David L Hankins

David L. Hankins, D.O., died unexpectedly on August 15, 2026. David was born May 11, 1957, in Abingdon, Virgina. At the age of three, he crossed the Atlantic Ocean on a freighter to Liberia, West Africa, where his parents, Jim and Eleanor Hankins, served as missionaries for the next 14 years.

After the family returned to the United States, he graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1975 and Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, in 1979. While in college, he volunteered as an aide at Ganta United Methodist Hospital in Liberia for several months.

Upon graduating, he taught math for several years at Hendricks Day School in Jacksonville, Florida. He then attended A.T. Still University’s Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Missouri. He subsequently practiced as a primary care physician in Arlington, Texas.

He was a companionate and dedicated family doctor. In 2002 he relocated to Lakeland, Florida, and over the years helped provide care for his parents. He worked with Habitat for Humanity and participated in numerous mission trips to aid hurricane victims in Florida and communities in Appalachia.

David was a kind and generous man. He enjoyed many talents as an athlete, scholar and artist. He was passionate about family, the pursuit of justice, the study of the Shroud of Turin, politics and integrity in government. He regularly attended First United Methodist Church in Lakeland and loved the Lord.

David is survived by his beloved daughters, Ashton Richardson (Samuel) and Julienne Antonelli (Nicholas), Dallas, Texas, siblings Merri Hankins (Bill Hunt), Rebecca Hankins-Ivey (Barry), Dr. Steven Hankins (Yan Hua), and four nephews and four nieces.