Owner & President
David W. Storke was born in Fredericksburg and raised in King George County, Virginia. He is an eleventh generation Virginian who grew up on a portion of a 600-acre land grant given to his 11th great grandfather, William Storke, from the King of England in 1667.
His parents and his brother and family still live on the property today. He is a co-lateral descendent of George Washington and one of his early Storke ancestors owned Stratford Hall Plantation in Westmoreland County – the birthplace of Robert E. Lee.
David began his career in funeral service as an intern with E. Alvin Small Funeral Home, in Colonial Heights, VA. He served his apprenticeship and concurrently attended John Tyler Community College, where he graduated Cum Laude with an AAS Degree in Mortuary Science.
In 1986 he passed his National Conference Board Exam and State Board Exam and became a licensed funeral director and embalmer.
In 1987 he accepted the position of funeral director with the former Powell Funeral Home in Bowling Green, Virginia and purchased the business in 1991, re-naming it Storke Funeral Home. In 2006 he created Sympathyfood.com as comforting alternative to funeral flowers and it has now evolved into Mealgifts.com; preparing and shipping delicious meals to the entire continental United States. In 2016 he purchased the former Nash and Slaw Funeral Homes in King George and Colonial Beach.
Currently a resident of Bowling Green, Virginia, he is married to the former Katie Lane and is the father of four sons, Wesley, Ashby, Gordon and Baylor as well as two grandchildren, Scarlett and Carson.
Extremely motivated in his business as well as his community, his credentials are as follows:
- Former Mayor — Town of Bowling Green, having served from 2006 – 2016
- Former Chairman of the Caroline County Emergency Services Commission
- Former President of the Caroline County Chamber of Commerce
- Founding member of Historic Port Royal, Inc., Board of Directors
- Currently serving a two year term on the Bowling Green Town Council
- Member of the National Funeral Directors Association, the Association of Independent Funeral Homes of Virginia, and the Virginia Funeral Directors Association
- FEMA Mortuary Disaster Trained in Virginia
- Two Term Vice President of the Carolina Chamber of Commerce. Former member of the Board of Directors
- Recipient of Caroline Chamber of Commerce 2001 Business Person of the Year Award
- Past Master of Kilwinning-Crosse Masonic Lodge #2-237 AF & AM
- Past President of H.E.L.P. (Historic Economic Leadership Panel) Bowling Green
- Former Assistant Cub Master of Cub Scout Pack 173
- Former Member of Board of Directors of The Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region
- Former Member of Board of Directors of the Association of Independent Funeral Homes of Virginia
- Former Member of the Board of Trustees of Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center