CAIRO — Former Grady County commissioner TD David died Saturday at the age of 73.

The former Navy lieutenant was interred with military honors in Cairo Cemetery on Monday.

David is survived by his wife Kay; his children Tad, Parrish, Drew, Katie and John and nine grandchildren.

Commission chair LaFaye Copeland said the commissioner she served with for nearly seven years will be missed.

“My heart goes out to his family,” Copeland said. “I’m proud to have known him. I’m proud to have been able to work beside him for those years.”

David served on the county board of commissioners for eight years.

Despite winning reelection to a third consecutive term in November, David chose to resign Dec. 31 after having been unable to attend commission meetings since mid-October.

The board of commissioners formally accepted David’s resignation Jan. 8.

Copeland said David could easily bring her up to speed on complex issues and was knowledgeable on numerous topics.

“He was a great commissioner when I came aboard,” Copeland said. “He was very supportive of me and I learned a lot from him.”

Before serving as a county commissioner, David was comptroller at the W.B. Roddenbery Company and chief financial officer at the Ira Higdon Grocery Company.

David received his MBA from Valdostra State University.

David had not been physically present at commission meetings since mid-October due to an unspecified illness he combatted throughout 2018, though he was able to participate at a limited level via speaker phone as he recovered at a rehabilitation facility in Jacksonville, Fla.

A special election will be held March 19 between Cairo residents Phillip Drew and Jesse Ryan Schober to determine who will complete the four-year term which began Jan. 1.