About My Brother Dave

About My Brother Dave,

                               By Carole Fuqua, Dave’s youngest sister.

My last words to Dave were, "I love you, now just try to relax, you have done a great job keeping it all together."  But he couldn't relax, partly because that's the way he is, and partly because of his illness.

But today, I want to tell you about Dave as my brother.  There were 12 years between us, and three other sisters, so when I was 5 he was 17. I remember the music he played over and over ..."the girl that I marry will have to be as sweet and as soft as a nursery".  That's the part I remember.  He often took me on his dates in high school and she was pretty, but when he went to college and met Dorothy, his dreams really had come true.

 From them on whenever I played dress-up, my name was always Dorothy, as I, too thought she was beautiful and sweet and soft as a nursery.  Dave told me later she was also pretty tough as a sheepherder’s daughter could be.  And Janet says the music he played over and over and over the first summer home from college was “I wonder who’s kissing her now?”

You couldn't know Dave without fun, funny and happy being in the equation. When he put me on his handlebars to deliver the morning papers, it could also be exciting.  I often liked to sleep in his bed, because we could turn off the toggle switch on the radio with a string by using our toes and we could stick our gum on the metal headboard.  

One day he was tickling me so hard my mom came after him with a broom to stop him.  David was mischief and a tease, Janet remembers being his sidekick when they would climb up to the attic window and threw snowballs at all those passing below.

He used to announce the high school football games on the radio but not all the parents thought his offside comments about their sons were as funny as he did.

When he brought Dorothy to Miles City to run the Anderson's store, they had a cute little apartment over the store and my favorite photo is of Dave pretending to blow his nose in Dorothy's beautiful long hair.

I can just see him and his older brother, Dick, setting out the doll buggies and dolls for Christmas morn for all their little sisters.  Mom said that was what they did and I can imagine the fun he had with that.

Dave and Dorothy Serving!

Being the last sister, my memories of childhood with everyone there were few but happy. When life got really serious and my own boys began missions and college, Dave was always there to open his pocket book, send clothes and keep an interest in them. He escorted my Dave when he received his endowments in the Idaho Falls Temple for his mission.  David cared and he showed it.

Time has flown and when it is all over, all we have left are our memories.

We are so glad our memories of our brother Dave are happy ones.