Last week we found out that one of our most beloved guests of the lodge passed away unexpectedly. He was a good one – genuinely kind and selfless, with a great Wisconsin accent and smile. I was in Dave’s boat when I caught my biggest walleye to date. He was so truly happy for me in that moment – in such a way that made the experience what it was for me. He had become family to us and we feel so fortunate to have gotten the chance to know him and be a part of something that he loved. A week after his trip this summer he was in a car wreck that injured him and we marveled at how lucky he was to come out of it alive and well. We had been meaning to reach out to him to offer our condolences about his wreck, but instead it got shifted from one to-do list to another. He unexpectedly passed away on November 18th, 2015 and will be greatly missed.
I can’t quite explain the feeling of shame and disappointment I have on top of the sadness about how we neglected what would have taken 5 minutes of our time to reach out and let him know that he was in our thoughts. And now he is gone. Travis and I both were stunned and reminded that there truly are no guarantees. The abundance of privilege and opportunity we have is so constantly taken for granted. I don’t think we can spend our lives waiting to live. As we head into the busy holiday season, and especially this week during Thanksgiving, I hope to keep this in mind. We all have so much to be thankful and grateful for – always. Write that thank you card today. Go visit that friend or relative or place on your to-do list. Be an advocate not an adversary. But most importantly, DON”T WAIT!
Dave’s friends and family have set up a memorial fund to honor his passion for hunting and the outdoors by giving future generations the same opportunity. For more information you can visit this GoFundMe link: https://www.gofundme.com/fdb58xss
Thanks,
Carrie and Travis