A new friend passes & a movement feels his loss
Copied & pasted directly from my posting on the Legacy website:
As time already passes into the past, I contemplate Dave’s various circles of friends, some of which overlapped for the first time at his lovely Memorial Service. I feel impressed how his friends, family, & colleagues from each circle each spoke to his brilliant intellect, his loyalty, his do-anything-not-can-do-but-will-do attitude, his quiet yet ferocious stands on controversial issues, his humbleness & lack of ego, which is rare for us political activists. Dave was funny, too. Made us all laugh together.
I first met Dave a couple of years ago as we both joined Socialist Alternative about the same time. I liked him immediately. I valued him immensely. And looked forward to cultivating a friendship outside of politics where we can just laugh at stuff. Especially as we didn’t get to see each other all that much. We were both divorced, he with a loving family right here in Cascadia, me with 3 daughters in Seattle but everyone else back east in Virginia & the Carolinas. I felt great sadness none of that will come to be, and I feel deeply grateful I got to know him as little as I did. He was incredibly committed to his passions.
What I remember the most about Dave is his listening. He listened deeply. Such deep listening is rare. Lots of folks hear, and few listen. Then Dave would respond with straight talk, but do so he addressed the issues without making it personal. Those are rare traits, too. His capacity to listen, tho, stands out as more of a contribution than a quality.
He’s missed already.
William Bass,
Seattle, WA
January 15, 2015
New by me in January 2023:
Dave died while on a family vacation to Hawaii. Apparently he got caught in strong, turbulent currents. In his struggle to escape, he had a heart attack and drowned. People were unable to resuscitate him. These details I learned somewhat later.
Also, got an email from Legacy dot com out of the blue on 27 December 2022 reminding me “being remembered matters” and inviting me to share “another memory of condolence.” It all felt strange popping up as it did as I don’t recall any other such annual reminders. For nary a second I drew a blank when I first saw the email. Dave who? Many people named Dave have passed thru my life. I work with people I know as Dave. And then all those memories of who the man named David Thompson was came roaring back like the sea itself.
William Dudley Bass
Tuesday 10 January 2023
Shoreline/Seattle, Washington
USA
Earth
Sources:
Spear, Jess. “Obituary: Dave Thompson 1961-2014,” Socialist Alternative, 9 Feb 2015.
https://www.socialistalternative.org/2015/02/09/obituary-dave-thompson-1961-2014/.
Article Copyright ©2015, 2023 by William Dudley Bass. All Rights Reserved by the Author & his Descendants until we Humans establish Wise Stewardship over and for our Earth and Solarian Commons except for the two pictures. Those two photographs are from unknown photographers. Thank you.