Brian Corey's Message

I am hoping to get as many of the Tributes to Dave as I can and post them on the Blog. This was written and read by Brian Corey at David's Service.


I am honored and thankful to Kathy, Ray, Phyllis, and Lauren for the opportunity to share a few words about my friend Dave.
As I was thinking about what to say today I thought about the many stories we created while growing up. While reminiscing with Mel, Gerard, Bobby, Jackie and Butchy, we laughed a lot about the experiences and events that bonded us through our youth. We remembered stories that covered football, wrestling, church dances with the Victors, fun days at the training school, girl watching, and some really crazy antics we did for amusement. With their input, I have compiled a few of those memories to share with you today.
Phyllis I need to also state with the highest respect… The statue of limitations on these stories has run out.
I met Dave in the 7th grade when Chelmsford Junior High brought kids together from all over town. We became good friends quickly and I was welcomed into Dave’s circle of North Chelmsford buddies.
It was clear at a young age that Dave was a great athlete. Dave immediately introduced me to weight lifting. We would work out regularly up in his attic on Gay St. Now…I was a REALLY SKINNY little kid that had never touched a weight but Dave was determined he was going to turn us into championship body builders. He started teaching me proper technique on how to breathe, how to bend, how to balance. He was always very serious about the workouts but to be honest… all I could think about was the Tuna fish sandwich Phyllis was making for our snack - Phyllis always made the best Tuna. I was also more interested in listening to Ray practice his guitar.
Later on in High school we would lift at Gerard Cronin’s house at the Middlesex training school. Gerard and Dave again were very serious about the routines. They were constantly competing to see who could lift the most and the heaviest. The rest of us would finish our routine and just hang around. Dave would always show up with a new muscle magazine and then proceed to define yet another GRUELLING regiment. He was forever telling me to just keep lifting.
When we we’re freshman, Dave, the Carpenter boys and I played “Pop Warner.” We actually made the “All Star” team playing Lowell for the championship. It was a real wet, rainy day and Shed Park was a huge mud
bowl. While covered in mud we gave it our all but lost 7-6. However it was from there that Dave and the Carpenters went on to become starters for Chelmsford High’s Varsity Football Team.
While Dave was off becoming a football hero I chose to go the wrestling route. I wrestled alone our freshman year but aggressively recruited Dave our sophomore year. Along with Dave came Gerard, Mel, and Bobby. The gang was all together, and we were all on the same team. Let me tell you we had plans for that team. However Coach Schrock made it clear quick…this was one team we weren’t running.
Dave, Bobby and I were the only ones to stick it out through our senior year and we made some memories. Coach Whitehead remembers Dave as a natural athlete with an extraordinary talent. Dave had the ability to perform both physically and mentally at the highest levels and with the right amount of determination and timely guts. Yet he was always humble, approachable, kind and friendly as well as a great team mate.
However at one point…there was one small problem that put the team at risk. Dave developed a RASH. He had very sensitive skin. Now we all know Dave was very conscience of his appearance and extremely “BUGGED” by any kind of imperfection on his body. We were blown away when Dave said he wanted to quit because of “THE RASH”. Well….That took some talking, and OK, some begging from Bobby and me to get Dave to reverse his decision. Dave did rejoin the team and went on to win two State championships and a New England Championship for Chelmsford.
Not only was Dave a great athlete…. He was fun, a practical joker, and always a loyal friend. I remember the year Dave, Bobby and I won the states. We celebrated, and celebrated… and celebrated at my parent’s lake house. Our coach got wind of our never ending merriment and was stating as a result of our actions… we would suffer the consequences. Bobby and I got nervous, but Dave assured us… We were the team. The Team needed us. And … He was right… we went on to wrestle, we won and then we began to celebrate again.
There was the time Dave, Gerard, Mel, Bobby, Jackie and I made home brewed beer in galvanized trash cans we stole…I mean we borrowed from Quinn’s Hardware. We bottled the beer and left it in my parent’s lake house attic to ferment. After some time had passed the bottles started to explode in the attic and the beer stained the ceiling tiles everywhere. When it was clear I was in trouble…Dave and the gang disappeared faster than you can say bye. We ended up moving our operation to the woods. But… that career was short lived because….The Beer was AUFUL.
Then there was the infamous Demolition Derby with Dave and me in Kleynan’s 64 Chevy driving against Mike Gilotti and Gerard in Cronin’s 58 Chevy wagon. This daylong event started on High St. in North Chelmsford before school, continued in the high school parking lot and finally peaked at the Middlesex training school. Remember this was a boy’s reform school. After much crashing and slamming, the cars looked like a couple of crumpled banana’s, and now we needed to find a ride home. The resident reform kids who watched this derby couldn’t understand why they were residents and we weren’t.
Dave and Jackie’s first job out of high school was collecting trash for the town of Chelmsford and boy…. They had some great stories about some of the stuff that was in that trash and what they did with some of the trash.
Other crazy antics included climbing the North Chelmsford Water Towers, racing across the top of the steel girders of the Tyngsboro Bridge, and fighting our way out of the Billerica Battle of the Bands.
It was years later at Pat and my Tyngsboro home that Dave and Kathy got engaged. They were out canoeing on the lake when Dave popped the question. When they came up from the water they were both very happy and couldn’t wait to share the news.
After Dave was diagnosed with Cancer we spent a lot of time together reminiscing about old times, friends, events and family. Since we were both avid Red Sox fans…We were able to solve all the issues resulting from the game the night before.
I knew Dave was a carpenter, but I learned more about the love he had for his craft. He shared how he got started in the trade and his passion for building staircases. He also enjoyed showing me the work he’d completed in his home.
One day after LOTS of reluctance on Dave’s part to leave the house, I convinced him to let me take him to his last job site to see Moe and the crew. Once on site, Dave became a different person. He was excited about seeing the work that had been completed, admiring all the intricate details, and eager to hear about what was happening next. You could see Dave loved being back on the job, even if it was only for an hour. Phyllis called me that night and said….”I usually want to smack you Corey but today I could Kiss you.” Yes!!!... I finally got Phyllis to like me.
When Dave was in remission after the stem cell replacement and feeling stronger he wanted to still work. We talked about him finishing off some molding around windows in my basement. Well, he came over to scope the job and ended up replacing all the interior doors, building a new mantle for the fireplace and a window seat in the master bath. He also designed, constructed and installed cabinets in the garage and finally six months later we made it to the basement to focus on the original plan.
While replacing the interior doors, my job was to do all the lifting. One Day while I was carrying a door from the garage to the bedroom, Dave stood holding the kitchen door open for me and said “who would of ever thought you would be carrying doors for me.”
Dave was a prankster right up to the end. When Dave’s back got tired while working at the house, he would pull out his sleeping bag and lay flat on the garage floor. Ruth and George (my in-laws) would stop by and think Dave was sleeping. He got a kick out of listening to them shushing each other and tip toeing around to not wake him up. Dave would continue to fake sleeping, listen to their conversations and then… sit-up and join in the conversation scaring them both.
Dave’s attraction to wood work never stopped. Occasionally on his way to my house after a treatment, he would stop by Barry Bells to checkout and admire the work Barry had done on his old Victorian Home.
Dave was very happy at this stage of his life and it was very easy for him to talk about his love for his family. He just wanted more time with Kathy, his girls, Mom and Rae. His concerns were only for them.
Our friendship started strong and ended strong with some gaps in the middle. I will always be grateful to have known Dave and all the memories we have shared will be forever cherished and remembered.
So buddy…. Where ever you are… I know you have a gym set up, and you’re working out. I’m sure you have already targeted a few and are encouraging them to join your routine. Lucky them.
Oh yea…and build us one more staircase.