David Sarver

1 de febrero de 1939 - 15 de enero de 2020

Memorial

Recuerdos

David Sarver passed away peacefully at 9:30am Pacific time on January 15, 2020 at Cherry Hill Swedish Hospital in Seattle, Washington just before his 81 st birthday on February 1 st. He had been admitted Monday January 13 th after suffering a hemorrhagic stroke that led to a brain bleed. He was kept comfortable and peaceful at the hospital and his wife Maxine and daughter Valerie were by his side during his time at the hospital. Their dog Kim (an all-black 16-year old miniature poodle) spent Monday night at the hospital with him. He was surrounded and held by loved ones until his final breath. David died like he lived: by being prepared and preparing his family for death, being brave, not suffering, and by transitioning with grace and peace. He was born in Akron, Ohio and grew up in Cuyahoga Falls. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Religious Studies from DePauw University in 1961 and went on to graduate with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of Chicago Law School in 1964. In 1966, he graduated from the University of Chicago Booth Business School. He worked at the Illinois State Tax Department where he was involved in writing parts of the Illinois tax code. He married his first wife Jane, and they lived in Evanston, Illinois where both their children were born: Evan and Valerie. David and Jane moved outside of Minneapolis when David started at Laventhol & Horwath. He was there for 14 years, and he was the head of the tax department and a partner. They raised their family in Edina, Minnesota and built a cabin in Wisconsin where David used to love to hunt and fish. The family left Minneapolis in 1988 and moved to Southern California where David ran a private family office. Jane died from ovarian cancer in 1988. Soon thereafter, he met Maxine and remarried and they lived in Southern California for 12 years. In 2000, David partially retired and he and Maxine built a dream home on Orcas Island in Washington. Throughout his life, David served as a trusted tax and accounting advisor to many families who are very grateful for how he helped them navigate challenging life and financial decisions in a calm, smart, effective and caring manner. He was eternally understated about his work and supremely overqualified (though he would never claim to be). He also volunteered to help so many people in different ways, and during his "retirement" he became the Treasurer of the hospital on Orcas Island, along with continuing to work with a number of families. He loved to work and build things. He built a dome home cabin in Wisconsin, and a number of kayaks, which he and Maxine enjoyed from their boat dock on Orcas Island. David enjoyed 30 years married to Maxine, who is now survived by him in Issaquah, WA. They moved from Orcas in 2016. David loved fishing his whole life, and duck and grouse hunting in his younger years. He always enjoyed the company of dogs. He trained his first dog, Bramble, a springer spaniel to hunt with him, and Bramble will always hold a special place in his heart. He had great appreciation for the outdoors and supported organizations like Trout Unlimited and The Nature Conservancy. He and Maxine were able to take the trip of a lifetime to enjoy a safari in Africa, and they also enjoyed New Zealand and Mexico together. Closer to home they enjoyed many fishing and other trips together and with others. He and his children were able to enjoy a family trip to Prague in Spring of 2019, and previously a family trip to Canada in 2014. David had a great and dry sense of humor that was appreciated by all his friends and loved ones. Please join us in remembering David's wonderful and rich life by posting memories or photos you may have of David. In the interest of security, we have removed his social media profiles on Facebook and LinkedIn. David cared dearly about all his friends and loved ones and we share the sadness of losing him together, while also celebrating a rich life, well-lived and full of love and lots of great belly laughs. For those that want addresses: Maxine's is 100 Timber Ridge Way NW Unit 2411 Issaquah WA 98027-2959 and Valerie's is 163 NE Graham St Unit A Portland OR 97212 and Evan's is: Вул. Політехнічна, 39, офіс 105 Київ, Україна 03056 Thank you for your understanding, love and friendship. Logistical note: This site only allows one charity to be designated, so Trout Unlimited's National Chapter was chosen. David would also have appreciated contributions to The Nature Conservancy. His daughter Valerie is also championing a campaign to save the 73 remaining Southern Resident Orca Whales that are well known on Orcas Island and swim from BC to California. Donations to that effort can be made online directly at promisethepod.org.

Homenajes

Comparte un recuerdo favorito, envía condolencias y honra la vida de David con un mensaje sincero.

Valerie Fishman

My (Valerie's) letter to my Dad: "Dear Dad, Thank you for demonstrating to me and so many others how to live, and for showing me that death can be beautiful and not scary. Thank you for holding my hand at the zoo, and for laughing when Mom was nervous that I wanted to run off on my own to explore. You saw that as a sign of independence and encouraged her to let me run off as long as I stayed In your sight. Thank you for demonstrating discipline. You worked hard every day and became partner and head of the tax department at Laventhol & Horwath in Minneapolis at such a young age. I didn't know then how impressive that was, I just knew you'd always be home in time for dinner. One of my favorite childhood memories was knowing exactly what time you'd pull into the driveway. I would get the dogs all excited by jumping around and saying, "Daddy's home Bramble, Daddy's home!" You'd walk in from the garage, and me and the dog would jump on you and hug you to welcome you home before we sat down to dinner as a family. Thank you for teaching me how to build things. You built my childhood bed, a dome home cabin in Wisconsin, sailboats and kayaks. You taught me how to indulge and enjoy my creativity. Thank you for teaching me the value of saving money. We made it a game, and I enjoyed saving at a young age. In fact, I was talking with a friend's teenage daughter the other day who was telling me about how she loved to save money so she could spend it. When she asked what I spent money on at her age, I said, "I enjoyed saving it." My frugal ways followed me into adulthood. Just ask my husband Joey who told me I couldn't be in charge of booking hotel rooms anymore because I always chose the least expensive ones and he'd prefer not to stay in a hotel with bulletproof glass. Thank you for making me resilient and ready for life's challenges by not protecting me from truths in life. Your truths could sometimes feel harsh, like "Nothing lasts forever" a while after Mom had died. But those life lessons have made me the strong and resilient person I am today. Another one of my favorite sayings of yours I adopted and used myself a few times was this: "Wish in one hand, piss in the other, see which one fills up faster." Your sense of humor empowered you to always follow these kinds of statements with a good belly laugh - demonstrating your ability to know that even the most difficult things in life were not overly serious. There was always a good reason to laugh. Thank you for listening to me when I asked you for more affection. I only had to ask you once, and you showed me your affection for the rest of our lives. Thank you for always being proud of me and showing me the value of work. You were just as proud of me when I served up popcorn at the movie theaters as you were when I ran a NYC sales office at 28, or a couple years ago when my organization's national water sustainability campaign earned the US Water Prize. I always wanted to make you proud, but it wasn't until the past decade that I truly realized that you'd always be proud of me, no matter my outward achievements in life. Thank you for sharing some vulnerable moments with me. I always admired your strength and sensibility, but when you invited me to join you when you spoke at a local church in Portland about your experience with weight loss and food addiction, that was a very special moment for me. You stood in front of a whole room of people and shared a very personal story. Of course you told it so well, and everyone was very moved. I'm so glad I got to share that experience with you, and see that side of you. You were my champion during all my life transitions. You never decided anything for me, you taught me how to make my own decisions. Even in 7th grade when I chose school over joining the gymnastics traveling team which I felt had a hopeful but uncertain future. I remember at 17, Mom said she didn't want me to go to college in California because she was scared she would lose her kids in the earthquake, since Evan was heading to California for school too. You came into my room right after that and said, "You can go to college wherever you'd like." I recall being nervous to tell you that I thought I married the wrong guy at 27 years old. You said, "let's get a hotel and we'll find you an apartment." I recall being nervous to tell you that I wanted to leave my successful advertising career and explore writing. You gave me a book called "The Right to Write." Your stability and steadiness helped me through countless difficult times. I thought you would think that my variety of jobs and the amount of travel I did might seem unstable to you. You told me you were impressed with my sense of adventure. And I'm so glad we got to share one final and very memorable adventure during our trip to Prague last Spring. I will never forget that, it was such a special family trip, and I'm so grateful we got to share that experience. You were right Dad, nothing lasts forever. However, I do believe that time is not linear, and I do believe in the infinite. The final moments of your life, when I had my hand on your chest, you brought your hands up to meet mine, and you opened your eyes to look at me before you took your last breath. That moment will be with me forever. That moment is infinite. I will proudly carry on your legacy of generosity, and your appreciation for love, laughter, nature and life. Thank you for being you."