David Wayne Auxier, 25, of Columbia, Missouri, formerly of Smithville, Missouri, passed away on Thursday, September 13, 2018.

 David was born to Douglas and Melissa (Davidson) Auxier on November 15, 1992 in Liberty, Missouri. David and his sisters, Jennifer and Jill, grew up on the Auxier family farm in rural Edgerton, Missouri. David graduated from Smithville High School in 2011. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from the University of Missouri, Columbia, where he was a graduate student at the College of Veterinary Medicine.

David found the love of his life in Shannon (Keith) Auxier when he was just a sophomore in high school. The high school sweethearts were married among family and friends on June 11, 2016.

David spent as much time as possible helping on the family cattle farm, which ultimately inspired his decision to become a large animal vet. David enjoyed hunting, fishing, boating, trapshooting, baseball, and fixing anything and everything in the shop with his dad. David was also a member of the Student Chapter American Veterinary Medical Association (SCAVMA), MU CVM Bovine Club and was a lifetime member of the NRA. David was a genuine, hard-working, courageous, Christian man, husband, son, brother, uncle and friend.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents Lavern and Loretta Auxier and Denzil Davidson.

David is survived by his wife Shannon Auxier, their beloved cat Stanley; his parents Doug and Melissa Auxier; sisters Jenny (Jeff) Walton and Jill (Landon) Hale; nephew Connor Hale; grandmother Joyce Davidson; father and mother-in-law Kevin and Jocelyn Keith; sister-in-law Kyleigh Keith; other relatives and many friends. 

Visitation: 5:00-8:00 p.m. Tuesday, September 18th at the First Baptist Church of Smithville, MO

Funeral Service: 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, September 19th at the church. 

 The family wishes to establish a memorial fund in David’s name to fund scholarships for future MU veterinary students. Monetary donations may be made to the David W. Auxier Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Arrangements by Hixson-Klein Funeral Home, Smithville