haha I typed in big bothers in the title by mistake...good thing i read my lousy typo's... Fact is Dave played an important part in my life...besides being the older boy he was the person who taught me a lot about other things... It was not easy for an older bro...i remember him babysitting us one night so my parents could go "square dancing" or something...in oxford? He was told to put us (me &doug;) by 830 or 9>>>not sure but we did not want to go to bed! We were watching tv! Dave was caught between a rock and a hard place...so he decided to put us to bed...i think he had to drag us both up and "put" us in our beds...we were not happy though he did what was expected of him... When my parents came home...me and Doug leapt out of bed and immediately went to tell our parents he had beat us up! Well my parents night about falling peacefully to loving sleep changed into reading Dave the riot act...tough times for Dave. There are too many good times I think of... ...Like when I was young (sorta like i am now) I remember going to Uncle Eds for fourth of july/summer thing...remember the 55 gallon canoes uncle ed built?.. geez didn't he tell them not to have canoe fights cause they sink like led zepplins? ...Well my brother and all the "old" cousins were privileged to stay in the old farmhouse? I was too young of course...but tom and the jacks/ johns had the right...and they got to use his equipment! (that still ran)... Remember the giant bullfrogs in the "pond" uncle e built? you walked off the edge into the asmyth of the big trench! Geez dep would be all over his back today! My dad had some guns but uncle ed had the 12 gauge double barrel...the initiation was you had to shoot it without getting knocked down? the older boys loved this...who knows what they shot? ...I was choke afraid of sparklers at the time...so i was not interested. I remember the time when we lived up the hill on west street and had a cow field between us and the view of whalom lake/park? It was a happier time with milkweeds and monarch butterflies and hay fields... dave's first kill i remember w/a pellet/bb gun was a woodchuck... Of course he brought it home and we(the kids) cooked it on a grill and ate it...yum? I'm not sure who cleaned it but I think Doug was "Mikey?" ...and the time we had a bb gun war w/the kid next door?...by the frog pond...course me and Doug were on the "other" side and didn't have guns...we were not smart... ...I remember dave hitting me in the head between my eyes...dam he was always a good shot! I was a sucker for sides...but what a nice place and crayfish! I remember the first time me and Doug finally figured out we could beat Dave bullying us by team work! We ganged up on him and he was overwhelmed! That was a turning point? As we got a little older we both had paper routes...We lived on Leominster Road...(my parents were ahead of the flip it curve)... He had 45 or so i had 27 customers...42cents a week?...We should have gone for welfare stamps... We used to get our papers at the local variety store...I used to buy a large bag of almond m&m;'s for the route...Dave turned sixteen and got his first motorbike...i was on bike and had the farm hill route... i learned how to cover...i did his route and mine sometimes and it was not easy...like is this the right house/who paid/etc... he became a scout for life...a proud moment for my parents...i quit the scouts second class...not into the merit badges...knot tying and learning how to turniquit a squirrel hit by a car... He played football..was a team member...never the best but his heart and spirit was into it...i tried but getting tackled or scrimmiging a guy that was 120 pounds more than me wasn't my forte... Dave loved his motorcycles...had a small 100cc bike? and rode w/his friends...on their big bikes...well till he blew up his bike...than got a larger one...I remember when he came home with his colors...forget the name like the wild ones/hells angels boys or devils? parents freaked on him...i think he had to take the dungaree vest back? He did choke drink a little in high school...well parties/togethers not in class...once he pulled a wheelie on his bike and flipped it over? very embarrassing in front of his peers... I remember him standing up for me and appreciating my musical quest...he even had friends who were musicians who took me in and we had some good musical adventures...and I learned from them. He had stood up for me several times if someone picked on me...he was not afraid to stand up...and he like bragging about my musical quest and even had me hand wrestle a classmate at the library where i sweared at the kid and put his wrist down... He liked to ski and had a great time going up to mt wachusett to dances in my dad's $100 voltzwagon bug but...well till he rolled it over and slid 1/2 the way down the road on the roof. my dad had dry tears as the vw was towed sat in the back yard...nobody was seriously hurt...but the yard was soon to be the motor bike racetrack. He taught me a lot... how to stand up for yourself... ..what sex was about?...(won't forget when we moved to hickory hills and the new owners told my parents they had "found several playboys/mags/etc in the hot air duct in his room when they remodlled? ) that room was never cold! haha music he loved the beach boys and used to sing the high falsetto parts... and jumping ahead he met Pat and fell in love... He always was the one who loved his extended family...you know who you are...and went out of the way for his...loved company and was never negative towards me...or most anyone...but had a 20 minute story about anything if you would listen. He would wine at my father sometimes though...drove dad crazy! He would tell me what he thought though...about me...about life... Lots of other stories but time to wrap this... I will always think about and love Dave...just got tough when Gwen couldn't ride to visit from uxbridge and we were fixing houses in Fl... and though times got tough he stuck by his family as best as he could... He never complained about his life and health to me...he didn't have to...i knew he had problems like the rest of us...I miss him but know...so won't most of you...what he added to your lives...thanks Dave dana nicoll second of the 3 d's Ps jackie has probably sent you the early pics...Dave was the one who looked distraught or had a wooden rifle and racoon cap!