From Cori:
I wanted to remember what the last two days were like that we spent with Dave. I came home from work on Friday July 14th around 6:00pm, Dave greeted me & my daughter Cayla with the biggest smile & a hug. He was gleaming from eye to eye. He was so excited to go on this trip. I started to get dinner ready & Dave played with Cayla for a bit, then Rob came home. They both sat on the sofa talking & Dave was on his lap top. He was showing Rob & I how he made it onto Lesley’s website with his tattoo.. he was so proud of that tattoo.
I remember Mom & Ara were late getting home. Dave was annoyed on why is she always working such long hours, he was aggravated. I told him “Dave, it’s all about money.” They finally got home & we cooked burgers & hot dogs on the grille. Our grandparents came over for dinner too. We talked at the dinner table about his adventure. I was worried something was going to happen to him as far as an animal attacking him. We were questioning him about the trip. He said, “Guys, nothing has ever happened to anyone at the school…” or so Dave thought. He told us at one point they were going to hide food & the students had to use their compass to find the food using different co-ordinates or something.
My mom said to Dave… “How are you going to find the food using a compass in the woods & when I use to ask to to go to the pantry & bring me up a can of tomatoes you could never find them & they were usually right in front of you.” We all laughed!!!! My mom was asking him for his flight information & he gave her that look, like “Mom, give me a break”. He actually said, “Geez, if anything happens to me you will hear about it on the news because the plane would have gone down.” Needless to say he wrote his flight info on a piece of paper & left it on the counter for my mom.
That night Dave & Rob went out for drinks with their friends & had a good time together. The following morning for the first time in years, we were all home together as a family for breakfast. My daughter was up early & had her cartoons on in the living room where Unca Dave was sleeping. My husband decided to go for bagels for everyone. We have not had a bagel morning all together is so many years. That was a every weekend occurrence in our family…bagels & tea on the weekend. Rob was going to head back home but he decided to stay for breakfast.
We all sat down & ate. My daughter for the first time sang ” Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” She knew all the words. As she sang I looked over at Dave & he was looking at her & smiling. She sounded so cute! Every time she sings that now I think of Dave.
After breakfast we cleaned up. Dave started to get all his stuff together & we all got dressed. A few hours had passed & I had to make my daughter some lunch. Dave was sitting on the sofa going over all this stuff & was on his lap top. I made my daughter some MAC& CHEESE. I asked Dave if he wanted any and he said “Sure Cor.. I’ll take a bowl..” I wish now I sat down next to him on the sofa & just talked instead of cleaning up the kitchen & doing things around the house. We did talk about a few things we were going to do when he got back home though.. going into the city for the day & having lunch, taking a trip to Bayville & go out on the boat & a few other things. Who would have thought none of that was going to happen… who would have thought this was the last day I was going to spend with my brother.
I put a picture my daughter made in school in Dave’s bag & we loaded up the car. My husband went on line to check the temps for Utah. As we walked outside we said to Dave.. “Do you realize it is going to be 95-106 degrees..?”.. Dave just raised his eye brows & said ” Really!??!?!.. don’t tell mom…” with a little smirk. Dave walked next door to say his finally good-bye to my grandparents.
We headed to Newark airport,, it started to rain. We all talked about what we are going to do when we all go to Aruba in September. We asked Dave how he was going to deal with not having any real food for so long. We talked about giving something up while he was away.. I was going to give up bagels & pizza. Dave told me to give up TV, I laughed. We finally got to the airport.. helped him get all his bags out of the car. My daughter was asleep in her car seat.. Boy do I wish I woke her up to give Unca Dave a kiss good bye…
I walked over to him & gave him a big hug. I said ” I’ll see ya soon.. be careful..” My mom went over to him & gave him a hug too, so did my husband.
(It was only five months ago that we picked Dave up at Newark airport when he was coming in from the Marshall Islands were he was stationed for 1 year… that was such a happy day! It was always such a natural high for me every time we would go pick Dave up at the airport when he had been gone for so long working on a contract.. almost like a kid on Christmas morning)
He picked up his bags…. threw them on his back started to walk into the airport he turned to all of us & with a great big smile he said .. ” Bye guys.. don’t worry about me.. I’ll be home in the blink of an eye…”
That was the last time I saw my little brother. I will never forget that big smile!!!
Two nights later we got the phone call around 12:15am … I felt like someone smashed me in the stomach with a metal bat about 10 times. It was the worst night of my life! Our life has become a living nightmare and we can’t wake up.
I feel like a part of me is gone forever… I thank God I have as many memories as I do. I will hold onto those forever!! I am very grateful to have had such a loving, caring, fun, compassionate little brother.. if the person reading this had never met my brother Dave, I can guarantee .. if you had met him you would have really liked him. He was one of a kind!!!
I love you Dave!!
Love always, Cori
ya lil devil.. ya lil critter…. ( a Dave & Cori memory from our childhood..)
My little brother…
What can I say about him.. there is so much to say I do not have it in me to write everything plus it would take me years to write everything. The fact that I have to even do this kills me.. makes me sick to my stomach.
Well let’s start from the beginning. When my mom first found out she was pregnant with Dave she asked God Why?? We were going through a very difficult time in our lives (divorce). Why at this time in my life would I become pregnant? She thought to herself “how am I going to be able to keep it all together for this little new baby?”.
Well that was just it.. Dave became my mom’s Little Ray of Sunshine. He pulled her through a very hard time in her life. He was such a happy baby, always smiling & always giggling. Dave started taking care of others at such a young age and did not even realize it.
He was a special and unique person. Always doing for others, always lending a shoulder to cry on or a ear to listen. He never asked for anything from anyone but was always there for you. Me and my brothers were / are very close.. some people would tell me that we are not normal because we did so much together as a family. Even our every week family dinners were always a blast, we would always get laughing about something or if we had pasta for dinner that night it would turn out into a noodle fight after dinner. Our dogs loved that!
My brothers are my best friends.. they are an extension of me.. we have a special bond that no one else has and we have created so many memories together as a family that we will always remember and cherish.
Dave’s personality was amazing, He could make anyone laugh in an instant. He had that way about him. Even if it was just a look he gave you, he did not even have to say anything because you knew what he was going to say just by the “look”. He was a caring & loving brother & I will miss him for the rest of my life.
Two stories I would like to share with you..
When my mom got married a few years back we were all dancing at her wedding.. a song came on called “ Sing, Sing, Sing” a fifties type fast song. I had a few drinks in me & I wanted to dance to it. I went over to my brother Rob & asked him & he looked at me like I was nuts so I asked Dave… he said “ Sure Cor”.. so we got out on the dance floor alone and danced & danced. Everyone loved it & were laughing.. and one point my Uncle yells out “ Hey that’s your sister..” Dave lost it and laughed so hard while still dancing. It was a memory I will never forget. Thank God we got it on video. Maybe in 5 years I will be able to watch it.. Keep on Dancing Dave.. I love you!!!!
The second story..
Anyone who knew Dave knew he had a gas problem.. well I asked him if he wanted to take yoga lessons with me and of course he said “yes”. We went to a few classes and this one night we were in class.. it was very quiet, mellow music playing in the background & the instructor telling us different stretches to do. Dave was sitting behind me and all of a sudden I heard a really loud noise. I turned around with my eyes bugged out and there was Dave with his legs spread open stretching and laughing so hard.. his face was so red & his shoulders were shaking from laughing so hard. I turned around & just smiled and said to myself .. “that’s my lil’ brother”.
I love you Dave more then you will ever know. You experienced more in your 29 years on this earth then most do in a lifetime. I admire & respect everything you have done. I just wish I was given the opportunity to tell you myself and give you one last hug.
I am also glad you got to know your neice Cayla.. she really loved her Unca Dave. She says ” Unca Dave in the sky now?” Or if she sees a plane flying overhead she points and says ” Unca Dave”. She used to get so excited when she would see his car parked in front of the house. He would be sitting in the car waiting for someone to get home because he probably did not have his key. I would get Cayla out of the car & she would run over to him.. always giving him a big hug.
Dave, you were loved more then you will ever know, you will be missed more then you will ever know and you have touched more lives then you will ever know! You were truly an amzing Brother, Son, Uncle & Friend!!
Love your loving sister always,
Cori