He is survived by daughter and son-in-law, Brenda & Scott Eivens of Cedar Park, Texas; 2 grandchildren, Ty and Quinn Eivens of Cedar Park, Texas; parents, Adolf “Duff” and Alice Kratochvil of San Antonio, Texas; brother and sister-in-law, Gary & Cindy Kratochvil of Orange County, CA; and nephews, Josh, Adam, Cody, Dylan Kratochvil.
As sons of an Air Force Chief Master Sergeant, Dave and brother Gary spent their childhood in South Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Japan, California, Texas and Alaska. As a young man, Dave developed a love of reading, music, art and the outdoors, which he nurtured throughout his life. He earned his Eagle Scout and, upon graduating from high school, won appointments to the US Military Academy at West Point and the Naval Academy at Annapolis. Dave graduated from Annapolis in 1972 and was commissioned in the US Marines Corps. He assisted with the evacuation at the fall of South Vietnam, participated in joint operations with forces in Bolivia and Columbia and served in staff positions in Washington, California and Hawaii. After retiring, Dave became a defense contractor and continued with that until his death.
Dave had returned to Hawaii in 2000 and continued to indulge in his love of the water and outdoors. He was introduced to paddling at the Honolulu Pearl Canoe Club where he found a new passion! Completing the Molokai race with his team would be one of the highlights of his life. Dave went on to paddle with Windward Kai Canoe Club and then Lanikai Canoe Club. Whether in a six-man or his one-man canoe, Dave enjoyed watching the honu. He was intrigued by their serenity and frustrated that he was never fast enough with his camera to catch that perfect shot. He would laugh as he shared many photos of half-flippers or partial heads. Dave enjoyed riding his Harley, making regular treks around the island, soaking in the magnificent beauty and always stopping on the North Shore for a shaved ice.
Dave's other great passions were his family and friends. He was a tremendous mentor and teacher and was known to be incredibly kind and generous of heart. He enjoyed helping his Mom and Dad prune trees in their pecan orchard and helping "Pops" with his garden. He was like a second father to his nephews and enjoyed not only working with them on various life challenges, but also playing and wrestling--not even the four of them were strong enough to pin down Uncle Dave! Dave taught his grandchildren to love and respect the Island, as well as to snorkel, boogie board, build sand castles, paddle and catch crabs. Quinn's favorite pastime was hunting for the "humu" while they snorkeled together, while Ty loved finding the big waves to body surf together.
While many could rely on Dave to provide encouragement and comfort, he had a difficult time accepting the same from others. He had battled cancer, and despite major setbacks, he always ‘leaned forward in the foxhole’, as Marines like to say. Quinn coined Dave’s throat clearing as a ‘hairball’, and he would laugh about it despite the constant pain and discomfort. Let's just say he was tough!
Dave never stopped learning and appreciated the complexities of man. He loved his friends and family and recognized the gifts in each one--he was especially good at making people feel unique and special. Dave was generous-- complicated at times-- but so full of love for others. We all miss him terribly but know he is with us in spirit and standing by to throw a little humor our way to help us through this life.
Memorial services are pending and will be announced at a later date.
Arrangements under the direction of Borthwick Mortuary, Honolulu, HI.
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