I don’t even know where to begin with my favorite memories of Dave. There was the time as kids he tried to convince Caroline and I that he had caviar for us (fish eggs from a trout he caught in a nearby pond)…the time he had us dig a swear hole in the woods behind our house (that was the only place we could swear and not get in trouble - “just shout it into the swear hole”)… the time he took us out bat hunting with a fishing net and a paper bag…. Or the time that he made me sit in the corner of our creepy basement to recreate a scene from Silence of the Lambs for his PSA on littering. There were the ridiculously dangerous rides in “Club Cageao” that were always as fun as they were terrifying.

Aside from all of the laughter he brought to us, he also had a sensitive side. I remember how proud he looked walking me down the aisle and how overjoyed he was for me when I told him I was pregnant the first time even though he and Julie were struggling to have their own baby. He told me how proud he was of me for going back to school and always encouraged me to share my burdens with him and not try to carry it all myself. I wish he was able to do the same with me.

My heart is absolutely shattered that he’s no longer here with us. The world was a better place with him in it. I will make sure Nia and Vinnie never forget what an incredible human being you were, Dave. I love and miss you more than you’ll ever know.