Remembering David: Childhood Memories of a Remarkable Brother

On Thanksgiving Eve of 202l, David Russell Maines lost his life to cancer in the privacy of his own home, surrounded by his immediate family including his beloved children and wonderful wife Linda. Friends and colleagues had trickled in that week to say their final goodbyes and when the news of his passing began to circulate, our phones lit up with texts and emails of condolence from many people everywhere. From the diagnosis to the end of life, David had roughly 25 days left to live, barely enough time for any of us to think of the unthinkable. We don't get cancer in our family. How could David possibly have such a dreadful disease that would take him out so quickly? As I gazed at my brother slipping away, my mind was flooded with memories. I was losing my very best friend.