David McAfee Obituary

David Warren McAfee

Sep 1, 1939 - Nov 1, 2025

David Warren McAfee, age 86, died on November 1st, 2025. A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, November 22nd from 12 to 3 pm in the barn at County Line Orchard in Hobart, Indiana. All are welcome.

David was born on September 1st, 1939 to Coral Louise (Horner) and Warren Barney McAfee in Hobart, Indiana, making him part of the fifth generation of McAfees in Hobart. McAfees have continuously farmed land in Hobart for over 200 years.

David graduated from Hobart High School in 1957. He attended Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana, where he joined the Kappa Sigma fraternity and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1961. He then joined the Navy, serving in Vietnam from 1962-63 and as the navigator on the USS Francis Marion APA 249, from 1963-65. He received his MBA from Benedictine University in 1982.

After the Navy he earned a living as a sales engineer, designing, selling and installing commercial heating and air conditioning systems (he referred to himself as a peddler). His marriage to Nancy Louise Gessler in 1965 resulted in two sons, David George James McAfee and Andrew Paul McAfee, and an adopted daughter Sarah Louise McAfee. David and Nancy divorced in 1977.

In 1985, David married Bonnie (Pierrou) McAfee, and she brought stepson Mike Yoder into the family. With Bonnie, David decided to make a major change in his life and pursue a long-held ambition. He often quoted Bloody Mary, a character in the musical South Pacific who sings, "…if you don't have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true?" So in 1988, at the age of 49, David started planting apple trees on 35 acres he and Bonnie had in Hobart.

Those trees grew and became County Line Orchard. David was its visionary, and Bonnie its organizing and bookkeeping force. The orchard became a must-visit autumn destination for Chicago area families. It eventually grew to some 5000 trees and included a pumpkin patch, corn maze, Kid's Farm, a restored 1941 barn and "Trail of Fears" haunted forest. Some 37,000 students, teachers, and parents visited the orchard each fall on school tours, at the time a North American record for fall school tours. Cider donuts that were only available during the fall were hugely popular, and people gladly stood in line for them. David could often be found hustling about the Orchard in his trademark red suspenders. More than any other accomplishment, he took pride in the people - the nearly 300 seasonal workers and managers who helped the orchard thrive. He and Bonnie were given the North American Farmer's Direct Marketing Association's highest honor, "Marketer of the Year," in 2005.

When they realized it was time to step back from running the orchard, a buyer came along with an appealing offer, and David and Bonnie sold County Line Orchard in 2006.

In addition to the orchard, David served on the Purdue Cooperative Lake County Extension Board, and was president of both the Indiana Horticulture Society and the Indiana Farm Market Association. He was also a board member of the Hobart Community Fund and its predecessor, the Hobart Economic Industrial Development Committee.

The birth of his grandchild Ada in 2007 led to Dave and Bonnie moving to California. They chose Granite Bay, an hour outside of Sacramento, where they resided for many years and were visited on many weekends by Mike, his wife Beckie, and their daughters Ada and Zoe. In August of 2020, during the height of the COVID pandemic (August of 2020) David and Bonnie bought and moved into the house next door to Mike and Beckie in San Jose, CA. They lived there, surrounded by family, until the present.

As well as Mike, Beckie, Ada, and Zoe, David is survived by his eldest son David and his wife Shannon McAfee and children Amelia, Aurora, and Avery-Mae, middle son Andrew McAfee, and daughter Sarah McAfee and her partner Jay Wilson and children Jain, Jivan and Ananda. He was preceded in death by his brother Glenn and the love of his life, Bonnie McAfee.

When reflecting on his life, David said, "The greatest work satisfaction, fun, accomplishment, joy, and success were associated with the orchard. Nothing, not being a Naval officer, sales engineer, or getting my MBA was half as challenging, half as hard, or half the fun of raising and marketing apples, pumpkins, and the entire farm experience. In short, it has been great fun!"

In lieu of flowers, please donate to charity or plant an apple tree.

Rees Funeral Home, Hobart Chapel completed arrangements. (219) 942-2109