David's eulogies

August 10, 2009

Matt's wonderful eulogy, and the equally heartfelt words of Anne, Diane, and family friend (Susan?) made us all feel better on such a sad day. Their stories made us laugh and gave us a really vivid, full sense of David's wit, his quirkiness, his enthusiasm for so many things. They also painted a vivid picture of what has been lost - an extraordinary friend, son, brother and uncle; someone who brought people together and enriched us in many ways.

It is typical of the way that David was an amazing convener/friend magnet/network-builder that the evening he died, someone I was chatting with while vacationing in Massachusetts told me, "I had such sad news today - someone I knew from working on the Kindertransport website just died unexpectedly." We at first were stunned by the coincidence of both knowing David, and remarked on what a small world it is. But really it was a tribute to the way in which David connected to so many different people for such a broad array of reasons. He single-handedly made the world smaller - as well as more interesting, more fun.

It is just impossible to believe that he won't be around to recommend books and movies and off-the-beaten path things to do in New York, or to post hilarious comments on Facebook or his blog, or to do all the things he did to help others - from his family to people living with celiac disease to the Kindertransport community.

He was a giver.

Peg Willingham