Today's Memorial Service for our friend and fellow grad Dave Noren was the perfect mixture of a traditional religious service and that of an informal celebration of his life.
There were three poignant scriptures that were read which all related to Dave's life, both physical and spiritual. There were a few familiar hymns that rounded out an excellent service that was officiated by three inisters; each having different things to say about Dave.
But, Pastor James Sandburg, of Dave's home church, really hit the mark about Dave's life during Rev. Sandburg's "message". Filled with some great Dave Noren stories including typical Noren-isque anecdotes, he really touched our hearts and reminded us of Dave's courage and his unrelenting positive attitude towards life in general and in his battling the dreaded MS for these past 15 years. All-in-all, this was a very moving, thought provoking and comfortable service; I really felt at ease at the end of this service and a lot of the pain and sorrow that I brought in with me had been replaced with a inner calm and peace.
Then, after the service part, a luncheon was provided in the church and I could just envision Dave's smile and glee in his eyes when he would have surveyed the scrumptious Swedish smorgasbord. He loved to eat and would get excited about food. This buffet contained two types of herring, boiled shrimp, Swedish meatballs, Swedish cheese (bond ost), Swedish summer sausage, Swedish Limpa bread, potato salad as well as other items; not to mention the cakes, cookies & sweets. What a great celebration for a truly wonderful person.
And, EMPEHI was well represented with at least 12 of us who stayed for the luncheon and another 4 who could not stay after the service. During the luncheon, a few of us talked and agreed to continue the tradition of The Beggar's Pizza get-together's that Dave started back in 2002. So, look on this web site for a posting in the next couple weeks. We're thinking of having the first one on a Saturday, like around 3 or 4 o'clock.
I'm sure Dave, who really didn't like to be fussed-over or catered to, would have liked this Memorial Service from start to finish. It was not maudlin or sad, but uplifting and cheerful. It began a little after 11:00 AM and ended slightly after 2:00 PM and was a perfect and a fitting tribute to a guy who truly was courageous and inspirational. This was one of the finest individuals I have ever known.
Good-bye ole buddy; the void created by your departure will be impossible to replace. But, we have all those wonderful memories and numerous lessons about living your life to the max with which you have provided us. Thanks for being such a great friend.
Dennis Carlson
David Noren 2007 Photo by Randy Lam