MEMORIAL SERVICE

Dave's Memorial Service was beyond my imagination but "BEAUTIFUL", a Full Military Memorial Service! Thank you so much to all of our military friends from all over the US who took their time to serve as Dave's Pall Bearers; HM3 Brandon West, National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, US Navy Retirees; HM1 Ben Abad of Germantown, MD, Chief Michael Howard of Florida, EO1 Lester Bylsma of Camarillo, CA. and Lt. Frank Arp of Maryland and Commander Gene Truesdell of the United States Navy.

It made me so proud that Dave had left a very special place in Cmdr. Gene Truesdell's heart. He was 4 hrs away from his command post, Lamore, CA when he learned that Dave had passed away. He had to drive back to Lamore to pick up his uniform, drove another 4 hrs to Oakland, Ca to catch his flight for Dulles Airport in VA that landed at 8:00 am, Friday. From the airport, he had to drive another 4 hrs to make the 1:00 pm memorial service to which he had it made a few minutes after it started.

Dave was remembered by his friends: John Fox, his cousin and best friend; Chris Fahrr from Phoenix, they'd met from the USS Cleveland in 1995; Chief Howard, they worked together at the hospital in Bethesda; Frank Arp, a long time friend who talked about how Dave would light up everytime the navy was brought in the conversation.

Jocelyn Bylsma, my only Filipino friend from Ca. (who is now being adopted by the Hoskins family) and Scott McDaniel (Angie's Scott) sang during the service, both accompanied by Robert (Barbie's Robert) with his base guitar.

Thank you so much to the Preachers who lead the service; Preacher Rudy Hearn from Green Bay Church, where Dave used to attend as a child (one of his Sunday school teachers still attends the same church), Pastor Johnson whom he knows Dave since childhood and Pastor Tim Kaiser from Open Bible Baptist Church where we attend Sunday services whenever we are in VA.

A special thank you to Pastor Kaiser who took his time meeting with us to make everything in order for the service and for putting up with me, with all the changes I had made up the last minute.

What can I say about Dave's sisters and their husbands but I am so blessed and grateful for them being there for me and the girls. Barbie did all the catering arrangement, Angie for the flowers and the birds, Delta and Jay for working until late morning for the slides and arranging for their friends to pick up the food and setting up the tables while we were at the service. All I did was say "No, Yes , I don't know or Talk to them" and gave them my credit card and my check book. They had to make sure that all of Dave's friend were there with complete military uniform on! But they had to approve on what I was to wear at the family night and at the memorial service and I had to pay for it!

Thank you to Uncle Will and Bette Lou for being at Dave's Mom's house every morning, making sure that the house and the food is put together, waking the girls up and making them pick up everything from their bedroom floor before family and friends start coming in with food, drinks etc.

Thank you to Bettina for watching the kids, Lisa and Toni (Delta and Jay's friends) for picking up the food and setting the tables for us.

Thank you so much Marie for all your help, Cathy and Wendell Hoskins for staying at home while we were at the family night.

Thank you so much to all the family and friends who were constantly bringing food, drinks and everything from cups, plates to toilet paper. Jocelyn was so amazed by this Southern hospitality!

Please continue with your prayers coming my way. I am still waiting for that day when it's get better.

Love,

Edith