Memories of David Friel

Tonight was the wake for my old friend David Friel. Chris and I went as soon as it started at like 4 and we only stayed a few minutes before leaving.

They had all kinds of pictures out from when Dave was in junior high and that time frame which is when we were friends. They also had his furry earflap hat out. Chris and I could remember him wearing a hat like that to school everyday and telling people that he was German or Russian or Polish or something to try to explain why he was wearing such a dorky hat. Seeing that hat rushed back a lot of old memories for us and we decided it to be best to just leave before it got to be too much.

I will reminensce a little bit though. My friendship with David started after I became friends with Jacob Lestina in the 7th grade. Him and Jake were best friends. Jake and I started out as enemies and had to be seperated in class because of always arguing. I then ended up moving into the house I have now and it was a block away from Jake and we had to ride the same bus to school. We decided to become friends since we didn’t have many friends and together would make everyone else miserable instead of each other.

It was my friendship with Dave and Jake that was the building blocks to what I am today as far as the manager that the fans see ringside. We had a pact that we would do whatever it would take to be as obnoxious, ignorant and hateful to everyone in school. We were bigots, hate mongers and just down right rude. We picked on people and cheated in gym class at everything. It is probably where I developed 80% of what you see at shows today.

We were also big Republicans. We claimed to be relatives of Richard Nixon. Dave even named himself Daryl Nixon. That’s the name that he would put on his homework. He would draw cartoons of his parents and call them Ethel and Judd. Ethel had a big man part that she swung around and Judd was a raging alcoholic. He got a D/F slip in math class and had me forge the paper as Judd Friel. His parents came for the parent/teacher conference and the teacher called them Judd and Ethel and we were busted.

We once took a 10 mile bike ride to Channahon on the tow path and 10 miles back and got in trouble for how long we were gone. We would blare “We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel and sing it at his house.

I think the things I will remember most however are the days of the old Catalina in high school. We would go out on country roads on the weekend and he would burn rubber for a mile at a time while “Hot Rod Lincoln” was blaring on the radio. We even lip synched the song at the homecoming pep assembly our senior year. Jake played guitar while Dave “Sang” while I sat in a seat we got from the junk yard. That was the last time the three of us did anything together as friends. We started to part ways after that.

Sometimes I think back to those days with a fondness and now it has set in that those days can never be relived.

I won’t make the funeral tomorrow but Dave and his family will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Take care old buddy and one day I will see you again.

Rest in peace.


Posted

in

by

Tags:

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *