David

My first memory of David is at the ranch in the High Sierras of Chilcoot, California, the property where the original four Williams brothers grew up together. My dad Richard and David’s dad Cliff are the two oldest of the Williams brothers. I would have been about 4 or 5yrs old because Grandpa Walt was still around so I’m guessing it was probably 1985-1986? It was me, my sister Beverly, my cousins Serena, Jessica (Howard’s daughters, he’s the 3rd Williams brother), and Chris and David. I was the youngest and smallest of us at the time and recall being set loose on the property to adventure with the big kids. The whole day isn’t totally vivid in my memory but I distinctly remember needing to run like hell from a raging bull (which was probably just a regular cow minding his business) and David bravely holding the barbed wire fence open for me to crawl through to escape. I remember he was very careful to be sure I made it through without a scratch. I remember feeling safe and looked after, protected…and not a fan of wild livestock.

Fast forward a couple of decades, beyond the family visits that merged into losing touch due to distance, then reconnecting and becoming friends as adults…I paid David a visit in Oklahoma where he took me on my first ever motorcycle ride. Again, taking great care to be sure I was safe, we went for a ride that both terrified and thrilled me. That same nostalgic feeling of being taken care of came flooding back and I’ll never forget it. With David, I’ll always be safe. I enjoyed my first ride! And thanks to his dare devil attitude towards motorcycles, never got on one again. 😉 

Fast forward another several years to my wedding, which SOMEONE was not planning to attend! I understood the restrictions due to limited time off work and travel expenses but still felt super disappointed, yet also secretly looked forward to being able to hold this over his head for the rest of our lives. Well joke was on me because I arrived at the venue only to be told by cousin Walt (the youngest of the Williams cousins, he and Callie are Kennard’s kids, the youngest Williams brother) that he had a surprise for me—and David walks around the corner! I was absolutely thrilled. I just knew he wouldn’t miss my big day, to be there to look after me.

Now here we are in 2024…while we may not talk every day, when we do, David is the perfect blend of gentleman and over the top sarcastic jackass. Never the sugar coater, he tells me like it is and puts me in my place when I need to be. He listens with empathy and responds with maturity, then he makes fun of me and loves me exactly as I am. David may be on the cousin branch of our Williams family tree but if I could hand pick an older brother, it would be David every single time–my safety net from the beginning.

Val