Mary Donev
For days, since I first heard of my brother's passing I've been trying to put into words all that Dave meant to me.
Dave and I certainly didn't always agree on everything (especially politics) but I admired him for his honesty and integrity. Like our father, he was a man of few words who never hesitated to do what he believed to be the right thing, even when it was hard.
I will always cherish his steadfastness and loyalty to our mother through her many years of Parkinson's disease. His devotion to her cost him a great deal personally through years of caring for all her needs – travelling hundreds of miles to visit her, hiring the most wonderful aids to care for her 24/7, managing her estate that was not drained by medical expenses but actually tripled in value by the time of her passing, all while dealing with doctors, lawsuits, and more.
One time, Dave found out the priest at Mom’s church stopped bringing her communion, saying Mom didn’t mentally understand what was happening. Dave was outraged. He knew I was going to visit Mom soon and told me what the priest had done. So, when I came to town, I took communion to Mom. I could tell from the look on her face what a special moment it was for her. That priest was SO wrong… Mom knew exactly what she was doing when she received communion. And, thanks to Dave, no mere priest was able to deny it to her.
With courage and conviction, Dave never wavered from doing what he felt was right by Mom, no matter what the personal cost to him. He stood by her, fought for her and protected her, in more ways than I’ll probably ever know.
Dave wasn’t perfect. But, even with all his faults, I am grateful he was my brother. I loved him a lot.
