Uncle Dave died from Lou Gehrig's Disease in 1994. I'm hoping people who knew him will share a memory or two about him so that we all can learn more about who he was and continues to be.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Who is Dave Joyce?
Please share a story about Uncle Dave so that I can learn more about what he was like. Just click on the word "Comments" below, write a story and don't forget to share your name too.
Here is my only first hand story. I met Dave once (on Thanksgiving 1994, a month before he died) and he was in pretty bad shape; he couldn't walk or feed himself.
Even though ALS was beating him he still had enough humor left to ask my wife (who was my girlfriend then), "Are you sleeping together?" This gave me a glimpse into who Dave was and made all of the funny stories I would eventually hear about him believable- do you know how he got out of the Coast Guard?
I remember carefully leaving the room before he asked any more embarrassing questions.
I was a medic with Perinton Ambulance for 25 years, and Dave was my Tuesday night driver for at least ten of those years. Frequently, we would trade roles, but with one condition - Dave reminded me each time that if we got a maternity call, there was no way he was going to be the medic. Dave's skills, both EMS and interpersonal, were spectacular. Even in the most trying of circumstances, Dave was able to bring comfort and reassurance to patient(s) and the the families we were caring for. We would also read the personals column to our regular second medic in hopes of finding a suitable match for her, but we failed at this task.
Dave was a unique individual, and it was my privilege to know him and work with him.
I know this is a little late but I guess better late than never. I tried twice before but for some reason the comments didn't get posted. The thing that stands most in my mind about David was the times he took my son out fishing at the cottage. My son was very young and just a little hyper- just a little- and Dave had him calmer and quieter than I had ever seen him. The concentration he had while learning how to bait the hook and wait for a bite was great. They had a special connection that day. Of course on the humorous side there were the hundreds of times Dave asked when Jim and I were getting married (while we were dating of course) and then once married the hundreds of times he asked when we were going to have a baby, etc. etc... Always the jokester! Sister-in-law, Jerri
Here is my only first hand story. I met Dave once (on Thanksgiving 1994, a month before he died) and he was in pretty bad shape; he couldn't walk or feed himself.
ReplyDeleteEven though ALS was beating him he still had enough humor left to ask my wife (who was my girlfriend then), "Are you sleeping together?" This gave me a glimpse into who Dave was and made all of the funny stories I would eventually hear about him believable- do you know how he got out of the Coast Guard?
I remember carefully leaving the room before he asked any more embarrassing questions.
I was a medic with Perinton Ambulance for 25 years, and Dave was my Tuesday night driver for at least ten of those years. Frequently, we would trade roles, but with one condition - Dave reminded me each time that if we got a maternity call, there was no way he was going to be the medic. Dave's skills, both EMS and interpersonal, were spectacular. Even in the most trying of circumstances, Dave was able to bring comfort and reassurance to patient(s) and the the families we were caring for. We would also read the personals column to our regular second medic in hopes of finding a suitable match for her, but we failed at this task.
ReplyDeleteDave was a unique individual, and it was my privilege to know him and work with him.
Dave Ackroyd
I know this is a little late but I guess better late than never. I tried twice before but for some reason the comments didn't get posted. The thing that stands most in my mind about David was the times he took my son out fishing at the cottage. My son was very young and just a little hyper- just a little- and Dave had him calmer and quieter than I had ever seen him. The concentration he had while learning how to bait the hook and wait for a bite was great. They had a special connection that day. Of course on the humorous side there were the hundreds of times Dave asked when Jim and I were getting married (while we were dating of course) and then once married the hundreds of times he asked when we were going to have a baby, etc. etc... Always the jokester! Sister-in-law, Jerri
ReplyDelete