Tribute to David Wheet
To view and post any comments, thoughts, memories, whatever, click here or click on "# comments" below.
David Wheet
October 21, 1954 - March 22, 2008
Goodbye
by Gwydion Pendderwen
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft star that shines at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there. I did not die.
--------------------
To view and post any comments, thoughts, memories, whatever, click here or click on "# comments" below. Additionally, a photo tribute can be found at azribfest.com, or by clicking here.
31 Comments:
My god how we will miss you. You will always remain everyone's friend. We'll miss your surprise visits along with your warm and caring smile.
I'd like to share a funny story.
DW and I went to Costco so he could buy a roll-up shade for the house. We went in the old Acura and stuck the shade out the sunroof. The shade was about 10 foot long, so it stuck out of the car about 4 feet in the air. Upon arriving back at the house, DW hit the garage door button and started to pull in. The height of the garage door is 7 feet, so you do the math. The end result was an "L" shaped shade. We both rolled on the ground, busting a gut. Typical of DW, he came up with Plan B, but not before asking me if I thought Costco would take the blind back.
You ride BROTHER........ride on.
Keep that heavenly wind in you're face.
http://www.cyclerides.com/music/long_lonesome_highway.mp3
Gerardo
I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning to the end
He noted that first came the date of her birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years
For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not how much we own;
The cars, the house, the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.
So think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.
So, when your eulogy is being read
With your life’s actions to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?
What comes to mind, right after watching Billy Joel on Oprah last night is "Only the Good Die Young". DW was good and young. Truly he will be missed along with his mouth watering, delicious ribs. Can you hear him now saying "I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints, only the good die young". We love you DW, you will live on in our hearts forever.
Erik & Sheri Potter
We had a tradition of sorts every Wednesday at 11:45 and so I though this poem was appropriate. We're saving a stool for you buddy - you know the routine, same time,
same place...
A branch has fallen from the Wheet family tree. I keep hearing a voice that says, "Grieve not for me."
Remember the great times, the laughter, the songs. The good of my life I lived while I was strong.
Continue my dreams. I'm counting on you. Keep on smiling and surely, The sun will shine through.
My mind is at ease, my soul is at rest, Remembering all…how I was truly blessed.
Continue traditions, no matter how small, Go on with your life, don’t just stare at the wall.
I miss you all dearly, so keep up your chin, Until the day comes that we're together again.
We'll miss you terribly DW!
Keith S.
I have received about 58 pictures of David from many of you. I am working hard to get them posted so they can be enjoyed by all. If any of you have anything more to share, feel free to forward them on.
Gerardo... I fixed the link to that great song in your post above.
Long Lonesome Highway
More than 20 years ago, Leroy (that's what we called him back in Mississippi) said to me, "We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time." Not only did knowing him provide good times to countless friends, but Leroy was also a devoted husband and father who has left a splendid, loving family behind -- and that's the highest achievement of all, isn't it? He loved life, and we loved him. David Wheet was a walking good time, and we all miss him.
DW,
You will be missed, but never forgotten. You always brought a smile to everyone when you were around with your laughter and endless smile. You are a great man. One of the funnest times I ever had was when we all came over to your house to build the stage for the band at the Ribfest. I can't remember not laughing and smiling in you presence. We all love and miss you.
I will miss you my Brother. You were a man's man. One who gave to all. You made me smile and laugh and those are the people I love the best. Our memories are many, from the first day I met you at Cafe Creole, which is a story that to this day lives on. When I lost my son on that tragic day March 25, 2006 you and Kathy were there for me. I'll never forget that. And, I'll never forget you my Brother! I hope you play many games of "Liar's Box" with KJ up there in Heaven and save a stool for me!
Love you Bro!
Kevin Swesey
DW....DW.....DW - I will miss you! The stories are endless, your smile and laughter are endless and your friendship was endless. Here's one that pops into my head and brings a big smile to me. The many "BOYS TRIPS" we took to Palm Springs for golfing. And what great times they were. The stories in the rental van between all of us, the piss stops that turned into a longest drive competetion between us. Oh man what fun that was teeing those balls up with you on the side of I-10 and lettin them rip....WOW. And you always seemed to be right there on the longest ball DW. So many fun times DW, so many fun times!
Thanks for being my friend!
Keep the bike runnin DW, we'll be at it again some day.
Love you!
The moment that made me realize what a true friend you were was when I was sitting in a room in Oklahoma all by myself on my birthday, and when I received my mail for the day there were 4 B-day cards. One of them was from you. I will never forget about you Dave, just as you never forgot about me. My heart goes out to the Wheet Family.
Unfortantly we did not know you as long as everyone else has, but you always treated us just as you had known us for many years. I wish I could have been there for all the great stories that I hear about. DW is one of the best people that I have had the pleasure of knowing. You will deeply be missed by all. I am sure that we'll meet up again someday, so until then remember that we all love you.
Matt & Deb Arnett
For once in my life I feel as if I am lost for words. . .
What a great friend, father, and husband! It doesn't seem fair to steal such a great man from us, but I think we all know how much brighter heaven became on Saturday.
David Wheet's presence will certainly bring joy "upstairs" and I am sure God's life just became a whole lot more interesting.
David, we all miss you so very much! There are countless good times and smiles you have brought to all of us. You will always be in our hearts and I am sure we will raise havoc again someday...
My family's love and deepest sympathies go out to the Wheet family.
Rob & Tricia Swesey
DW I am so lost for words. I will miss you terribly! Kathy, Logan and Carson please know that I will keep you in my daily prayers and of course DW too. Some of my best times and certainly some of the times in my life where I laughed my hardest were with DW. Hours of Liars Box on the River, Goat Boy, Rib Fests, the 4th of July, Coppers and too many more to mention. DW has touched many lives and the best thing that can be said of any man, is that all of the lives he touched were made better in some way or another!
You will truly be missed my friend.
Marty W.
David, told some of the most amazing stories and trivia, and was very proud of his memory of such trivial things. He would ride out to see us, always hang for a while. His jest for life touched all of us in different ways. He absolutley loved his friends and his family and most of all his LIFE! I know that he is looking upon on us all and saying........." Have one for me!"
Wheetster..........you are and always will be in our hearts and we will miss you terribly.
Love Kim & Laura Swesey
David.....I can't believe today is Thursday 3-27-08 and I had called your office on Monday when you were suppose to return that day. I had wanted to Thank You for getting my customer the bags over nighted from China and also to tell you I had received the garment bags. When Don told me what happened everything else became a blurr. Everything right now is still a blurr. You were an amazing rep for all the lines you represented and you always went out of your way to help me. I know how important whenever I spoke to you that you made me feel.....I can only imagine all the countless people you have had the same effect on. I will miss the smile in your voice whenever you answered the phone and I can't thank you enough for listening and helping me get through some rough times last year. I know it comes as no surprise to everyone you touched how much you will be missed and my prayers go out to Kathy, Logan, Carson,your parents and extended family how deeply sorry I am that your gone. I hope in time they will heel from this pain they are going through now. You were so proud the day you announced "Wheet & Associates". You always took so much pride in everything you did. I will truly miss not ever talking to you again. Your dreams were endless and the sky was always the limit.
I'm honored I had the opportunity to work with you and I'm sure you're selling packaging in heaven. You did what you loved.....and you loved what you did. You lived life to the fullest David and I'm sorry your not here. God bless......
Sherrie Cook
We will always know you as LeRoy. You lit up Wheaton with your smiles and stories of days gone by with the Meyer family. Now I know another young angel in heaven...say hi to Sean. You will be missed by so many.
It is very helpful to read all of these wonderful comments about David "Leroy" Wheet. What comes through loud and clear is that the man he was 30 plus years ago in Macomb, Illinois is the same person that we lost last weekend. Caring, funny, and thoughtful to a fault. The same support he showed during my wife's bout with cancer was there for so very many people throughout his life. The many good times that we shared on two wheels, Cubs games, canoeing, and playing liar's box are echoed throughout these listings. His keen sense of humor, love for life and people comes through each posting. It is an honor to have been David's friend for so many years.
All of my love goes on to Kathy and the boys, and the entire family. Thanks for the opportunity to share my love of Leroy.
As we look at the fabulous picture of you and Jack on the wild canoe adventure of Spring '95 we can't help think about all of the laughter in the preparation, the ride and the memories after the trip! Our family has nothing but the huge smiles when we think about all of the great times we spent with you, Kathy, Logan and Carson throughout the years. Your wonderful smile is etched in the minds of all of us for all eternity!
With so much love, Jack, Christy, Casey and Taren
Dave, I too will miss you greatly. I'll miss your smile, your jokes and your good nature and especially your infectious laugh.
I will remember all the good times. The canoe trips on the Verde, the golf games and of course the Ribfest for which you and Kathy set the standard to match.
Vaya con dios my friend...until we meet again.
Matt & Cindy Petersen & family
We drove to San Carlos with David and Kathy on 3/20. Mike and Dave had only recently met and dove together at Lake Pleasant the previous weekend.
By the time we arrived in San Carlos we knew we had made great friends. We had so much in common, played do you know this word and Dave busted out out some 3 dollar word. We had made plans for sushi and to find out where and when Justin Chacon would be next. Even our wedding dates were close!
Friday Kathy and I tried as we might to shop. We each bought some trinkets. Went back to the hotel bar this time we made sure we used our free drink coupons! Then low and behold our men showed up! :) They were beaming it was a good diving experience and they got to play with sea lions!
We went to for dinner at El Capitan . Dave and Mike were talking about how different our trip could have been if Kathy and I hadn't gotten along so well we toasted our new friendships.
Dave started telling us about his diving experience that day he had us laughing so hard we were crying. Then started telling us about Billy Joel. He painted pictures in his stories.
We had a great time that night. He even got up and dance with Kathy and I!
It was an honor to know him and to share time with him. We will cherish the memories forever. He taught us a lot those few days, that is the gift of David Wheet.
Mike and Gloria Krask
We all loved Dave, and as I pondered this devastating loss, I asked myself why. What made him such a great friend, husband, son, father, brother? Part of it was very simple: he really was a nice person. It’s easy to love someone like that. And we all know what a great sense of humor he had. That’s part of it, too: he made us laugh. He also had many interests and enjoyed lots of different activities. That must have been part of it: he was a fun guy. Then, too ... he was very bright, and often wise. That’s part of it: he was smart and engaging.
But somehow, these thoughts only captured a slice of It. And then I thought back to the many times we spent together, and I think I hit on something. Whenever we spent time with Leroy, he was interested in us. We could tell that he cared about what we were saying, whether it was talking baseball, beer, music or global politics. He always made us feel like we mattered to him.
Not many people have that skill, and I’m certain it’s why he was so successful in his career. I think Dave could have sold ice cubes to the Eskimos, because he had that rare ability to make people feel that he cared about them. Maybe that’s why we loved him, and why we’ll feel his absence so much.
If there’s any lesson that Leroy would want us to take away from this horrible tragedy, I think he would teach us to love our friends and family overtly and often. He would want us to remember that our time here isn’t up to us, and not to waste a single day without tasting some of the sweetness that life has to offer. He’d probably say, Don’t put off your fun times until retirement. Enjoy the journey every step, sharing good and bad with those who love you.
If there’s a heaven after this life, I’m certain David is there waiting to greet us when the time comes. And I’m guessing he’s got heaven’s version of headphones on, maybe with Dixie Chicken tee’d up, Tripe Face Boogie to follow.
I’m grateful that I had a chance to know and love him, but I sure am going to miss him.
I knew Dave as LeRoy. He knew me as Biff. LeRoy and I shared two amazing years together some 33+ years ago in college. Over the years, we shared Christmas letters, occasional phone calls and such. But, the distance and years take their toll and only in the past couple of months did we make contact again after a too long void. Yet, when I got the call from my buddy, Mitch, there was no question I was going to follow my heart to Arizona. It is difficult to explain how certain folks make an impression on you, one that becomes part of who you are. LeRoy did just that. We created memories that are so important to my identity, that calling LeRoy a friend just doesn't seem enough. But, maybe that is the true definition of a friend. And just maybe, we aren't blessed to have that many in our lives. LeRoy was one of mine for reasons many of you here have mentioned. Even as a goofy kid from a little town in the middle of Illinois, LeRoy had that ability to connect with folks. Physical bodies degrade, die and pass away. But, not the spirit. That never leaves. It is eternal and I have faith that we will be reunited. I would also like to say a word about Kathy, or Sudz as we know her. LeRoy and Sudz were such great friends. We all could see that. Most of us guys were jealous as hell, but happy for LeRoy! When Kathy and Dave got married it was just meant to be. A happy marriage is a thing of beauty and quite an achievement. It sure isn't an accident and is a great tribute to both Dave and Kathy. I regret not keeping more in touch with my friends over the years. But, I was warmed to the core to experience the love and emotion of LeRoy's service and to meet many of his friends. This man lived a life of few regrets. He left us much too soon. May others say the same of us some day.
Well DW, the Rib Fest is only 5 days away. Everything seems to be o.k. down here, and I'm sure you're just fine up there. There are so many things that remind me of you and the great laughs we had together. You will be in our hearts and on our minds this Saturday. If there's anything you can say to the judges on behalf of our ribs, we'll take all the help we can get.
Rib Fest 2008 is behind us now. It was such a GREAT party! It was so wonderful for me to get to be with so many of our family of friends again! The band was fun and I had a blast dancing to just about every song!
I had sent an email saying that if anyone wanted to borrow DW's smoker, it was available. Kevin Swesey took me up on it and then he won the contest. So, DW ended up being Kevin's silent partner via the smoker and in a way, he got to share the glory of victory!
DW was thought of by everyone throughout the entire day/night, mentioned often and represented on the many Rib Fest T-shirts.
Thank you all for loving him!
Love you all!
KW
DW,
We're looking forward to the next AZRibfest.
Wish you could be there, but I know you're looking down, laughing, and wishing us all well.
2009 promises to be another smokin BBQ. This time, could you put a good word in for me? I could use it!
Happy Birthday David Wheet
We love you
There's no road rash where you're riding now, brother. Wait up for me. Missing you.
FJK
"I'll be your Dixie Chicken if you'll be my Tennessee Lamb..."
Still miss you & love you always, DW!
April, 2009
I can't believe that you have been gone for over a year now. I will never get over your passing, but I have found a way to smile when I think about all the laughs we had. Real friends, that's what we are, and will always be. Wyatt's my fiend, hell Doc I've got lots of friends, well I don't. Thanks for being my friend Doc.
Wyatt.
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