I was 17 when I met Dave.  It was an instant bond.  All through our years of friendship we stayed solid and strong.  He was like a brother to me and I miss him every day.
 The first picture  I posted are of Dave and the House 1 guys.  A motley crew at best but a great bunch of guys. There are so many Niagara stories that I could tell but probably should stay off the internet. Yes as Diane said they were wild party guys, really WILD, but I still loved every single one of them.  Hahaha.

The other picture is Dave in Honey Harbour fishing and relaxing.  He did love that place.  We had some great times there too, although that was the place he almost killed me.  Truth be told I was a little to blame.  Of course the drinks did play a part in it.

Dave was such a special part of our lives. He was and always is our "best man".  He is truly missed and loved by us all.        

Although Dave and I attended the same small (3000 students) university at the same time, I did not meet him there.  His group of friends had quite a reputation as wild party guys and I chose not to associate with them.


The girls living in Seton Hall had to pass by House 1 on the way to the dining hall  On nice afternoons, the guys from House 1 would drag their wood and vinyl lounge chairs onto the lawn and relax while they rated the girls passing by on a scale of 1 to 10 (LOUDLY).  


I got rated as a 6 during Sophomore year (Dave was a senior at that time.) and when I laughed at their audacity they adjusted it to a 7.


After we met while working at the same office as graduates, I shared that story with him and he seemed impressed but not the least bit ashamed of such behavior.  He had matured a lot by then and I forgave him.  ;-)  

I first met Dave in late Spring of 2010. Dave was referred to our firm by a fellow Michelin co-worker to help orchestrate a smooth transition into retirement and to help get his financial affairs in order. Dave was determined not to leave Diane with loose ends. 

These were good months.Dave felt well and from what I'm told was as much of his ol' self as he had been in quite a while. But, he told me that once you get he big-C, it is never really gone and he wanted to plan ahead.

My first impressions of Dave was that he was a fighter - he had outlived all of the Doctor's projections by over a year - and also that he fiercely loved his family. When asked to tell me a little about himself, Dave waxed eloquently and passionately about how he met Diane. I didn't anticipate him starting 33 years in the past, but he did. Of course the meeting went long, but I didn't care. To hear Dave tell the stories of all the experiences that shaped his life was nothing less than entertaining. I remember Dave making me laugh a lot.
 
After presenting the GOALS portion of thier written plan along with our recommendations of what he could and could not afford to do, Dave immediately mailed off an announcement to everyone in his family of his plans to retire and buy a lake house and a boat. He didn't waste any time. The lake house experience was in full execution mode. I can remember how pleased as punch he was about the boat that he bought - a shiny red Chaparrel 196ssi if I remember. And as most guys would do, Dave made sure everyone knew that this puppy had 225horses under the "hood". 

That was June 2010. While Dave was busy enjoying his life-long dreams, the pace of his financial plan took a back seat. It wasn't until December of the next year that we completed the remaining parts of their Financial Plan including an estate plan.

Only two months later, Dave was scheduled for another surgery, but he delayed it so he and Diane could go on a working cruise with Michelin. But during their time on the high seas, Dave took ill and then he took Diane on an unplanned tour through the back channels of the Dominican Republic. 

I met with Dave for the last time on the 20th of May. He was resting at home and the place was abuzz with activity as the engagement party for his son Matthew was moved to the house that very weekend.The house was filled with family and friends- just the way he liked it.

I count myself blessed to have been brought into his life. Dave will be missed, but never forgotten.

To Dave,
Richard Van Der Noord