David R. Court

David R. Court, 95 years old, passed away at 9:30 p.m. on Monday, December 8, 2025 at St. Paul’s Retirement, South Bend, IN.  Dave was born on October 27, 1930 in Elkhart, IN to the late Edward William and Elma Dean (Noel) Court.  On October 26, 1952 in Elkhart, Dave and Jewel A. Larimer were united in marriage.  Jewel, his loving wife of 65 years and his high school sweetheart, preceded him in death on June 15, 2017.  One brother, Edward Court, also preceded him in death.

Dave was raised in Elkhart and was a graduate of Elkhart Central High School and earned his Bachelor and Master’s degrees from Ball State University.  Dave also served his country with the United States Marine Corps and was honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant.

Dave was a school teacher and principal with the South Bend Community School Corporation for 33 years, retiring in 1991.  His teaching career began at McKinley School in 1957.  Five years later, he worked at Studebaker School as a teacher, a counselor, and assistant principal.  For the next 18 years, Dave served as principal at Brown, Colfax, Morris, Franklin, Ardmore, and Perley Schools.  From 1980-1983, he was Director of Elementary Schools.  After that, he was principal at Warren School for 8 years.

Following retirement, Dave became an adjunct professor at Indiana University, South Bend supervising student teachers.  He was the student teacher supervisor for St. Mary’s College from 1991-1994 and for IUSB from 1991-2009.  During the 1999-2000 school year, Dave filled the position as Interim Director of student teaching at IUSB.

In 1973, Dave and his family moved to a farm in Lakeville, Indiana.  While there, he was a very active member of the Lakeville United Methodist Church and the Lakeville Lion’s Club.  Dave loved to volunteer, especially with the Toys for Tots program and Christmas food drives.  While a Lion’s International member, he served on the Indiana State Speech and Hearing Board and served as District Governor in 2000-2001. 

Another volunteer project Dave truly enjoyed was assisting in the work of the Salvation Army.  When he volunteered there, he was involved with the planning committee for the building of the South Bend Kroc Center.  Dave served as a Salvation Army volunteer for over 30 years and was a member of the Advisory Board.

Dave was also active with Habitat for Humanity.  His work as a volunteer was helping families find a new home to call their own.  All of his years of dedication and hard work earned him The Golden Hoosier award in 2016.

Dave is survived by his six children, Deborah Barkey of South Bend, Robert Court of South Bend, Stephen (Barb) Court of Bremen, James Court of Huntington, IN, Diane (Vic) Fischer of North Liberty, and Susan (Angel) Robledo of South Bend; fifteen grandchildren; and sixteen great grandchildren.

A celebration of Dave’s life will be held at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 18, 2026 at the Palmer Funeral Home, within the Palmer Community Complex, 601 N. Michigan Street, Lakeville.  Friends may visit with the family following the service.  A private burial will take place in Southlawn Cemetery, South Bend. 

In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of David R. Court may be donated to the Salvation Army (Kroc Center) 900 W. Western Avenue, South Bend, IN 46601.  Online condolences may be offered to the Court family at www.palmerfuneralhomes.com. 

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