Tribute to a Friend, Dave Stringham
By Bob Stevens, The
Muddled Male
I
wrote this tribute a little more than five years ago. I repeat it here as an expression of continued
respect for a man who I am proud to know and look up to as a friend.
“Once
in a while we cross paths with a person who leaves an indelible imprint for
good on our lives. How can we forget all
the times we saw that broad brimmed hat shading a never ending smile on the
face of a man who, as far as I have observed, has never lost his cool, has
never spoken an angry word, has never failed to respond to someone's call for
help, has never been willing to trade integrity for expediency.
An
acquaintance told me of a time when our broad brimmed friend was down in a hole
working on a problem for the Sewer District when he was told of a water company
emergency up on Sweetwater Hill. He
immediately "changed hats" to his second employer but first rushed
back to the shop to get his personal truck so that he wasn't driving the truck
of one company to do the work of another.
And
then there was the time he was in St George, got an emergency call from the
Water Company, interrupted his time in the warmth and flew back to Garden City
to resolve the issue with nary a complaining word.
Or
the time he was working on a water line in front of my house when a coworker
inadvertently caused a collision that ripped the front bumper partly off our
friend's truck. I never heard a cross
word nor did the smile fade, although I think I noticed a slight gritting of
his teeth, but only for an instant.
How
about his years of service organizing and running the scout breakfast for
Raspberry Days?
And
so to a man who is woven into the tapestry of this community as a friend and as
an example of good in the world we quote the Master, "Dave, well done, thou good and faithful servant."
And
to his family, thank you for your example of facing adversity with dignity and
in a way that is loving and kind and selfless."
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