I am terribly sad to inform you of my brother’s passing. David died last Saturday, in the early morning of June 29. As his younger sister, I’ve known Dave always as a person of great heart: gentle, and kind. As a competitor he was fierce, pushing himself to extraordinary limits. And so, that it was his heart that failed him in the end seems the greatest irony. In medical parlance the explanation for his death was that he had an aortic dissection; his aorta tore. Despite emergency medical care he couldn’t be saved.

Up until he died Dave was juggling three jobs. He’d sold his big rig a few years back, intending to give up trucking, but that retirement was short lived. Though he hadn’t made any long hauls across the country for a while, he was driving part-time for the friend who purchased his truck. Those trips, from Sacramento up and over the Sierra to Reno and back, gave him great pleasure. Whether on foot, bicycle, motorcycle or 18-wheeler, Dave loved to witness the world from all vantage points. When not driving he was either maintaining a fleet of trucks, or working with Scientology.

Dave became a Scientologist while earning his BS degree in Conservation of Natural Resources from UC Davis, when he was in his twenties. He’d always had an underlying desire to be of service to others, and he found a way to realize that through his work with Scientology, performing a variety of roles: as a full-time cook for 60 people, guiding people as they recovered from substance abuse, and in recent years working with students as a course supervisor. He was ardent in his beliefs and gave of himself with the same intensity he displayed on his bike, or competing in 100-mile runs. He gave with a full heart.

David and his wife of 36 years, Melody, lived together in Sacramento, where Melody remains taking care of their Sheepadoodles, Bella and Sophie, under the harboring branches of a magnificent red oak.

Goofy, fun, and delightful, I never got enough of his company.

Patty Brink