Darik Meuschke

Darik Martindale Meuschke was born in Burbank on July 2, 1962. He was born at St. Joseph’s Hospital, where his son David was also born. Darik was the son of Harry and Henri Meuschke. Henri was a “stay at home” mother, who was involved with the tennis program at the local parks. Harry worked for NBC Studios, where Darik got to hang out on the sets and realized that actors were “people” too. His sister who was ten years older always called him “her little brother” even though he towered over her. Darik resided in Burbank for 33 years.

Henri introduced Darik to the world of tennis, where he competed at local events. During this time he met his close friend Jeff Brenner. The two of them spent weekends at each other’s houses goofing around, riding bikes, playing hot wheels and building forts. On the weekends they would get together to work on cars. Darik and Jeff went camping many times in Darik’s parents’ pop-up trailer. They went to San Felipe, Grand Canyon, Utah, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and Pismo Beach. The boys would go off riding their bikes all day, with a promise to be back at the campsite by sundown.

Darik attended Pierce College, where he continued to play tennis and studied Computer Science. During a class in Economics, Darik met Carrie. What started as classmates, continued to grow and the friendship became unconditional love. Carrie graduated from Pierce and began attending CSUN, while Darik attended Cal Poly Pomona, studying Computer Science. Darik realized that the college life was not for him, but he knew he wanted to further his career in the computer industry. Darik began attending Computer Learning Center while working for the City of Burbank. During this time, Darik was diagnosed with cancer. While receiving his chemotherapy, he continued his studies and graduated Magna Cum Laude with perfect attendance.

Carrie and Darik were married on March 25, 1990. They had several opportunities to travel to Europe, where he was always the “map man”. Paris, England, and Switzerland were just some of the places they traveled to. In 1994, their first child David Martindale Meuschke was born. They stayed in Burbank for another year and then moved to Thousand Oaks. In 1996, their second child was born, Rebecca Leah Meuschke. Their third child, Katie Anne Meuschke, was born on March 11, 2000. Darik opened his own company called Dream Garage, where he could give any garage a “complete transformation”

Darik was first and foremost a family man and enjoyed being a kid himself. His time with his family was what made him happiest. He loved taking his family camping in his 16-foot pop-up trailer. He cherished his time with his friends, especially if he could bar-b-que for them. He spent many hours working around the house, especially in the yard, followed by a huge jump in the pool. Darik loved the pool and was always encouraging his children to join him. He prided himself on being the best father, husband and friend anyone could ask for. He provided unconditionally with all his heart and made sure his family was well taken care of.

Darik will be remembered as a generous, kind-hearted, loving friend, husband and father, He will always be in our hearts and in our souls. We will miss him.