I’ve been thinking a lot about my friend Dave and the years we shared, especially after hearing of his passing.

We became friends during our freshman year on the high school racquetball team, and for at least a year after that, I spent more time with Dave than just about anyone. Some of my favorite memories from those days include taking a trip to Springfield, Illinois, and to Chesterfield to go bike riding. We also took driver’s education together, and I vividly remember sitting in the back seat the first time Dave got behind the wheel. He slammed on the gas and nearly gave me whiplash, before our instructor—whom Dave nicknamed “Juice Newton”—quickly hit the brakes.

We also went to the Fox Theater to see a Pink Floyd laser light show, followed by a full screening of Pink Floyd The Wall. Dave introduced me to the Beatles, and I remember many nights where a group of us would gather in his basement playing penny poker. We rang in the new year heading into 1988 together. Those were truly great times in my life, and Dave was a big part of what made them so memorable.

Life took us in different directions for a long stretch, and for about 25 years we only saw each other occasionally. But about 10 years ago, we both ended up back in our childhood homes in Clayton and reconnected. It felt like picking up right where we left off. Dave especially loved reminiscing—talking about the people we grew up with and what they were up to now. Those conversations meant a lot to me, and they’re something I’ll truly miss.

I’m grateful for the friendship we had, both then and later in life. Dave will always be part of some of my best memories.

Dave & I at the Alamo Drafthouse on April 16th during one of our monthly hangouts to catch a movie. The last movie we watched together was "Something Wild," and I believe the last movie he saw at the theatre was "Purple Rain"... one of his all-time favorites.

Some of David's favorite times were those long hot summer days at our home away from home, camp Forty Legends, where he was known as Liberace (because of his hair). We were there for several summers in a row, and every time we saw each other, even the last time on April 16th, we reminisced about good, bad, and all of the strange times we had at camp in the 80s.
During COVID, I made some of these funny trading cards featuring campers & counselors...but the truth is, David was nothing short of Legendary.

David was a dear, dear friend who helped me through some of the hardest times of my life. He accepted me in junior high when few others would, and it was thanks to him that I felt less alone. 

By the end of high school, we had grown apart, but met again twenty years later at our class reunion, which reignited and ultimately deepened an old, comfortable friendship.

David grew close with my family, visiting us in Chicago and joining us when we visited St. Louis. Even when we were apart, we would enjoy lovely, old-fashioned phone conversations. I especially enjoyed talking to David over long walks, not unlike the walks David and I used to take in junior high and high school to Shaw Park or Wash U or the Art Museum. One day during the Pandemic, I became so engrossed in a conversation with David that I wandered out onto a frozen Lake Michigan, though luckily my foot steps never punctured the ice.

David was also a wonderful pen pal. It was our correspondence, in fact, that inspired me to pursue writing. David was the more gifted writer,  but he was also an encouraging reader, and for a long time he was the only person I would trust with my written work. 

Thank you, David, for being my first real reader. Thank you for being a joyous, generous soul. Thank you for helping me to love life as you did. Thank you for being a great, great friend.

I'll miss you for the rest of my life.

OBITUARY

David Paster

May 16, 1972 – May 5, 2026

Berger Memorial Chapel

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