involved in church planting. David and Lee Ellen were very much loved by the Brazilian people whom they served and considered them part of their family. David challenged a man in the church to learn how to read by reading the Bible and now this man is a pastor of one of the church plants there in Fortaleza. In 2010, David and Lee Ellen returned to the United States and pastored at New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Somerset, Kentucky for 12 years. After retiring, they moved to Richmond, Kentucky, and joined Bryan Station Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky.

David is survived by his wife of 59 years, Lee Ellen Knowles of Richmond; one aunt, Kathy Williams Neff of Dayton, OH; two sisters, Cynthia Eloise (Bill) Tudor of Dayton, OH, and Mary Jane (Abdelrahim) Awartani of Arizona; two sons, David Alfred (Donna) Zuhars III of Moss, TN and Micah Gerald Zuhars of Corinth; one daughter, Lee Anne (Lonnie) Edwards of Plumerville, AR; two granddaughters, Chelsea Marie (Michael) Eldridge of Walton, and Kaela Dawn (Wesley) Johnson of Nicholasville; and great-grandchildren Liam Zuhars Beech, Zachery and Alayna Eldridge, Hugh and Colton Johnson and nieces and nephews and cousins. David is also survived by his beloved Brazilian family in the ministry, his brothers and sisters in Christ who are just like family.

In addition to his parents, David is preceded in death by a brother, Stephen Lee Zuhars; a sister, Pamela Zuhars Denny; a daughter-in-law, Dawn Wright Zuhars; and a grandson, Micah Jesse Zuhars.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 7, at Oldham, Roberts & Powell Funeral Home with Pastor Brent Spears officiating. Burial will follow in the Richmond Cemetery. Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, March 6, at the funeral home and on Friday morning one hour before the service.

Pallbearers will be David A Zuhars III, Micah G Zuhars, Paul Smith, Michael Vaught, Michael Eldridge, and Wesley Johnson. Honorary pallbearers are Zachery Eldridge, Hugh Johnson, Colton Johnson, and Alayna Eldridge.