Each year as we approach the anniversary of Dave’s passing, we feel such a heaviness of spirit; such melancholy. We realize that life has moved on, and that’s how it should be, but each year we wonder if Dave will be remembered or will the hustle and bustle of everyday life make the day pass unnoticed by everyone but his immediate family. We would understand if it did, but the thought still makes us sad.
Boy, were we wrong! Not only did we receive phone calls, e-mails, text messages and posts on the website from friends and strangers alike, but we were thrilled to hear that special moments were created in memory of Dave and that he was in the thoughts of many of those who loved him…
Emily T., a close childhood friend, reached out to us with this e-mail:
Last Friday I took Miles and Jonah on a hike in Mill Valley, CA (about 15 mins from where we live) on the Tennessee Valley trail. Typically, this is a pretty mellow hike with beautiful views of Tam Valley. This is the first time I took the boys by myself so I loaded them up in the jogger/stroller, packed a bunch of snacks, our good camera and went on our way. Typically we take the left side of the trail, (which is pretty flat) but this time, for some reason I took the right side of the trail and let’s just say this was far from flat. It was all uphill! What was I thinking!? My arms were burning as I pushed my two 25lb boys and our huge jogger up this mountain — solo! I kept laughing as I pictured Dave looking down laughing at me. But we made it! The trail is so beautiful — it was foggy, but for some reason the fog seemed beautiful that day. We hiked a few miles all the way out to Tennessee Beach where we stopped and had a little snack. I wrote Dave’s name in the sand with twigs that Miles and Jonah passed me. I spent the whole time talking to the boys about Dave and how he took me on my very first hike in high school up to Mohonk. Ever since that day at Mohonk hiking has become a huge part of my life. So much so that we live in Marin County where we can hit the trails daily. All because of Dave!
I have attached a few photos of our hike – I hope you enjoy them. It was a very special day.
Dan R., another childhood friend and partner in adolescent mischief, wrote:
A bunch of us went on the good old canoe trip a couple of days after Dave’s anniversary. As we lazily floated down old man river about mid day, the conversation was jolly and care free. The cold drinks were flowing nicely and everyone was excited to have a good solid day of relaxation. Out of nowhere, in the middle of old man river, a black, orange and yellow butterfly danced all around us. As he weaved in and out of our small group, we all went silent thinking the same thing. He’s here…he’s with us…Scuba Steve…Dave. He alwayss in our hearts, minds and memories. I miss him dearly.
Friends doing things they had once done with Dave and “feeling” his presence. How great is that?
Hello to the family and friends of Dave. My name is Scott Ramsey. I had the distinct pleasure of serving with Dave in Greenland and Greece. Dave and I became friends in Greenland and became very close when we PCS’ed to Greece. I remember in Greenland he was on my EST (SWAT) team. Mom, you sent him a head mounted light as a gift and we all thought it was the most thoughtful gift ever! We were roomates in Greece and eventually became neighbors on the beach in our beautiful bungalows. Good times, good times! I recall a trip we took to Holland and tore up Amsterdam!! I can’t even describe how much I miss him. We shared many awesome experiences and many great, amazing times. I came across some pictures of us in Greenland the other day and lost it. He was an amazing person and I could go on forever describing the times we shared.