FAYETTEVILLE — David Reed Churchill

died Tuesday, September 13, 2022, at his home in Fayetteville, Ark. He was 27.

Reed was born July 31 , 1995, in Fayetteville, where he grew up participating in numerous local league sports and attended Central United Methodist Church. His natural athleticism and tennis talent landed him at the top of Arkansas junior tennis rankings during his time at Fayetteville High School, where he graduated in 2013. Reed won the 7A state championship in singles his junior and senior years of high school. He also won many USTA tournaments during his junior career and finished in the top 70 in the U.S. Southern Division. As an adult, Reed continued to participate in amateur tennis competitions, most recently helping his top category 5.0-level team win the state championship and come in second at the USTA sectionals in Rome, Ga. Reed enjoyed and excelled in all his sports but especially loved his years playing with the Fayetteville Padres baseball team, for which he pitched the state championship game in 2007. The team also finished second in their World Series the following year.

Reed attended the University of Arkansas and the University of Florida and earned a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management from Liberty University. He was employed at Summerhill Racquet Club, where he taught private tennis lessons.

He is survived by his parents, Dr. David A. Churchill and Penny Metcalf Churchill of Fayetteville; his sister, Cameron Churchill of Los Angeles, Calif.; his maternal grandparents, Ronnie and Eleanor Metcalf of Leachville, Ark.; his uncle and aunt, Gene and Kim Metcalf of Jonesboro, and their two children, Christopher and Emily. It is becoming more apparent every day that Reed had many close friends and touched many lives in a positive manner. He loved his tennis students at Summerhill and took pride in watching them improve and play more competitively. Losing Reed leaves a void in all our hearts that will never be filled.

Services will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 21, in the Central Activity Center at Central United Methodist Church in Fayetteville. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m., followed by a funeral service at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that memorial gifts may be made to Central United Methodist Church, Washington Regional Medical Center, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, or the charity of one’s choice in Reed’s memory. David and Penny would like to extend their thanks to friends and coworkers, whose expressions of sympathy and support are greatly appreciated, and ask that continued patience and respect be granted during this time of grief.

To sign the online guestbook, please visit: www.bernafuneralhomes.com.