David Clinton Bingham, 65, passed away at home in Hoxie, Kansas on November 29, 2022, after a fourteen-month battle with cancer. He was retired at the time of his death. For twenty-three years he worked for Sheridan County Road and Bridge, twenty of which he was the Landfill Manager and involved with recycling. He was a Veteran of the U.S. Army serving from 1976 to 1980.
David was born Gilbert A. Leyva, October 27, 1957, in Los Angeles, California and adopted as David Clinton Bingham by Raymond Edison Bingham and Dorothy (Crook) Bingham. He was preceded in death by both his biological parents, Gilbert E, Leyva and Diana Lee Davis and his adoptive parents. He was a 1976 graduate of Chino High School. David followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the army to serve his country.
David wore many hats-he was not afraid to take on a new job challenge. His skill and love of cooking was started at Fort Lee, Virginia after leaving basic training from Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and then on to White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. He spent six months at Fort Greeley in Alaska.
He lived in Switzerland for 3 years and attended the Bern School of Culinary Arts and worked at a resort there. State side he was a chef-manager at various establishments in Sun City, Palm Springs, and Denney’s in Colorado Springs. More recently, he cooked a few years at Sheridan County Health Complex and one year for the students at USD 412 in Hoxie.
He worked at a dairy farm in Lynchburg, Nebraska when he moved to the Midwest and settled in Beaver City, Nebraska. Then worked at New Age Industrial as a welder in Norton. In 1996, he and Marcia Albers were married at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, Studley, Kansas. When he moved to Hoxie, David became a member of the Kansas Organization of Recyclers (KOR) and Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) to run an updated and successful landfill operation and attended yearly training and was even asked to speak at one of their conventions. He was a member of the Hoxie Masonic Lodge. David became a local EMT responder, lift truck operator, fire fighter, and received his hazmat training and endorsement. Many in town became acquainted with David when he worked several years at the local Dollar General as a side job. His hobbies included hunting, fishing, camping, cooking, golfing with his nephew, and in younger days tennis, boating and competing with the Norton Archery Club.
He is survived by his wife of 26 years, Marcia (Albers) Bingham of Hoxie, Kansas; a son, Daniel Ray Bingham of Oregon; Stepsons, Jeremy Bloom (Anita) of Wakefield, Kansas and Russell Bloom (Mindi) of Hoxie; sister, Laura Rae Bingham (Dale) of White Lake, Michigan; half siblings, Linda Lee Northup (Anthony) of Hisperia, California, Ernest Leyva (Sandra of El Paso, Texas, Rosario Leyva (Tatiana) of San Bernadino, California, Susette Leyva, Gilbert Leyva of Los Angeles, California, Tommye Lynn Miller of Missouri and Antoinette Perdroya of Washington. Numerous nieces and nephews, grandsons and great-grandchildren, his adopted siblings, Nancy Dibert of California and Robert Bingham of Texas and their families will miss David.
A Memorial Service will be held at the Mickey-Leopold Funeral Home in Hoxie on Thursday, December 8, at 10:30 A.M. Lunch will follow the service at the Hoxie United Methodist Church. Following the lunch, the inurnment will be in the Kansas Veteran’s Cemetery in Wakeeney, Kansas at 2:00 P.M. Visitation will be Wednesday, December 7, 2022, from 1:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. at the funeral home.
Memorials are suggested to the Hoxie Benefit Walk, Hospice of Northwest Kansas, and the David Bingham Memorial Fund.