David Brian Karnowski (Mar 16, 1959-Nov 21, 2011)

Although it was nice having Dave's funeral short and sweet (like he wanted it) I missed the Rosary the night before. I especially missed the time afterwards when people would have been invited to share their stories about Dave. Nobody had a chance to talk about how he touched their lives. I'm sure I would have been a blubbering idiot and it would have been ugly, but I would have loved to have the opportunity to say a few things.

When you grow up in a family like ours where our parents had 7 kids in a little over 10 years you can't help but become close. The bond we have is hard to explain. Anyway long story short,  I'm going to share a few words about my brother.

The first two words that come to mind are WORK ETHIC. When Dave did anything he did it to the best of his ability and never settled for anything less than perfection. There was no such thing as half- a**. You should have seen how he cut grass. I think he invented diagonal lawn mowing. His amazing work ethic started way before he was old enough to mow the lawn. We have home videos (somewhere that I cannot seem to locate) with him scrubbing dishes. He worked harder than anyone in the family and he did it with a smile on his face. His smile. If you knew Dave, you know what I'm talking about. He had the best smile and wasn't afraid to show it often.

Dave laid his life down for his family. When he was a senior in high school he learned he was going to be a dad. He had letters from colleges asking him to play sports. He was such a great athlete and I was so proud to watch him. He played baseball, football and wrestled. He could have made other choices but did the right thing by being the best dad possible. I admired him so much!

Family was everything to Dave. He was a great son to both Mom and Dad. He went above and beyond in every way when it came to honoring them. He was a lot like our dad. He had a gentle quiet way about him. He never dominated conversations. Even though Mom could be a little hard to be around after Dad passed away, he would drive over to spend time with her every Sunday. He was so generous and would give you the shirt off his back.

When Dave learned his life would be shortened we asked if he wanted to do anything special, like take a trip. All he cared about doing was spending time with Pattie, his kids and his grandchildren. I had the privilege of taking him to see his newest granddaughter, Evelyn about a month ago. He slept the entire way there and back but rallied for the kids. Dave had the best relationship with his ex-wife, Connie, the mother of his kids. Josh and Randy were his first priority and nothing was going to change it. He taught me how important it is to forgive my ex-husband and that it's the best gift I can give my own children.

Dave was one of the most sensitive, caring and compassionate people I know. He felt terrible when he thought he may have hurt my feelings a couple of weeks ago. He finally told me he hated chicken after I had made him many different meals with it. Naze told me a story recently where Dave was going to take the blame when she got in a driving accident before she had her license. That's the kind of brother he was. He took the blame for a lot of stuff that he didn't do, just to keep Peace.

For some reason I don't have very many pictures of me with Dave. I'm going to have to remember him in my heart. I don't think I'll ever forget the sound of his voice. I have a message on my answering machine right now that I can't bring myself to delete.

When I think about Dave I will always see him as I did as a little girl. I thought he was so cool. Everybody loved him. I looked up to him and always wanted his approval. When I was sitting beside his hospital bed in those last weeks I opened his Bible and a card fell out. It had the words of 1 Cor 13 on it. They spoke of Dave.

Dave was patient, Dave was kind. Dave did not envy, he did not boast, he was not proud. He did not dishonor others, he was not self-seeking, he was not easily angered, he kept no record of wrongs. Dave did not delight in evil but rejoiced with the truth. Dave always protected, always trusted, always hoped, always persevered. Dave did not fail and he never quit.

Dave knew how to love well.

I have absolutely no doubt that my brother is in Heaven with Mom, Dad, Vic and everybody else he loved. It's comforting to know they paved the way and will be waiting for me when it's my turn. It was only appropriate to celebrate Dave's life the day before Thanksgiving. I will always be thankful that he touched my life.
xoxo