The Last Race

     “Ready, set, go!” my grandpa yelled huskily as he took off down the hill, wheelchair flying.   “Are you sure this is the best idea?” I mumbled doubtfully as I began to inch down the hill. “How else are we going to get there?” he chuckled, a wry smile spread across his face as he took in the scenery. “I say we have Garfield pull the chairs next time,” Grandave said about the cat that he had grown to love. As I sat in the old wheelchair and stared at the large, steep and rocky dirt hill in front of me, I was at first skeptical, but when I saw the excited look on my grandfather’s face all of my doubts vanished. “Grandave” is not the best title for Dave; he is only fifty-two and acts younger, but he has always been a grandpa-like figure to me. He is the person who first took me fishing and hiking. He loves every aspect of nature, especially his garden, which he cares for with tenderness that contradicts his physical appearance. As we passed by stables, and chickens quickly jumped out of our way, I suddenly realized that this could be my last trip spent with Grandave. “Come on! You can go faster than that!” he said in his gruff voice, his words still filled with sincerity, as his wiry brown beard and checkered hunting shirt blew in the cool Pennsylvania breeze like a flag. Staying true to his tough inner mountain man, he never let his sickness stop him and he continued to try to keep me entertained, even when he was confined to a wheelchair. As he zoomed down the hill, as carefree as a young child enjoying the fresh air, the lines of worry and sadness disappeared from his face as they were replaced by a wide, bright smile. “I’m going to win!” he called through the whistling wind as he neared the bottom of the hill.“I know you will,” I said with a smile. I knew that he was not just referring to the race.

Dave and Mom/Grammy joined Jay, Hillary, and me for a vacation in the mountains of Montreat, NC in 2001.  Hillary was almost four and (this part is hard for me to believe) Dave was only 44--my age now!  He always seemed so wise and so competent to me even though he was only 10 years older.  He helped Hillary catch her first fish that week;  he was determined that she wouldn't miss that important childhood experience--which, if left to Jay and me, she may have!  The adorable picture of the two of them holding a wee little fish is still sitting in our living room.  It's one of my favorites and the look on both of their faces is priceless.

I also love this picture of Dave and Mom--both very relaxed and happy as they watch the sunset over the mountains.  (I'll wager that is probably a cooking magazine Dave's holding :) 

This is a picture of Dave taken at White Swan upon our arrival near the start of 4 July 2001.  He and Janet were already in place, both looking pretty happy with themselves.  Dave is ready to take on his sisters-in-law, the malfunctioning toilet, the Webers, whatever the lake has to give up this year.  He was a stalwart for the week -- did the 4th, cooked -- watched as ladies drank too much, joined Bill in practicing moderation --- but also did some tricks.  Dave and Janet brought along with them a singing frog, that they perched on top of the afore-mentioned beginning-to-malfunction toilet, which would croak and sing whenever anybody flushed.  Webers stole it of course.  And oh, yes, there was a note written from our house by some of the Weber offspring to their parents:

Note from the hostages: It's Wednesday, Fourth of July in 2001, and Nicole,
Sierra and I are hostage In the Caroon's cabin. So far they are being nice to us
and we are actually enjoying ourselves and don't want to leave. They are loaded with wine and other beverages. Currently the Webers still don't know we are missing and they probably won't realize until dark or by the weekend...

It was one of the best 4th of Julys ever at White Swan and Dave contributed greatly to it.  As usual.

Postcard from Dave in MN (think 2005) must be his answer!

 Dave and Janet  arranged this Thanksgiviing for northeastern relatives.  It was at the Wilkin House  in the Poconos .  Lots of cooking and fun went on.  This is the formal "marking the year" Thanksgiving picture.  Dave loves holding the "00", which Janet (I think it was Janet) invented when the calendar went from 1999 to 2000.  Kristi is holding the glittery "2" -- that glitter is gonna have to hold up for a LONG time !!!  Scott is holding the "4", crudely made by Bill but not needed again really until 2014.  As to the other two characters, well, let's just say they were invited.

 We were at Tom's in louisiana and decided on body decoration .... I'm sure instigated by Dave. After all, there were markers to be used! At least his new "tat" was in a spot appropriate for viewing. Beverages and much food had been consumed. A fun time was had by all.

Thanks to Kristi's friends and the Dauphin County Conservation District for honoring Dave in such a perfect way!!

This is one of the valuable life skills Dave taught us - the outdoor noseblow.  He also taught us the complementary "indoor noseblow" ( I wish I could find the picture!).  But that version has you blowing your nose into the inside of your jacket.   We loved practicing both tricks! 

I do not look well in this picture, but David is a picture of joy!  I had just travelled around the world for about two weeks giving talks and was dead tired.  In contrast, the newly-wed David Ball appears actually joyous!  He and Janet got married just before Katie and Jay.   I really enjoyed this wedding celebration, though dead tired.  You can see that Dave supported me.  As he did many, throughout his life.

Donna

It was 2005.  Janet and Dave rented a cabin in Hill's Creek State Park for 10 days.  We (the Bergmarks) joined them on Dec. 30th.  Cooked, drank, hiked, and celebrated the new year.  Dave and Janet had obtained props.  "Finest clothes" were in order for the New Year's Eve festival.  Janet and I did lots of makeup etc. Very camp.

We made Gristwurst.  We hiked around the park.  A bit of snow fell, which was nice.    Most of all, it was a great get-together with Dave and Janet.   And the new year (2006) was properly rung in.   - Donna

We first met Dave through Em's brother Duayne (or more commonly known as Beep) when they both worked at the Dauphin County Conservation District Office.  One year Beep and Linda invited us to join them and Dave and Janet for what become known as "Liver Fest".  This became an annual event taking place after hunting season, so it often had a little Christmas thrown in.  The liver was venison of course and everyone would bring some side dishes; we will never forget the year Dave and Janet brought Rocky Mountain Oysters, only a true chef could master such a delicacy.  And one never knew what Dave would show up wearing, though his favorite was those red longjohns complete with rear trap door which was known to occasionally drop.  After dinner there might have been a drink or two, a little canasta, and a lot of laughs.

Over the years other guests were invited to partake in the festivities, but Dave was always the true spirit of Liver Fest.  He was the type of person who once you met him and enjoyed his humor and how he looked at life, you would never forget him.

Thanks, Janet, for sharing him and all those good times.

Stu & Emmie Shomper

In February 2003 Dave was hosting his dad at home in Hummelstown.  For some reason, Bill Bergmark and our dog Carmen went to visit.  Bill went there with our new digital camera and took pictures.  The recap was written by me, from pictures and emails.  I was not there.

Dave was caring for his father, feeding Bill and Carmen, hosting guests, feeling fine.  Comments and pictures of Dave during this trip can be found at

        http://www.cs.cornell.edu/bergmark/family/Grandview_feb03.html

Dave was always so much fun to be around, and he was a "pez-dispenser" to our new pet dog, Carmen.

Donna Bergmark

I have so many fond memories of Dave. He was always so wonderful with our daughter, Hillary. One of my favorite pictures is one we still proudly display in our family room. It's a picture of "Grandave" and 3-year old Hillary after she's caught her first (and only) fish on a small lake in Montreat, NC. Of course, there's little doubt that Grandave had to bait the hook, help haul in the teeny, tiny fish and release it, but the smile on Hillary's face is priceless.

It was hard not to smile just being around Dave. When we lived in Boston in the mid-90's, Katie and I spent several Thanksgivings in the Catskills with Dave, Janet, Christy, Scott, Aunt Donna and Uncle Bill. The long weekend was all about taking daily hikes, sitting by the fire in the family room and eating big meals prepared by Dave. (Oh, and there may have been a late night hot tub party or two as well.) Those were really special family holidays.

I'll miss Dave...our talks about spring training baseball, his great postcards from Minnesota (mosquitos of the midwest or how to identify an animal by its droppings), his quick wit and his zeal for life. God Bless.

---Jay McLauchlin

Janet, Thank you for letting for me know.  He was always someone I thought I would see again. I will see him again, I know.   I did not know David as you folks did.  I knew the young David.  I met him when I was a freshman in college with his sister Vicki.  He treated me like a sister.  He never did understand how I could go to a football game to people watch and not game watch.  He was a very person.  I appreciate your loss.  He will always be in your hearts.  Love and prayers to you his friends and family.  Ann

I'm not done yet. Dave always had a trick up his sleeve when we headed outdoors. I swear he had a bag of them. You would be canoeing and look over at him and all of the sudden a duck would be swimming behind the canoe ( a decoy he brought and attached without telling anyone) - He would just have that smirk on his face. The porta-potty he set up at Rattlesnake rock for Amy, the special trick he could do with his wet shorts as he bent at the knees. God the list goes on and on - always with that same big smile on his face. Dave and Janet made the special trip to our house as Mr. & Mrs. Clause which my twin girls still remember. I remember him driving that big camper to the little windy roads of Etters to show us and was so proud he rented it to take his Dad for a big trip. Sadly, Dave and I have lost touch  the last couple years. I guess partially due to his illness and my busy trying to raise 2 teenage daughters. For that I will be forever sorry. I can't tell you how many times I've looked at these pictures, Janet. I don't have to tell you he was a great, great man. I miss him. I love him. He watching all of us- we'll see him again 

I'm not sure where to start with Dave. I met him many years ago through  mutual friends. We were a group of guys who found a common love for the outdoors and enjoyed canoeing, xc-skiing, some hunting and fishing. So we had semi -annual "boys" outings and as time went on i began to know him better. We became personal friends along with our families. Him and I had our own annual canoeing trip down Pine Creek for several years and many camping trips with Janet and my wife Amy at Rattlesnake Rock on Pine Creek among several other trips. So that is how I know Dave( and Janet).  Dave was probably the most optimistic, funny, lovable, intelligent, caring person I've ever known. I was always amazed how he would so effortlessly begin talking to strangers like he's known them forever and they would warm up to his demeanor immediately. I think that in itself says alot about Dave. He liked everybody even if he didn't know them! Wish i could be like that! He had alot of love in his heart. Love for the outdoors, love for his "White" Canoe, love for his 38 coleman stoves, love for every little strange piece of outdoor equipment he ever pack ratted, Bt especially, and seriously, for you and your family, Janet. You were the best thing that could have happened to him during the "trying" times and beyond. Believe me - you and your kids were always a topic of conversatioin around our campires.

I was privileged to first meet Dave when he became District Manager of the Dauphin Conservation District. I worked with all the districts in the lower Susquehanna Valley and, I can tell you, Dave was a breath of fresh air, excitement, fun and zaniness among a community of folks who, though dedicated to conservation, tended toward the "stodgy." A meeting in Dauphin, or a visit to the Dauphin office was always something I looked forward to. I knew Dave would say or do something unexpected that would bring me a welcome laugh.

Out of that relationship, we managed to do some things together outdoors. The most memorable for me was a deer hunt with Dave and our mutual friend and conservation colleague Duayne Forsberg at Coopers Rock State Forest in West Virginia. This must have been sometime in the late '80s or early '90s.

Duayne and I had hunted there for years, so we knew the terrain. It was Dave's first hunt there. The day was unusually sunny and warm for the mountains of northcentral West Virginia. I made a big circle around the ridge, headed back toward the truck and saw an orange coat near the base of a tall rock ledge. As I got closer and discerned a human form, lying prostrate at the bottom of the rocks. I ventured nearer still and saw that the prone form belonged to Dave. He was fast asleep in the sun and the reflected heat off the rock face. He looked as peaceful, comfortabel and untroubled as a human being could be.

But I couldn't resist the chance to take advantage of sleeping Dave. His rifle lay in the leaves beside him. With Dave in such a deep slumber, it was no trick to take his rifle, sneak behind a nearby rock and wait, watching, for him to awake and the fun to begin.

I waited there, giggling evilly to myself.  Finally, Dave began to stir. Incredibly, just at that time, three or four deer came down off the ridge and around the boulders beyond Dave. The leaves were so dry and "crunchy" that Dave heard them and snapped to attention, feeling in the leaves for his rifle. When he couldn't locate it by touch, he stood and started frantically turning round and round, kicking in the leaves, searching for that rifle. I was nearly wetting my woolen pants watching him scratch his head and turn round and round, all the time keeping one eye on the deer.

Finally the deer wandered off, with Dave watching them go. Knowing him, and his own sense of humor, I have always suspected that he sensed one of his companions was to blame, as he would have probably done the same had the roles been reversed.

When I revealed myself and returned his rifle, he took it well, but he always enjoyed the story for years afterward. He felt better, though, when I assured him that I'd been able to check the deer through my own rifle scope, and had determined there were no antlered bucks in the group, so he couldn't have shot even with his rifle in possession.

I always felt proud to know Dave. Whether a deer hunt or a day at the office, Dave's unique way of looking at the world enhanced the experience of everyone around him.

Thank you, Janet, for sharing him.

Dave came in late and left early, but what a mark he left on our family!  Dave was always one for a practical joke, a kind word, a wisecrack, a wise statement, a laugh, a plan, a brave face. Dave was never one afraid to take on hard work – whether it be an independent woman with three teenagers, town hall, saving a mountain, or giving the finger to a losing a couple of toes.  If you met Dave once, you knew him.  He had the gift of giving friendship wherever he went and whoever you were so he had many great friends including his best friend, my Mom.  If you were lucky, this lasting bear hug friendship included a gourmet meal that he prepared (up to and including a 7 course chef’s tasting) or some homemade comfort food.  I can’t start to say how much I will miss Dave, but I can say how much I truly thank my Mom for bringing him into our lives and for Dave for simply always being there – even now. 

Kristi

%uFEFF

Dave is away for a while. Right now he’s up on the Pine. He’s “sittin” on his ass, either on a log by a campfire or his canoe seat. It don’t matter, he’s got a smile on his face broader then the canyon is wide. A true old friend who knew “ how the hell to fold an egg .“ I sit here now to share in his memory with all. A beer in a frosty mug and songs from the Big Chill now fill the house. It’s sad now, these first days of his ultimate float trip, but around each bend the current flows. In that current are memories, all golden, all good, full of love, full of fun. After a spell we’ll see ya around the bend. Paddle on Dave, paddle on!

It wasn't a very big candle to lite, so I had to burn it from the other end here. - Duayne

      The 'light a candle' function made me laugh at recalling a backpack trip I did with Dave.  This picture was on the first part of the loop.  We camped in an old pine tree grove on the Black Forest Trial.  The campsite and fire ring were surrounded by old pine trees that were dropping sap into the couple of inches of pine needles surrounding the campsite.  After dark, without comment, Dave began disappearing deep into woods, to be heard crashing about in the dark.  He would eventually reappear, dragging fallen pine branches the size of small trees, which he began feeding into the fire.  The flames grew to about 10 feet high, embers were flying everywhere, pine knots were popping off explosively, and Dave was obviously quite satisfied.  Me?  I sat there with a grin, enjoying Dave's fun, but expecting it all to turn into a conflagration of the forest, for which we would be charged $25,000 to be put out, with the Bureau of Forestry then deciding those old twisted and gnarly trees were really valuable saw timber, for which we would have to pay handsomely.  But, we passed the flask, and we and the forest survived.  Good times.  Good memories.

On the first day of Spring, March 20th, Saturday morning at 8:30 when the staph infection was starting to win the fight, Dave was getting sedated in order to insert the breathing tube and the dialysis tubes.  I leaned in to give him a kiss and I heard him say "Don't fret."  Because of the sedation, the tube and his general decline, those were his last words - an expression he often used when he saw that I was getting teary or tired throughout the two years he needed extra care and help.  It was my pleasure to have been able to be his care partner throughout that time.  Although my personal experience with "robbing the cradle" didn't quite fully work out, never say "no" to loving someone as I did David!

Don't fret.   Wife Janet

Again, this is on the North Link Trail.  Dave is mimicking the beaver that gnawled down this tree; why the beaver was beavering away half way up the ridge is unknown.  The remnants of the beaver dam can be seen across the water behind Dave; we picked our way over it to save a bit of distance.  As you can see, expecting nights in the teens, Dave took his "pretty good" undershirt on this hike.  After about 12 miles of up and down, we slept tentless on the ground that night.   Dave used his newly purchased Army surplus bivy sack, which I suspect is now hidden away somewhere in the garage among the  eight or so old green two-burner Coleman stoves, two of which work,  six of which were for parts.  As Dave ("Sven" on this hike) always said, "Can't ever have too much stumph."

Dave and I (Frank Dougherty) were backpacking and this is on the North Link Trail which connects the Black Forest Trail with the Susquehannock Trail in the northern tier of PA.  Most of this trail runs on old rail beds from the lumber era.  Dave is pointing to where the rail bed, now overgrown with trees, was cut through the top of this ridge to maintain the about 2% maximum grade that the trains could use when hauling out lumber.

Dave showed his support for me while I underwent chemo!

--Katie

 Grandave never failed to entertain me!

-Hillary