I remember David always being so sweet and caring to my mother, his Aunt Katie, after my father died. Often he would pick her up to drive around the ranch, look at the orchards and then take her out to dinner. He even brought a little stool in his car so that she could easily climb into the cab.
My fondest memory of David is the day my mother died. She was in the Kaweah Delta Hospital, and I was unable to be with her in her last moments, as I lived in Oregon. So David went to the hospital to be with my aunt as my mother’s heart began to fail. And it was David who called me with the news. “She’s gone, Lo.”
A week later, Hilary and I flew to Fresno to make arrangements for the memorial service. David met us at the airport and drove us to Visalia. Later that day cousins Mary and Lulie arrived to help out.
We had dinner together that night, probably the Vintage Press, and I was lamenting not having gone to Mineral King that summer. My mother’s health was beginning to fail then, and we needed to find a home-care nurse for her. I had sent the rest of the family up to Mineral King to be with all the cousins, while I stayed behind to take care of Mom.
As we talked about Mineral King and its importance in our lives, David suggested that we all make a day trip up to the cabins. The next morning, the five of us climbed into his Range Rover and drove to Mineral King. It was early November, and there was a little snow on the ground. We sat outside in the afternoon sun, sharing family stories and memories of being together when we were kids. Hilary took a photo of us - four first cousins. That bond is still strong.
