I once was blessed to have a pretty great brother who doubled as a best friend - AND - I was also blessed to have a loyal best friend who doubled as a pretty great brother. Both are now gone. But today I've chosen to share a few words about the latter. As I write this, it's coming up on 3 years since we lost him. He was a truly awesome person. One who I consider to be the greatest friend I've ever had. His name was David E. Ricci. I pray daily for his loving Mom (Josephine), his awesome Dad (Ernest), his wonderful Sister (Donna), his charismatic Brother (Paul) and his entire family - especially his nephew and niece who he loved with all his heart. I could live to be a thousand years old and never be able to repay the blunt wisdom, the unfettered kindness, the never-ending loyalty or the hysterical laughter that my big buddy shared with me (and others) throughout his far too short life on this planet. We should all be so lucky to have a friend like him when we need them the most. One who tells us the truth, whether we like it or not. And one who leads by example with an emphasis on the value of SOLID ACTIONS being far more important than petty words. David gave generously of himself to many people over the years. Many times, it was random or unexpected. Or even over the top. Going above and beyond was essentially his distinctive brand. I personally witnessed his consistent selflessness with others countless times. For him, it seemed to be a happy indulgence that almost always brought a smile to his face. Fixing problems, solving riddles, sharing knowledge, expanding his long list of skills or talents and toiling away at anything even remotely mechanical for hours on end. David had a creative mind and a truly genius-level intellect. He could "MacGyver" his way through just about any obstacle as easily as most of us would pour a bowl of cereal in the morning. And he did it with a whistle, a smile, a sarcastic head shake, or a witty one liner... without ever missing a beat. He was a man's man and rarely stood in a room where he wasn't leading the way. They say you'll know who your REAL FRIENDS are when you go broke, get in trouble or say no. In any of those circumstances, everything - and everyone - shall be revealed. And what was revealed to me was that I had hit the jackpot on loyalty and friendship with my big Italian buddy. I once needed a place to stay. He made sure I had one. I once needed a car. This man BUILT one for me. I once needed money. He made me a partner in a small business he was starting so I could earn it. I once needed my life saved when I swam into a nasty riptide. He did that too. David put his own life on the line to save mine as we were enjoying his latest of many hobbies at the time, diving off the coast. He acted quickly and heroically to get in between me and a nasty outcome. As soon as he saw I was struggling, David managed to use one arm and his iron-like mechanics grip to pull me up and out of the water to safety, mere seconds before it would have been too late. He positioned his own body to take a direct wave hit into a coastal rock formation that was meant for me. I survived without a scratch. David was bruised and bleeding, but nothing broken. Luckily we were both able to laugh about it later, but it's just ONE example of the umpteen times that my extraordinary friend went out of his way to put others ahead of himself. It's just who he was. Thoughtful. Loyal. And absolutely brave, if not bull-headed. I'm infinitely thankful for the thoughtful gifts, the long talks, the scientific discoveries, the relentless jokes, the wins, the losses, the mentorship, and the memories that my humble buddy unselfishly shared with me, time and time again. I am also unequivocally thankful for his David's late life obsession with studying the word of GOD. He provided me the encouragement and guidance to become more familiar with the teachings of Jesus Christ, our blessed Savior. Even though we were more than a thousand miles apart for the last few years of his life, David made every effort to share his resurgent faith, and to inspire mine. As with all things that David did in his life, he immersed himself in the teachings to elevate his mind and his soul by making the Holy Bible one of his daily habits to read and to understand. We had many highly charged bible study sessions for hours by phone, which is a fun fact that quite a few people outside of our particular circle of trust might ever guess about either of us. Previous to David's reborn enthusiasm for his faith, I truly thought that I had discarded my own faith in the past. But of all the things that I have left behind me... my 30+ years of amazing friendship and brotherhood... was never supposed to be one of them. My big buddy may be gone... but I will spend the next 30+ years (God willing) trying to live up to the potential that he always saw and supported in me. Even when I didn't see it in myself. David taught me - through ACTIONS, not words - that the best time to help someone... is BEFORE they even need to ask. His final lesson came after he was gone... DO THE FUN STUFF TODAY... because TOMORROW is never promised. ❤️ I shall celebrate my buddy, Dave... for the rest of my days. I loved him like a brother. And if you read this far... then I'm sure he truly loved you too. God bless.

To David’s Family. My sons and I were so sorry to find out David passed. I’ll never forget Canton Court and the beautiful house he built. Jim and David are together again. Jim passed on Christmas Eve 2016. David will never be forgotten. He’s in my prayers. 🙏♥️🙏♥️