He was always and will eternally be the cool uncle to me. I always admired his sense of adventure. He showed that the world is bigger than your backyard in your hometown, but also had a fondness for the familiar streets of Vandalia. He shared his love of rock and roll with me. I learned about the rolling stones and that Rod Stewart used to not suck. I admired his love and knowledge of rock and roll. I'll never forget how kind he was to me when I was a child. A lot of adult treated kids with a bit of almost condescendence, but Dave always treated and talked to me like an equal and I'll always love him for that. Dave is also responsible for my life long infatuation with California. I'm going to miss him so much. Another thing about Dave I always admired was how much he felt and how sentimental he could be. To narrow down all the memories I have and pick a favorite would be next to impossible, but one memory that keeps making me laugh is the time a lady showed the two of us her Marshal Tucker Band tattoo. We would both giggle about that every time we talked after that. The picture I'm including I just saw for the first time the other day and it quickly became so special to me. It's my grandma Lillie and my uncle Dave. I'm not a religious man, but I like to imagine them getting to see each other again.
"Yeah, I'm coming home
'Cause I'm just about a moonlight mile on down the road"