It’s with a heavy heart that we inform you our dear brother David Castle died Sunday morning at 10 a.m., surrounded by his family and friends in his home at Koinonia.

Born on March 21, 1924, David was a Steward of Koinonia Farm in Americus, Georgia. As a member of this intentional Christian community and as a member of its board of directors, he often referred to himself as serving in a “prophetic relevant ministry.”

At Koinonia, David was known for his gentle spirit and kind words of affirmation. He warmed our hearts with his jokes, his rules of thumb, the twinkle in his eye, and his affectionate smile. He fed our spirits with his devotions, thoughts, and words of wisdom and contemplation. He has been a blessing to us since his arrival 10 years ago. David’s presence will be sorely missed at Koinonia. But we trust that just like Clarence and so many of our other dear friends, David’s spirit will continue to guide the life we live here on the farm.

David is survived by Ellie, his wife of 58 years. They have three children, Sharon, Rick, and Gretchen. Sharon and Gretchen blessed them with sons-in-law Dana Pless and Ken Miller. Dave and Ellie’s beautiful grandchildren are Hannah Castle-Miller, Haley Castle-Miller, Emily Castle and Molly Castle. David is survived by four sisters.

Before coming to Koinonia, David served as pastor of Friends Meetings in Richmond, and Indianapolis, Indiana. He was a professor at William Penn College in Oskaloosa, Iowa, and a Family Therapist and Psychologist at Quakerdale in New Providence, Iowa, a residential treatment center for problem teenagers. In an experiment in wholistic health, he worked in private practice in a physician’s office.

David liked to be known as a Priestly Psychologist who has spurred innovations in worship and human relations. As creator of the Joy Gang, David handed out cards and books to anyone he talked with. In his last weeks, he shared his books and cards with the nurses, the doctors, and the hospice caretakers, inviting each to be a card carrying member of the Joy Gang and the more recent Gratitude Guru group. His published works include The Spiritual Checkup, People Building in the Family, Joy: Letting God Bless You, Waymarks for the Journey, plus over 30 articles.

A long-held dream of Dave and Ellie’s was to see a new building constructed at Koinonia that would include a new kitchen, dining hall, guest housing, and a space for larger gatherings. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Koinonia Farm in support of the Dave and Ellie Castle Building Fund.

Services will be held at Koinonia Farm on Friday morning and in Iowa in September.

If you have any memories, thoughts, or stories about David, we would love to hear them. Please send them on our contact us page .

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