I was informed on Christmas Eve that long-standing LJ'er David Mitchell/Patron is no longer with us. He passed away quietly in Hospice Care in Santa Fe, New Mexico December 15, 2022. I met him on-line, in that woodworking community, and began to exchange innumerable E-mails sharing not only wood related ideas but also discussing Life, the Universe, and Everything we became Friends...
When his Brother Joe Passed away David told me of a little bit of Land he was selling that he had built a small house on for Joe... The price was VERY low! I had to see it for myself...
Two tight (from the wind) rooms with NO amenities, not even water... The 2013 trip allowed he and I to work together raising the first wall of his Shop
When Debbie and I bought our House in 2015 David came to Concord to see it and work on it in a whirl-wind five day visit...
In September of 2018 David and I worked together again here in Concord on a collapsed stone foundation
We met again in 2019 and continued to text and occasionally call I spoke with him last at the end of October...
The Patron's tagline was, "If you want to make Friends, you gotta be friendly" a thought I'm very fond of But I've always found that real Friendship can't be pursued True Friends enter your Life unexpectedly and sadly, leave the same way...
It's sad that David's passing will go largely unmarked and he will never get credit for his psychedelic work at the Record Studio and Trident Restaurant in California It meant a lot to him, and he was actually in discussions with the "new" owners of the Trident, about finishing the work he began there... Regrettably, the Talks stalled....
Anyway, I know that he was Friends with many of you too and I thought some would like to know... He was the even older, Older Brother I never had and I (we) will miss him Rest in Peace, David
3 January 2023
Mike, in Concord, NH - A candle loses none of its flame by lighting another candle...
thanks for sharing this. i wonder if martin could create a memorial here like the one on LJ'S so these members arn't forgotten. ive seen some here that i know are already gone.
working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.
From my dealings with David, and I met him via a conversation I had with De Goose (AKA Larry Makin) here in Brisbane Australia many years ago. That conversation led to communicating quite often and included a string of friends like Little cope and all of his close friends he found when he became stranded with a car full of tools. His background was quite "unique" and showed if you pull yourself out of a spiraling downhill tend you can definitely recover and make a better life for yourself. It was with sadness I heard of the death of his daughter Said, however I was not aware he also lost a brother as well. Recognition:- If it was possible I would have to label him with an honourary "Little Auzzie Battler award. A most inspiring man, and somebody "I just met on the internet"
Thank you for the writing about David. Only met him on LJ and was always warmed by his kind words and almost lyrical writing style. I got the impression that he was a hard working man even at old age and gave a lot of attention to the well being of others
"The good chair is a task one is never completely done with" Hans Wegner
I just came across this. So sad to hear. Not many had a heart the size of Patrons. He did so much for so many, whether he knew them a lot or just a little. RIP
Figuring out how to do something you have never done is what makes a good challenge.
