David Paul Compton

We are here today to celebrate David Paul Compton, a lifelong musician who understood that in life, as in music, you don’t need the spotlight to be the most important person in the room.

Dave was born March 28, 1957 in Clarksburg, the son of the late William Marcellus Compton and Patty Simons who survives. Also surviving: his life partner, Martha Clark; sons, Billy Compton and fiancée Brandi, Chris Compton and companion April; sister, Glenda Eakle and husband Doug; sister, Amy McKinney and husband Luke; sister, Tammy Compton; sister, Jane Williams and husband Mike; brother, Joseph Compton and wife Lauren; his granddaughters that he absolutely adored, Piper Jane Compton and Harmony Elizabeth Compton; and, his biggest fans, his nieces and nephews: Tom, Rachel, Emily, Cody, Logan, Tyler, Mason, Sadie, Abby, Ava, Kaleb, Elizabeth, Roman, Jacoby and Lain. 

As a bass player, Dave was the heartbeat of every group—the one who kept everyone else on beat, even when a lead guitarist was off in their own world. Dave lived life by a bassist’s creed: stay grounded, keep the groove, and make sure everyone else sounds better just by being there. He was the ‘glue’ of our family and his band community, often quiet but always felt deep in your chest. We’ll miss that steady presence, that quick wit, and the way he could find the right ‘note’ for any situation.

Dave loved music, starting with the trombone and later switching to bass guitar. He fell in love with that instrument and played the bass actively, most recently for The ROX Band, until his last day. In fact, Dave was coming from playing a show just an hour or so before his passing on Saturday, April 18, 2026.  Even now, we feel sure Dave hasn’t stopped playing, he’s just moved to a much bigger stage where the acoustics are perfect and the crowd stops talking to cheer like crazy during the bass solo.

When Dave wasn’t playing music, he was a chief engineer for WDTV Channel 5 News, where he faithfully kept the broadcast on the air through power outages, blizzards, and likely an unfortunate incident or two involving a microwave burrito and the master switch.

Dave has always been an avid dog lover. His latest Dog, “Booboo” was his constant companion and went everywhere with him. Sadly “Boo” went over the Rainbow Bridge in April of 2025 at the age of 19. We’re all very sure that Dave has made quite a few trips over the Rainbow Bridge to spend the day and play with Boo.

A celebration of Dave’s life will be held on Thursday, April 23, at 3:00 PM in the Wilcox Chapel at Battlers Knob in Philippi, WV. Following the celebration, a reception will be held to continue sharing memories and stories of Dave in the adjacent Burbick Hall. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you please check your audio levels and turn the low-end up just a little higher than feels responsible.