World Wide Woozle episode #637

Hi everyone, welcome back and thank you for listening in.

This week my good friend Dave "Tanker" Matteson passed away. I was last with him on 18 November in Huntsville, Alabama when he dropped me at the airport to start my trip home. Less than a month later he's gone.

Dave and I first 'met' in 1997 in an online forum for GI Joe and Action Man collectors and we've been friends ever since. We emailed, chatted, and spoke on phone / video calls on a very regular basis. Dave was proud of his kids and loved his wife. He also served in both the US Army and US Air Force. He was called Tanker for obvious reasons; he worked with tanks!

As most of you will know, I got to finally meet him in person this year when I attended his daughter's wedding. Dave hadn't been well for a while and I will admit that I was shocked to realise how bad it was when I saw him. I guess like a lot of people my age he just didn't want to worry or burden others with what was going on. Dave, Rita, Katie and Maggie, treated me like family (and continue to do so) and it's a kindness I won't forget.

Whilst I am sad, no, devastated that my friend has died, my thoughts are with his family and friends. I think that it's also another reminder that our time on this earth is short and may well be shorter than we imagine.

I remember at Maggie's wedding that I was sitting with Dave, Rita and Katie. Dave had struggled all day with even the simple act of walking. He wasn't really up to saying much but did his best. He was almost asleep at the table and Maggie walked past. His eyes lit up and he called out, "I love you Maggie!" Nothing was going to stop him from celebrating his daughter's special day. Later on, as we left, he turned and said quietly to the entire room, "thank you all for coming, I have to be going now". It sounded a bit final and I guess it was.

As I exited the car at Huntsville airport, Dave gave me a hug and told me he loved me. He was my brother and I miss him.

Dave Matteson was 61.

Thanks for reading this.

The Woozle

 "Now the sun's gone to hell and the moon's riding high
  Let me bid you farewell, every man has to die..."

Dire Straits, Brothers In Arms, 1985