Don Marshall

Dave (Philly Paynter) moved to La Canada with his family at the start of our Senior year.  His father Bob was transferred to Los Angeles from New Jersey.  Dave had close friends, his parents' home on a golf course and ice hockey in New Jersey.  In California he also got a parental home on a golf course, but no hockey, a sport he excelled at, and no friends.  But, he was a big basketball fan and a sports trivia master.  That is how he connected with Mark Anderson.  Since Mark was my best friend I also soon became friends with Dave.  Before we met through Mark, we had both been in Mr. Kahtri's chemistry class.  If I had been the kind of person my mother tried to teach me to be- "Donnie, you should always try to reach out to the kids who are new or who no one is paying any attention to"-  I would have befriended Dave in that class.  Instead I took no notice of him, something he pointed out to me when Mark introduced us.  Dave's first impression of me must have been pretty negative.  I was perpetually late to Khatri's class.  "Mr. Marshall, do you think you own the school?", was how I was greated by Mr. Khatri most days.  Anyway, a year later Dave and I were roommates in the freshman dorms at Utah State University, along with Mark and Rick Nelson, and we remained close friends since then.  Dave was my best man at my wedding.  I am Godfather to his oldest son Kevin.  Dave, as he did for so many residents of La Canada, remodeled our home there.  Dave was an excellent home builder, but his main strength, both in his work, and in his life, was his ability to build relationships with just about anyone he came into contact with.  Amiable, gregarious, funny, poignant, interesting, quick witted, and insightful are just some of the traits he had that added to his ability to create and maintain lasting friendships.  He was one of my favorite people to talk to.  Where ever I have been in the world Dave would call me just out of the blue, aprapos of nothing, and engage me in an enjoyable conversation.  If he was with someone else at the time, he would put them on the line to talk to me, whether I knew them or not, a practice I was not fond of because I find it a little difficult to know what to say to someone over the phone who I have never met.  I guess Dave never thought that what for him would come natural might challenge the less gregarious of the rest of us.  Dave was a good father to his 4 children, Kevin, Andrew, Katie and Ryan, the proof of that being what awesome people they each turned out to be.  It was easy and natural to open up to Dave and talk about real things, not just mundane day to day stuff.  I trusted him.  We did not always agree on every issue we discussed, but we could disagree intelligently and acknowledge the reason and logic in each other's views.  Dave had a way of making things interesting, the true mark of a great conversationalist.  I know Dave is now in a better place, and reunited with his wife Jenny, but I will misss getting his calls.  

I was saddened to learn of Rob's passing. Thank you Jill for sending on his obituary.  I met Robbie Evans playing YMCA flag football.  We were placed on the same team for a number of seasons during our latter elementary school years and early FIS years, and we were teammates again on the Varsity baseball team our Senior year.  Robbie seemed to me perpetually happy, upbeat and mischievous, but in a light hearted way.  He was very funny.  Robbie tortured opposing players with witty and humorous sarcasm.  For that, and for many reasons, you were glad Robbie was on your team.  My favorite memory of Robbie's antics was when Coach Heavner asked Robbie to coach third base at an away game.  I can't recall what he'd done to draw Heavner's ire, but he had gotten chewed out in front of everyone in the dugout before he took his place in the third base coach's box.  We were all watching him make his way over there because we anticipated some kind of reaction.  Robbie looked back and saw we were watching him.  He thrust the fingers of his right hand into the right rear pocket of his baseball pants. All but the middle finger. That one he left exposed; the entire length and width prominently exposed.  There was no doubt that was his reaction to Heavner's rebuke.  If you knew Coach Heavner,  you knew he was not to be messed with, but that was the kind of nerve Robbie had.  Unfortunately, Heavner saw the finger too, ran up behind Robbie's back and grabbed the finger and yanked on it hard. I don't think anyone thought less of Robbie because he got caught.  We all admired his panache, courage and humor.  Even Heavner laughed about it later. The world needs more guys like Robbie Evans. I am sad to know we will miss him at our upcoming reunion. I am glad to believe there will be a reunion beyond this life. 

I met Louie when I was 8.  His dad was my first little league baseball coach.  We had a great year.  Louie was our best player.  We were on the All Star team together.  I knew him throughout elementary school, even though he was a LC Elementary kid and I was an Oak Grove Elementary kid, through sports at the YMCA. And then we were everyday friends at FIS and played football together at LCHS.  Louis was a hard nosed athlete.  He was tough.  He was also one of those characters in life who are always finding a way to make things interesting.  He was also very funny.  While I am one who believes we will all see each other after this life, I am saddened to realize that the next time we have a class reunion Louie will not be there.  He would have made it a little more interesting, and fun.  God bless him and his friends and family. 

What I remember about Brad was how amazingly he handled himself as a young boy in La Canada Junior Baseball, when we played games on the all dirt fields at the LC Elementary campus.  Brad could catch the ball in his glove hand, stuff the glove and ball under the armpit of his disabled arm, then snatch the ball out from the glove and make good, hard throws from the outfield to the infield, all in the same time it took boys with two healthy hands and arms.  He could also hit.  He was my first baseball hero.