I'm Corey Jaseph. Dave and I had been together since June 2, 1982, when we were 17 years old. Dave was my best friend, lover, confidant, sounding board, partner in silliness, adventure companion and biggest supporter. He was brave where I was afraid, and calm where I would be hysterical.

We had many adventures with many of the people who will be looking at this site. We've been skiing in California, Colorado, Utah and Canada, vacationing in Germany, Japan and Hawaii, road tripping to the Grand Canyon and Death Valley, wine tasting in California, motorcycling to Canada, and hanging out in the San Juan islands with family.

His first dog that I met knocked me down, but then Gretchen and I became fast friends. Our first trip together was when we were 18 and had just graduated high school. We drove to the Grand Canyon in his Toyota Wagon 'mobile', which had no speedometer (which was okay, because it didn't drive faster than 55 miles an hour). We hiked the Grand Canyon in a day, but Dave decided to take a 'shortcut' up, to avoid all the switchbacks. I wasn't sure we'd ever see the trail again. I fell asleep in my pizza that night and Dave had to carry me to the motel. We had barely enough money to get home (no credit cards at that age!), and had to return some cave tour tickets we had bought, in order to get dinner that night.

Yosemite was one of our favorite places. We have stayed in the Ahwahnee, hiked up the back of Half Dome (Dave called his mom on his cell phone when we reached the top, to let her know our accomplishment), and learned to rock climb. We have hiked and played with friends there. I think Yosemite gave Dave a taste of what Alaska would later become to him.

We took two trips to Alaska together. The first was to visit friends in Fairbanks, and we stayed in a wilderness lodge outside Denali National Park. The only way in was by bush plane; there were no roads. We took a helicopter up to see Denali, rode horses through rushing streams, picked wild blueberries and cranberries, and saw bears from the airplane. This trip set the stage for a family cruise we took up the inside passage. Dave loved the trip and the wildness of the country. He took hundreds of pictures of Ketchikan and Misty Fjords. We did all the shore excursions on that trip, riding bikes down mountain, flying over glaciers, canoeing to them and hiking on them with crampons and ice axes.

Dave was always my adventure partner, goading me just a little farther than was comfortable for me, in a way that was fun and not too scary. He held me up and made me better than myself. His generousity of spirit amazed and humbled me. He gave everything of himself and everything he had to anyone who needed it.

I don't know what my kitties and I are going to do without him. Our lives were so intimately entwined that I don't know if I can separate the strand that is my own and continue it.

Corey Jaseph

corey@brainstorm.net