Departed Friends

It is always difficult and very sad to lose a friend. I feel honored to have been a friend of a man I truly respected, a man I enjoyed being with, a man who was such fun to be around, David Lemmond.
During the time I knew David I had the pleasure of being a guest in his house from time to time and getting to know his wife Pam, his sons Matthew and Kyle, and his brother Freddie. All whose company was very pleasant. A real nice family.
David was a dedicated re-enactor of the War Between The States and that's how I first met him. He was a member of Havis Battery, Company A, 14th Battalion Georgia Light Artillery. He was one of my mentors. He taught me a great deal about history, and reenacting that period. He was always willing to teach others, to answer questions and to help anyone who wanted to learn.
He was a serious re-enactor who enjoyed what he was doing and his enjoyment was catching. He was quick to praise and also quick to offer constructive criticism where necessary, always in a good-natured manner.
Whether it was manning the cannon during a battle, or sitting around a camp fire in the evening just talking, his company was always a pleasure and always appreciated by those who knew him.
His sense of humor was well known. During our many conversations we found that we liked a lot of the same things, such as music, jokes, and so on. One time he commented to me, "You know, Fred, we are just a couple of old hippies."
It is difficult to put in a few words, hard to eulogize in a few words, a person one considers a friend, so I'd like to tell you about a comment made to me while telling another re-enactor about Dave's death. This person said "You know, I have never heard anyone say a single thing about David that wasn't good." Now that was quite a statement. All of us have our good and bad points, we are all human so we all understand that we are not perfect. But I agreed with the man who made that comment, because as I thought about what I'd say today I couldn't think of, or remember anyone who had anything to say about David that wasn't good.
And that is the best commentary, the best eulogy, of a man's life that I can think of.
That David Lemmond was a good man.
That he was a loved man.
And that he will be deeply missed.
Rest in peace Old Hippie
by Lt. Fred Manzer

Retreat