Dave Basinger

            On October 3rd at 5:00, many of the Limerick faithful attended a memorial for our beloved Dave Basinger.  The venue was Tuell & McKee funeral home in Tacoma.  The room for gathering held around 150 to 200 people and was packed.  All around the room were memorabilia from Dave’s life.  Jerseys from his teams…the Redsox and the Raiders along with other items showing the activities that he loved.  In the front there was a video playing that showed different pictures of Dave with his wife and friends.  Many of the pictures were of Dave hiking with people and other activities, all of the pictures were very cool, full of activity and smiles.

            Steve McCully headed the ceremonies, and as per usual was terrific!  He explained that the format for the ceremony would be simple…it would be an open mic for people that wanted to talk about Dave.  He also explained that Dave’s family shared with him that the cause of Dave’s death was still not known. 

            The first few people that spoke about Dave were friends that parachuted with him.  They had many memories, most of which revolved around Dave’s passion for the sport and the adventures they had shared.  Other memorable people that spoke included his sister.  She explained that Dave was much younger than his siblings, so much so that he had a niece that was his same age.  Like all of the speakers, she did a tremendous job of explaining what we all knew about Dave, very passionate and fun-loving.  He also had numerous colleagues that spoke.  Very fun to hear how much they enjoyed him, and how they will miss him terribly. 

            Limerick was well represented at the ceremony.  If my count is correct, there were 15 of us.  McCully, Chris Brauer, Ted Carlson, Kevin Clark, Tom Eilertson, Eric Fiedler (and son-in-law Chad Major) John Meagher, Randy Tough, Kurt Sutton, Frank Wood, Jerry Heinlen, Randy Kaczor, Scott Wingate and me.  Four of us shared some stories.  McCully multiple times between other people when there were lulls.  One of the  his best stories was about when he officiated Dave’s marriage to his wife Ryna.  Steve has officiated many weddings, but he said that he has never seen a more enthusiastic groom!  I was next of the speakers for our Limerick group.  I explained how Dave was always willing to do whatever it took to make the tournament fun.  In 2020 he won Division 2, and then 2 years later he dropped out after the first round with an injured back.  The cool thing about Dave was that he was just as friendly and happy-go-lucky both years.  I also explained that there was a rule named after him called the “Basinger Rule” in which he (along with McCully I think) figured out that if he wasn’t going to score on a hole, that he would hit his ball outside of “flaggie” range to get another chance at a point.  In concluding my part, I asked for everyone in the audience to stand up if they had played golf with Dave.  There were many people that stood up.

            Kaczor was next with regard to our group.  He did a great job of explaining how he was the one that hired Dave.  One of the funny lines he shared was in explaining an unorthodox interview question he asked Dave.  He said to Dave “how will you handle a smart-ass”?  and Dave replied something to the effect, “that is easy, because I was one”!  He also shared the story of how he set Dave up with his wife.  Kaczor was Ryna’s boss and asked her if he could give Dave her number.  Randy had great things to say about them both, and his talk was definitely one of the highlights of the ceremony. 

            Last, but certainly not least, was John Meagher’s part.  Meagher told how after one of our Limerick’s at the ending ceremonies, he found out that Dave was going to be his son Max’s teacher at Nautilus Elementary the upcoming school year.  He explained that the group at Limerick would likely not be the first place to look for a teacher for his elementary-aged son.  He went on to share how much of an impact Dave had on Max.  In Federal Way students are to lead their own conferences, and Max led his conference with both John and his wife Karin along with Dave .   During those conferences John shared how touching it was to see how much Dave cared for Max and was adept at building up Max.  In a choked-up moment, John said it was obvious that Dave loved Max and certainly Max shared the same sentiment.  After getting the news about Dave, John asked Max to share some thoughts.  Max explained that he remembers Dave as a guy that had great energy.  He also recounted a time where he and Dave walked around Nautilus and shared some time together.  John’s talk was one of the last talks and was really moving.  Perfect spot in the lineup for helping to bring some closure.

            I know, that if you are like me, that it is hard to accept that this happened.  For us, Dave had a special role at Limerick.  A guy that would bring great energy regardless of how he was playing.  He also would fit in with any group and be ready to provide a spark to his scramble team or his foursome.  As many of us did not see him much outside of Limerick, next August’s event is going to be bitter-sweet.  No question that things are not going to be the same without him, but to honor him we can continue to do what we do, keep enthusiastic, have fun and enjoy each other!      You certainly will be missed Dave…RIP

Mike "Commish" Minahan