David Bergen Adams

On August 17, 2026, David Bergen Adams passed peacefully after a short illness. David was born on 13 February 1937, to Bergen and Florance (Stinnett) Adams in Springfield, Missouri.

David attended high school and university in Springfield and undertook graduate studies in Latin American history at the University of Texas at Austin. David was awarded a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship in support of her graduate work.

It was at UT that David met the love of his life, Meredith Lentz. David and Meredith were married in 1961. In 1966, David and Meredith spent half the year in Mexico while David continued his research in colonial Tlaxcalans in Coahuila and Nuevo León. David continued to research and travel throughout Mexico for most of his life, spending summers in Saltillo, Coahuila’s archivo municipal. Through the relationships he built in Saltillo, David donated more than 500 books to the library of the School of Social Sciences. Many of those books came from the Friends of the Library book sales.

David and Meredith moved to Springfield in 1966 to teach Latin American history at what became Missouri State University. David and Meredith shared a love of travel, especially to New Mexico, Quebec, and North Carolina. Teaching was only one of David’s passions. He was an avid gardener, growing flowers he shared with the church as well as various other lucky recipients around town. David would spend hours at the university and then go to the garden to weed.

David is survived by daughters, Mariya and Jessica, four grandchildren, Marya, Manson, Megan and Heathon, three great-grandchildren, and numerous friends he met along the way. David was preceded in death by his wife, Meredith, his parents, and brother.

A celebration of life will be held on September 9 at 11:00 a.m. at Messiah Lutheran Church, located at 925 E. Seminole Street in Springfield, Missouri, under the care and direction of Herman H. Lohmeyer Funeral Home.

In Lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Greene County Friends of the Library or a charity of your choice.

The family would like to thank the doctors and caregivers at the Manor at Elfindale as well as Ashley and Ladonna from Amada Senior Care. A special thanks goes to the friends David made in the various restaurants he went to daily, especially Stacey, Mindy and the gang at Pizza House.