| Graduation Year | Class of 1977 |
| Date of Passing | Oct 27, 1986 |
| About | OK..... October 27th, 1986..... I got the call around 4:00 am from Gail's older brother that David was killed in an auto accident on Rt 6 in Columbia, not too far from his church. My wife at that time, was working 3rd shift at Rockville General Hospital in Rockville, CT. I called her and asked her to come home. Next phone call, and I can still hear it, was to my parents who I waked up and had to get them a minute before they realized what I was saying. After that there was nothing but screaming and crying over the phone. The next few days blurred but I do remember going with Gail to Potter's Funeral Home in Willimantic to help her pick out a casket for my brother. The night of the wake was a nightmare. My parents were like zombies. They didn't know what they were doing, where they were or anything. When we walked into the room with the casket, they saw David and went almost hysterical, holding David's head and cradling him in their arms. The funeral director was horrified and told me what ever I do, get the, off the body. David sustained severe head and faial injuries and his face was mostly mortician's wax. He was afraid the work would come undo. Luckily, it held. After the funeral we went to the Willimantic Cemetery on Rt. 32 and David is buried in the family plot there. After the service my father dropped to his knees and was crying the he never told David he loved him. I'm sorry if this was a bit graphic but some things you never forget. That brings us to Jack Schneider's Church. I do believe that is the church you mentioned where David came to the Lord. I went there for a very brief time as well. That church, and Jack Schneider himself, caused alot of hurt to my family . I have to back up to the summer of 1986. I was laid off from my job as a firefighter at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in East Hartford where David worked as well. I was attending Eastern Ct. State University in Willimantic but had alot of time on my hands. The church turned David and Gail away from my parents and I. We were sinners and he didn't associate with us. David, who was a calibrator for all the extremely sensitive instrumentation used in the production of a jet engine and was at labor grade 1, the top of the pay scale at P&WA, tithed 10% to the church faithfully. Many times this caused a financial hardship for David but the church came first. David would ask for money from my parents to pay his bills. If you weren't a christian, then you didn't exist. This caused alot of bad feelings between David and Gail and we never saw Gail and rarely saw the kids. This hurt my parents immeasurably. Anyway, in the winter of 83-84. Jack Schneider would always drive this beat-up VW bug to church. One cold day Jack drove in with a brand new Cadillac because the VW wouldn't start. David was livid! He felt betrayed as he gave up alot of things for the church. To see the pastor drive in in a new caddy was more than David could take. He really tapered off from participating in the church. That summer he and I re-connected as brothers when he asked my to help him put on a new roof on his house. What a blessing that was! I thank God that I got that month as I found my brother again. During this time David relayed just how much he was disappointed in not God, but the church. He never once faulted his belief in the Lord but instead the deception of man, especially Jack Schneider. It wasn't only the incident with the cadillac but he said other things made sense now that he "took off the rose-colored glasses". After the accident of course my parents wanted to be with Gail and the kids. From out of no where the church people took over and they would NOT allow my parents to see Gail. She was always "sleeping" or some other excuse. How in the world can anyone justify keeping family apart at a time like this? My parents were in shock. At the funeral, Jack Schneider's entire sermon was about David and his grandmother. Not a word about my parents. Jack even had the nerve to ask my mother at the funeral if she ever gave herself to God. My mother was raised catholic and doesn't understand the concept of "born again". So my mother said no. Jack told her that she would never see David again if she didn't. What a completely insensitive thing to say to a mother who just lost her son. No religion would ever condone such behavior. As I said, the church caused a lot of hurt to my family. |
