David and Dede were some of the most loving people I have ever met. They both had the biggest infectious smiles. When I moved to Santa Cruz in 2003 I was living in a friends trailer, had no job and very little money. Diving is a passion of mine so I went to Aqua Safaris to see if they would hire me. David sat down with me and we talked about life and work. He spoke so kindly with me, taking time and interest. Aqua Safaris didn’t have any positions open but David hired me to do odd jobs until a position opened. He knew little about me yet he took me in like an old friend. I went on to become a scuba instructor under David and Dede. At one point the responsibility of having people’s lives in my hands weighed heavy on me. David sat with me while I broke down in tears. In that conversation he handed me a new level of personal confidence. It was a coming of age moment in my life. David is a roll model, strong, soft, confident, loving. He wore his emotions in the full light of day, I love that about him. He is one of the few men I know who followed his passions and dreams, lived them fully. I will always aspire to those virtues. I’ll never forget Dede’s smile, her heart was enormous and so soft and warm, being around her I felt loved and accepted, like being at home with family.
Megan and I were married recently and we invited David and Dede. To us these two lovers personified the way we want to live. They loved each other openly, showed each other a level of respect and caring that swept into our hearts. When they looked at each other their connection was tangible, they were lovers and their lives are a love story.
I am crying tears of sadness that we will not again be blessed with the smiles and laughter of David, Dede, Luke and Ryan. I have tears of love for the fortune of knowing this family, these lovely open hearts. My heart hurts with their passing, my memories have become more cherished, and my love for life has become stronger.
With love, my heart goes out to everyone. The loss is deeper than we can imagine.

I can’t claim to have known either of these two wonderful people well. But we spent real and connected time together; they helped enrich my life. To their family and friends left behind, I know this is a terrible, terrible loss and you have my deepest condolences. Though I haven’t seen Dave or DeDe in maybe 10 years, I cried when I learned the news of their deaths, and of the loss of their wonderful children.

It’s hard to make sense of tragedies like this, and maybe there isn’t any to be made. It may just be something that happened. But there may be the tiniest comfort in knowing how full a life they had, in a way that can’t be measured in years. To live big is to risk big and sometimes the risk wins. But what good is a small life, a life of fear? I will keep Dave and DeDe and Luke and Ryan in my prayers, for sure. But more importantly, I will keep them in my heart as symbols of a life lived to it’s fullness.

God bless you all.

Rick Elliott

Thank you for the blog updates, we too are reading with tears, sorrow, and gratitude to have known such an amazing and inspiring man!

~Tres Amigas y mas.