He was a man of his word.  If he said he was going to do something, he would do it.  If he promised to be somewhere, he would not only be there, but he would arrive early. If he started a project he wouldn’t quit until it was done and done well!

He loved working with his hands.  He was an electrician by trade, but his passion was carpentry and woodworking.  Something he spent doing until the day of his passing.  

There is evidence all around my parent’s house of the many items he constructed over the years as well as some of the places he’s worked such as Bracken Christian School.

I remember when I was ten years old, for history class in the 5th grade, I was required to complete a project to celebrate Christopher Columbus’s Discovery of the new world.  We decided to build a model ship similar to the ones that carried the famous explorer and his crew across the ocean.  I say WE because I may have glued a few pieces together under my Dad’s guidance of course.  But it was mainly his vision which allowed me to receive an “A” on this project. The end result was a very detailed scale model of a 15th century spanish sailing ship befitting of a national museum!

My dad was an ex-marine, so discipline ran through his veins.  When I was young, he would often wake me up for school by abruptly turning on the lights and yelling, “get up!”  

But years later when I went to the Army Basic Training I was used to the harsh morning “wake ups.”  

It wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized my dad was sometimes tough on me because he wanted to prepare me for a world that’s not always fair and a life that’s hardly ever easy.  But I know he loved me!

He taught me the dying art of sarcasm--as my wife, Marisol can attest to.  He was always joking and making jokes and trying to be the “funny guy.”  I can see a lot of the same behaviour in my son, Luke.  So I guess that means I picked up those traits and passed them to my son as well.  And my sister Laura has 3 little boys so she’ll probably have her hands full in that area as well. 

He was a man of God who cherished his wife, Stella, my mom, and cherished his family and friends.  And though I was stubborn at times, I will never forget the life long lessons he taught me to help me become the man and Father I am today.

I only had the pleasure of knowing David for 18 months. His obvious love for Jesus Christ and sweet spirit drew me to want to spend more time with him and Stella. I look forward to my reunion with him and our eternity together with Jesus.

The Ross family became like my second family when I became best friends with Laura in my high school years.  Since then there have been many birthdays, highschool & college graduations, weddings, and other milestone events that Mr. Ross was always present for and a part of. I have been blessed to know that when I was accepted into their family back as a thirteen year old girl, it was not just for a time period, it was for life. Whether Mr. Ross was giving me a hard time, letting me spend countless hours/nights at his house, feeding me, taking me to church, making sarcastic comments to me and then smirking, or just sitting quietly and listening to typical high school girls countless stories, he always made me feel loved. I was never just his daughter's loud and probably obnoxious friend; I was one of his and he cared. The love that he had for his family was always evident and I was blessed to be able to share in some of the overflow and outpouring of that love. 

Though there are many memories that Mr. Ross was a part of in my life growing up, there is one visual that keeps coming to my mind. It is exactly how I want to remember him for the rest of my time on this earth. It was the night of the homecoming dance, my junior year of highschool school. While Laura and I were in high school, no boy was ever good enough for us to Mr. Ross. If we had a date for the homecoming dance, they were not good enough to take us. If we didn't have a date for the homecoming dance, they were never good enough to ask us and we shouldn't worry because we weren't missing out.  I know he only felt that way because as much as he knew those guys were probably good guys, we were his daughters and no one would measure up. Now our junior year was one of those years that Laura and I did not have a date for the dance. To a girl in highschool who wants a date, that is a big deal. I remember Laura and I deciding to go together, date or not. After our hair and makeup was done and our dresses were on for the night, we went downstairs for what we thought would be a quick goodbye before hitting the road. As we walked down the stairs, there was Mr. and Mrs. Ross with the camera and beaming smiles. Most of the time Mr. Ross would have joked around and made a comment to give us a hard time, but that night they just kept on taking pictures and raving about how wonderful we looked. All of the pictures annoyed us at the time, but I knew that if Mr. Ross gave us a compliment and was wanting to take so many pictures without joking around, he was proud of us. I know it was something so simple, but to a 16 year old girl that needed to feel beautiful, it mattered.

I was blessed enough to have Mr. Ross at my wedding four years ago, and am blessed to have had him and his family in my life for over 18 years. He will be missed by many but I am celebrating the fact that he is home rejoicing(and probably cracking a joke or two) with his Heavenly Father.

- Lindsey Daniel