David Kivila

David Kivila, a deeply loved father, son, and brother, nephew, cousin, Grandson, great grandson, passed away suddenly on October 9, 2026, at the age of 50. This was a great shock to his family and friends who never stop asking “why Davi, what happened”? Others have had no words but responded with tears and disbelief. His passing leaves his family longing for more time: another conversation, another story, another chance to hear his laughter and tell him how much he meant to them. It has been very difficult to express who Davi was in a few sentences or a few pages of paper. He meantso much and would take pages and pages on end to express his life on a piece of paper.

David was born on January 4th 1976, in Nairobi, Kenya, where he grew up before moving to the United States in 1994. He attended Madaraka Primary School, Moi Forces Academy for secondary school and attended Citrus College in the United States. He pursued extensive certificationsin behavioral health and began a career in healthcare, where his love of caring for others found purpose. As an Operations Manager, he loved taking care of patients and brought exceptional emotional intelligence to his work. He understood the importance of listening, recognizing people’s needs, and speaking up for them. As an advocate for those in his care, he offered both knowledge and compassion.

David’s life reflected the values he held dearly: kindness, generosity, curiosity, calmness and devotion to family and his work. David had a gentle heart. He rarely grew angry and approached people without meanness or vindictiveness. His family remembers him as someone with no enemies—a man who enjoyed people, welcomed conversation, and could find something to laugh about almost anywhere. David was a gifted storyteller, turning an ordinary experience into something so funny that you laughed until your sides hurt. His humor was one of the joys of being around him. There was always another story, another observation, another joke that only David could tell quite that way.

His remarkable intelligence was matched by his generosity in sharing it. When a subject interested him, he researched it thoroughly, connecting ideas and offering insights that made people see things differently. Asking David a question could open a whole new world of information. He took time to explain the background, the connections, and the things you had not even thought to ask. To his family, he was an encyclopedia with a sense of humor.

David also knew how to listen. He gave people time to finish their stories. He never rushed them toward the point or made them feel that their words were taking too long. When he was in a conversation, he was present. His attention was a quiet, a meaningful expression of his care.


Family mattered deeply to David. He wanted to make his parents proud, and his mother’s opinion held a special place in his heart. He cared about how his family saw him because their love and respect meant so much to him. During get together occasions family looked up to David to advise where and what people were going eat. He new almost every good joint for family outings, and organized with joy and commitment He was a perfect shoulder to lean on.

His daughter, Leona, was his princess and his light. She held his heart in the palm of her hand. He loved dancing with her, taking her for walks, making her laugh, and simply being beside her. In those moments together, his tenderness as a father was unmistakable.

Happiness for David was feeding the people he loved. He was an excellent barbecue cook and would spend hours outside grilling meat for his family, even in the cold, preparing his beloved kachumbari to go alongside it. Those meals gave everyone time together, with David at the grill doing what he loved.

He enjoyed music across genres, especially gospel music, reggae and dancing. He also remembered what others loved, sending his sister trance music because he knew it would make her happy. It was a small gesture that said something lasting about him: he paid attention.

At the stores, banks, clinics and restaurants he frequented, employees knew David. He enjoyed knowing them, too—their names, their stories, the conversations that turned familiar places into ones of connection.

We will miss his voice, his stories, his thoughtful answers, and the laughter that so often followed him. We will miss the meals he prepared and the time he so freely gave. Most of all, we will miss David himself.

David, there was still so much we wanted to share with you. We are grateful for every ordinary day that is now a treasured memory, because you were there.

You are deeply loved. You are profoundly missed. And you will always be our Davi.

David was preceded in death by his grandparents, great grandparents and his brother, Peter uncles, unties and cousins. He is survived by his beloved daughter, Leona; his mother, Anastasia Kivila and father, Paul Kivila. He was brother to Susans, Rose, Lucia, Pauline, Mark (Michael), Alex, Denis, Ann, John. Nephew to Steve, Agnes, Anna, Philo, Simon, Henry, Kiagiri and Faith among many others unties and uncles. Cousin to Jaqueline, Nganga, Kennedy, Britney among many other cousins.Uncle to: Emmah, Nathan, Obiora, Tochukwu, Ikenna, Arthur, Peter, Mutindi, Jeremy Ezira, Mesiah, Lauric among many others

2 Timothy 4:7-8 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.