Dear Dave,

I have such fond memories of you and the Burlington Ward. You and your family were so welcoming and you always had such a big smile on your face.

Your generosity helped my family at a time when we really needed it. You gave us a home and for that I am forever grateful.

You were so passionate about percussion and I remember having many conversations with you about tap dance and us doing a piece together where I would tap and you would play the bongos.

Thank you for all the amazing memories.

Xoxo

I only had the privilege to be around Dave Sr. 2-3 times over my first year at Missouri Star, but each time I saw him, I was always greeted so warmly and genuinely.  Dave made me feel like I was part of the "family" right away.  The first time I met him, we spent a little time getting to know each other and what really struck me is what a great listener he was.  He had the most expressive eyes and the kindest smile.  While I am very sad that he has passed, he has left behind an incredible legacy in his children-they are all so successful and smart with wicked senses of humor and overall just great human beings!  

Dear Dave,

As cousins growing up we spent good times just playing.  I remember when you lived just around the corner near Islington and Albion.  As we grew older and our families expanded the time between visits also grew but I always looked forward to seeing you at family functions. You were the most positive  and one of the tallest at every gathering but you didn't stand out because of your height, you stood out because of your genuine interest  in what other family members were up to.  Now you are able to keep track of everyone from above!  See you soon.

Love Frank

Dear Dave,

I wanted to share with you how eternally grateful I am for the open invitation that you and Ruth always had for me to come into your home. I’ve always considered myself so lucky to have you as an additional father in my life. I loved being in your home growing up, it was a place where memories were made, fun times were had and joy was felt.

My Grammy (a quilter) once told me that life is like a large quilt. Built up of multi-colored squares that represent our memories. You have many spots on my life’s quilt Dave. I thought I might share just a few of my memories of you that I think of often:

• Whenever I iron a dress shirt, I always think of you and this lesson you gave in Young Womans’ one year about the importance of ironing properly. I thought it was so funny how seriously you took ironing a shirt (something I had never thought of before). However once becoming a young adult I felt confident knowing the impression a well iron shirt makes on people that you’re meeting.
• Whenever I see a striped cat, like the one your family used to have. I always think about one morning when I had slept over at your home and we were leaving to go to church. You had forgotten something inside of the house, and as you came back out the cat jumped out of the bushes like a tiger and clung onto your dress pants. You were flinging your leg around and we were all hysterically laughing in the car.
• Whenever I have a rectangular sized pizza, I always think of you.There was that pizza shop near your house that sold those gigantic sized pizzas for super cheap and I feel like you almost always had them on Friday nights when it was a 50/ 50 chance that I was either sleeping at your house, or Haley was sleeping at mine.
• I remember when we were traveling anywhere, you would always rat-a-tat-tat-ing on the steering wheel to the beat of the song, or you would often have an egg shaped shaker. I loved hearing the enthusiasm you had for music.
• I remember when Haley and I wanted to go to the mall, you had offered to drive us. As we approached Mapleview, you had asked Haley to pick you up something “inspirational” she had asked you what you wanted specifically and you replied something to the effect of: “ You’ll know what it is when you see it”. The entire time we were at the various stores, Haley kept freaking out trying to find the perfect inspiration for you. She found a card with an arch of stones (Or some sort of rock formation). You were pleased. A few years later I had passed by your office, and saw it on a bulletin board. It made me smile to think it had made such an impression for you.
• Whenever I think of the Burlington Ward I always think of you.
• On Haley’s 18th birthday, she had a big party at your house. A lot of the youth were invited and we were all having a really great time. You had stopped the party because you wanted to play this “game” where everyone went around in a circle saying one thing that you loved or admired about Haley.It was such a beautiful way to see the love that everyone had for your daughter. I loved it so much that I’ve now adopted it for my girls, each year for their birthday.

I am forever grateful for the person that you’ve been in my life Dave. You helped shape me into the person I am today. You brought so much joy and laughter into my life, and taught me to always find the humour in life’s situations. I love you so much and look forward to the day I see you again.

Love Always, Bethany Agnew Watkins

I didn’t get to spend much time talking directly with Big Dave, but if someone can be so excited and passionate about teaching FileMaker and the endless potential it contains, I can only imagine how fully he approached the rest of his life. It has been a real pleasure in my life to have been associated with several members of the Mifsud family and I know that you will all continue tocarry on his contagious positivity and love for all the good things. Much love to you all.