David Peter Lira was born in Superior, Arizona on January 18, 1938 to Gerardo (Harry) and Refugia (Cookie) Lira.  A talented musician in high school, David, his brother Harry (Buster), and several friends formed the first of what would eventually become several different dance bands throughout his life.  He graduated from Superior High School in 1956 and attended the University of Arizona.  However, the summer after his freshman year, he and his loving wife-to-be Verna began dating.  Instead of returning to the U of A,  he went to work for Magma Copper Company, where he would spend the next 47 years of his career.  He and his dance band, Los Starlighters, continued to play night and weekend events and even recorded a record.

When David was offered a supervisor position with Magma Copper Company, he was forced to make a choice between his band life and the supervisor position, as the company wanted him to be on call in the event there was an emergency.  Even though he was heartbroken to leave the dance band life, he made the choice to do so for his family.  While at Magma, David quickly became respected for his intelligence, hard work, and care for his peers and crew.  David and his mill team had a wonderful bond. In addition to their work at Magma Copper Company, they also worked together on many community projects including maintenance and installation work on the Bob Jones Museum, the Baptist and Catholic Churches, and the homes of many Superiorites. After a hard day's work, they could often be found holding a "Board Meeting" at Superior Lumber Yard or relaxing at David's house under the Yum Yum tree.

In 1959, David and Verna were married at Florence Presbyterian Church. They had three daughters; Deborah in 1959, Cheryl in 1960, and Elaine in 1963. They eventually built their dream home on Sunset Drive where they raised their family.  In 1980, David and Verna adopted their granddaughter Aja, which began an entirely new chapter of their family.

Through the years, David saw strikes, company shutdowns, and after the final BHP buyout of the company, continued working as one of only a handful of employees trusted with the rehabilitation of the mine site.  Upon retiring from BHP, he worked as a liaison, consulting with Resolution Copper, the Town of Superior, and many Superior residents on environmental studies and reclamation of the land surrounding the mine property.  Throughout his life, David was instrumental in many projects that benefited the Town of Superior, including relocation of the Caboose to the Superior US 60 Park, initial development of the Bob Jones Museum, and serving as a proud member of the Superior High School Hall of Fame Committee.  David lived in their family home, a home full of love, treasured pets, and countless, wonderful memories until his death on May 1 ^st , 2022.

David is survived by his wife Verna, brother Harry (Gloria), sister Mary (Rudy), daughters Cheryl (Ruben), Elaine (Charles), and grandchildren Aja (Josh), Mia (William), Xavier, Elise, Anissa, Maribel (Javier), and great-granddaughter Xzaylea.  He is preceded in death by his father Harry, mother Cookie, daughter Deborah, and grandson David.