Transcript of Daniel G. Gillenwater's Eulogy of his Baby Brother David Gillenwater at Funeral Service on 11-14-16
I've tagged my Brother so that the Eulogy I gave at his funeral service today is forever a part of his memorialized site. Below is that Eulogy:
With Davidâ€™s UofM cap in my hand, I start his eulogy by telling everyone that this was Davidâ€™s favorite cap from his favorite team. I then put his cap on my head to feel the presence of David as I start eulogizing him.
David loved watching sports, especially College Football and College Basketball. He wasnâ€™t the type to attend parties at a sports bar or a game watching party at anyoneâ€™s home. For David, watching sports was an intimate experience, freeing him the ability to scream and cuss as loud as he wanted to when things werenâ€™t going his way. He was ok at times watching sports with me, or my brother, or a friend or two. Although I am not a sports fan outside of some baseball or tennis, when watching with David, I would feel his energy and passion, and I too would get caught up in the moment, feeling the extreme anxiety of a close UofM game and shouting out at a missed opportunity and in adulation upon victory.
One of my earliest childhood memories dates back to when I was 3 Â½ years old. Our family was over my Grandma and Grandpa Pizzutoâ€™s house. My Grandparents had a very elegant looking rotary phone in the dining room. For any of the younger generation here, I can explain what a rotary phone is later. I remember the day so vividly in my mind, and I remember feeling anxious as we awaited the news. We waited in great anticipation. Then the phone rang and my sweet dear Grandmother answered the phone. â€œItâ€™s a boy,â€ she said with such joy. I was no longer the baby brother. That title was officially transferred to David Elliott Gillenwater on June 2, 1970.
My favorite decade has always been the 1970s. We all loved growing up in the 70â€™s. Until now, I thought the reason I loved everything about the 70â€™s had to do with pop culture and spending Summers camping, playing neighborhood ball, climbing trees, riding our bikes and skateboards, and daily walks in the summer to Strohâ€™s ice cream parlor for penny candy. In the fall, all the neighborhood kids played football on our front lawn (my dad never cared about having a beautiful lawn so long as his kids were having fun and close by) and we raked leaves into piles to jump in them. In the fierce winters of the 70â€™s we bundled up to play outside all day, building snowmen in the front yard and tobogganing runs in the backyard. This was such an amazing time to be a kid.
When David wasnâ€™t hanging with his best childhood friend, Eric Rapson (Eric sadly passed a few years back), he was always tagging along with me. In retrospect, I cannot think of one single solitary instance where I felt my brother tagging along was a hindrance. I loved having him tag along. And with the passing of David, I had a moment of epiphany in writing this tribute to David, in that the predominant reason the 1970s will always be firmly cemented as my favorite decade is that just as the decade was ushered in, our beautiful baby brother was born.
I have so many memories of David:
â€¢ As a toddler when approached by an adult speaking to him, David would firm his stance, fold his arms, and pout his lips as he bowed his head. Firmly getting the message across, â€œdonâ€™t speak to me until Iâ€™m ready to speak to youâ€. Hmmâ€¦I think this is where his personality started to formâ€¦you think!
â€¢ My dad loved taking his family camping and on summer vacations with his Clark Griswold station wagon. My dad had his share of Clark Griswold moments. One time, as my dad was driving into a campground (albeit at a slow speed of 5 to 10 miles an hour), when as a toddler, David somehow fell out of the car door onto the campground road. When we tried to get my dadâ€™s attention he replied â€œshut up, Iâ€™m drivingâ€. After a few â€œbut dadâ€™sâ€ he finally listened. David was calmly lying on the road, not crying, and unharmed.
â€¢ We also took advantage of Davidâ€™s innocence and taught him how to raise his middle finger proudly at cars passing by on the road. Occasionally, my dad would catch him doing this, and of course we played innocent like David decided to do this of his own accord.
In 1982, we moved to the northeast corner of Warren. David was in 7th grade. It was during this time David met his core group of male friends that remained with him throughout his life. They celebrated their friend and brotherly bond at a local pub Saturday night, sharing with us a picture of a drink on Facebook they put out for David. When I saw the picture I knew it had to be a â€œJack & Cokeâ€. At the same time, on the other side of town, some of the Gillenwater family gathered around a fire to celebrate his life. We both took photos to share and it was a treasured moment for us all. Iâ€™m so grateful of the loving bond between David and these awesome loyal friends whose bond can never be broken. I love you guys for your unconditional love of him.
One other incident that stands out happened during the Moped craze of the 1980s. David loved his Moped. He rode it everywhere he went in his early teen years. Did David have anything to do with the demise of the Moped craze? Well, maybe in a small way. One day, my dad received a knock at the door, when he went to the door, there was a police officer standing there with David. â€œAre you Davidâ€™s father? â€œ The police officer asked. â€œYesâ€ my dad responded. â€œYouâ€™re son was driving his moped under the influenceâ€. My dad assured the police officer he would discipline him appropriately. I believe that was one of the last times David rode his moped, and soon the craze faded altogether.
At the age of 16 when David started driving, my dad had purchased a new Dodge Omni. David borrowed the car and was turning at this very intersection of Masonic and Schoenherr when another car went through a red light. The car was totaled and was towed into this very parking lot. What was my dadâ€™s predictable reaction? â€œSon of a b*, I just bought that carâ€. Followed by his relief that David was unharmed.
I have so many treasured memories with David:
â€¢ David was always a huge Tigers fan and I took him to several games back in the late 80â€™s and early 90â€™s. Back in the day, Al Kaline and George Kell were the announcers. At each home local TV game, they would have a Trivia segment and pull a name of a fan to call to ask a trivia question. A correct answer garnered free Tiger tickets. David prided himself on ALWAYS knowing the answers to all the trivia questions no matter how difficult, spewing out the correct answer before it was announced by Al or George. Then the moment arrived, George Kell announced â€œAnd the next call goes out to David Gillenwater of Warrenâ€. The phone rang, David answered. Say it isnâ€™t so, David second guessed himself and gave the wrong answer.
â€¢ David was also a talented basketball player, able to defeat almost anyone at around the world with most of the balls swishing through the hoop.
â€¢ We also played tennis in the neighborhood court, and continued to toss baseballs and footballs.
â€¢ David and I (at the encouragement of our cousin Denny) sky dived at Marine City Airport in 1998. He performed his own dive from 2000+ feet. I did a tandem dive from 15,000 feet. With his competitive spirit, David was intent on nailing a perfect landing. He did. Me not so much. I didnâ€™t listen to the instructor attached to me and pulled on the flaps too early, botching up the landing as we crashed to the ground, rolling over each other.
â€¢ On a cruise, David and I also went deep sea diving together and swam with dolphins.
â€¢ We took several trips to Cedar Point together
As David got older:
â€¢ He went from being a huge alternative music fan to falling in love with the Standards, in the likes of Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett.
â€¢ He began to love the scenic beauty of Michigan. He loves the four seasons, the water, going to Beaver Island with Janet and spending weekends at Janetâ€™s motherâ€™s cabin with Janet and her family.
â€¢ He became very passionate about the beauty of the earth and the environment
â€¢ He grew into a very compassionate soul, always sticking up for those less fortunate and the most vulnerable amongst us.
David was passionate, compassionate, sincere, and a fierce debater. He loved deeply and passionately and he was loved the same way in return.
My heart aches for this family in the premature losses of so many from their 20â€™s to early 60â€™s with recent losses of my Dad, Aunt Faye; Cousins George, Regina, and Justine, and now with David.
David, My heart aches like never before. I just canâ€™t imagine life without you here. Nothing will ever be the same. We were supposed to travel together as we got older with trips to Europe and elsewhere. Wherever I go, Iâ€™ll take you with me. Iâ€™ll never let go. I love you as much as itâ€™s humanly possible to love another human being. Thank you for loving me in the same way.
Remembering David Elliott Gillenwater
June 2, 1970 - November 10, 2016

David will truly be missed from all of us here at ZF Marysville Axle, his smile, his kind heart, his team work, his line side push ups, his curling of gear sets. Our Cabana Boy...(as Vickie would call him:) will truly be missed. Prayers are with your family. David was a trooper to our our team.. until we meet again, R.I.P trooper. Your former supervisor here at ZF Marysville Axle

I'm the 3rd of 4 siblings, David being the youngest. Anna is 53, Del 52, me 50, and David was 46. So you can see why we all view David as our baby brother regardless of his fierce debating style and his Italian heritage temperament. Even though David was the tallest of us and a strong Alpha Male type sports fanatic that didn't need protecting, he was and will always be our little baby brother. That is what makes this so extremely difficult. We feel like we should have been able to protect him so that this did not happen. No parent expects to outlive their child, making this so so difficult for our mom, the best mother any child could ask for. As his older siblings, the unnatural order in David's passing makes this very difficult to deal with. He was not supposed to go first. Like any family, we too are dysfunctional to some degree. However, we are a very tight unit from my Mom, to us siblings, the nieces/nephews, and spouses/partners. A family never hesitant to tell each other "I love you". Our bond remained strong after my dad's passing and will continue to be strong following David's premature passing. Things will NEVER be the same without the presence of David. You always knew when David was in the house. He is loved oh so dearly. I know Del will be eulogizing David, as will I. At that time, we'll share our fondest memories of David, bringing to light his larger than life personality.

I worked with Dave for years at Chryslers Axle Plant. He was a great co-worker and friend. He will be missed greatly. Thoughts and Prayers to his family during this difficult time..

I met Dave for the first time working with him over 30 years ago. We had a bunch of us who used to hang out whenever we were not working. The laughter and fun we used to have makes me miss the days of our youth together. 
He was quite the ladies man with his handsomed chiseled features and sky blue eyes. But the most beautiful thing about Dave for me was his generousity he had for all those he cared for around him. He was always a supportive friend and I always respected his opinion as you could always expect his full honesty. 
I am truly devasted for the loss of my friend, we may not have talked on a daily basis but we always picked up where we left off when we did.
My condolences to the Gillenwater Family during this time. Please know Dave will be missed by so many he has touched the lives of.

To the Gillenwater family, I am so sorry for your loss. You obviously know how special he was. I just want to let you know that your Dave was special to everyone he met, which families sometimes don't get to hear about. I am Janet's sister, and I feel like I have lost my brother. He has been a staple in our family for 23 years. He was at every family reunion at the cottage and every important event in the Fischer family. His kindness, easiness, support and humor was something we all have cherished. My adult daughter has known him almost her entire life and thinks of him as an uncle. His devotion to my sister as a friend is one of the most special relationships I have ever seen. He will be missed by our family. My heart goes out to you. My thoughts and prayers will be with you as you go through this difficult time. He deserves a special spot in heaven, swingin in a hammock amongst the clouds.

Beautiful. Thank you. He spoke extremely high of all of you. I have always loved Janet like a sister.

Thank you, Kelly. I love all these beautiful responses.

David and I fell for each other in the least likely of ways facebook. My aunt and his mom were old neighbors we both commented on a status and he inboxed me to ask me out. We had a bond we laughed debated loved argued made up broke up and made up again. David hated his job and the fact he couldn't find happiness with just one woman. His sister was his rock his mom meant the world to him. He always looked up to his brothers and loved to always be right. He was so giving so humble and so amazingly handsome. I Love you David your forever in our hearts!

David and I enjoyed a day a the Detroit Zoo and had blast he was like a little boy enjoying the animals and taking picture them, then off to lunch in royal oak, what a great day it was. He spontaneously was always sending me pictures or videos of him when I asked him to check in and see what he was up too, the most funniest was the when he mooned me..lol what a sense of humor. we enjoyed drinks from time to time at the local pubs in st.clair..mainly the stclair inn. He called me his kissin cousin..lol..Ill never forget his pretty blue eyes and his strong arm hugs. Until we meet again my precious friend Ill never forget you!!

I was lucky enough to be one of Dave's supervisors at work. I got to know Dave more than just an associate at work. He was a very professional, consistent worker and a hell of a guy. I would never worry about the jobs he was on because it was always 100% with Dave. And he helped me with other team members because he was well respected. Everyone loved Dave because he was real and a great guy to everyone. You will be missed Brother !

We are going to miss you so much Dave. PD.

He was never so happy with his job as when it moved to the Marysville plant. He loved working there and loved the team. There was nothing insincere about David. He was as real as they come.

AVIS DE DÉCÈS

David E. Gillenwater

2 juin 1970 – 10 novembre 2016

A.H. Peters Funeral Home

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