Rest in Peace - David Allen Brackney
07/16/10 02:01 AM
July 16, 2010 - Late yesterday evening I was involved in a series of phone calls that have me up at 4 am writing this piece, hoping to put my mind at ease. I found out that former long-time employee, Dave Brackney was found dead in his condo.
At this point, I know little about the facts of his passing, but this is more to celebrate his life, than to commemorate his death.
For those of you who have been doing business with Auto Accessories Warehouse / Restylers’ Choice over the past 15 years have probably had the opportunity to interact with Dave. Since 1995, he has done just about every job in the company. In fact, Dave was hired to help out Ross when I left to pursue other interest back in 1995.
When I returned to AAW in 1996, Dave was one of just two full-time employees. I leaned a lot on Dave at the time, and he always excelled at his job. As the company grew, I think Dave became less satisfied with being part of a bigger team. He always seemed to thrive where there LESS personal interaction. Something he struggled with his entire life.
Dave quit around 1999 when we were moving into our new facility. We were all at the building on a Saturday morning packing the moving truck, when the fax machine beeped, and the first of many, of Dave’s manifestos came sprawling out of the fax machine. Dave liked to write when he was upset, and this was no disappointment. Needless to say he quit that day, via fax, and got a lot of frustrations off his chest in the process.
Dave spent a few years working at Half-Priced books, where he could follow his one true passion - reading.
Dave returned to AAW a few years later, and had worked as part of our team until the end of last year. Over the years, Dave had written a half dozen or so of his manifestos, usually via e-mail, that dealt with any number of our conflicts and issues. It usually had to do with Dave’s inability to make it to work on-time. Regardless, if his shift started at 8am or was gradually moved back to 11am in an attempt to make him walk through the door on time, he was ALWAYS late!
On 12/1/2009 I came into work to find another of Dave’s manifestos. This would be his last. This time he resigned his position with Restylers’ and thanked me for the years of employment and the patience I showed him over the years. (I told you he was always late!) He just wasn’t happy in the new position I created for him, after he grew bored in the warehouse. He gave this new job a single day of effort and threw in the towel. Which was unlike Dave - in retrospect, a scream for help that fell on deaf ears.
I responded to his email with a kind reply, my final words were “...and don’t be a stranger.” Little did I know that would be last time I would talk to him.
Those who who knew Dave knew that he was eccentric. He was one-hell of an artist, in-fact he penned the original illustrations of our own Freddy Funk. He even had a full-ride scholarship to the Cleveland Art Institute, that he never followed up on. Dave was also a National Merit Scholar Finalist his senior year in high school, proving to the world that he was indeed smarter than you!
Dave had barely a chance of living a “normal” life after his father committed suicide when he was barely a teenager. In my opinion, this event threw his life a curve ball, that he tried to swing at, but never could hit. His relationship with his mom disintegrated, and he began his search for love and meaning through a long series of failed relationships, and hobbies.
Dave’s personality forced him to pursue every new challenge to the fullest degree. His intense love of music - everything form Classical to Norwegian Death Metal - led him to pick up the guitar and in a very short time, became a fluent guitarist, practicing hours at night. He then took up online role-playing games and immersed himself in a make-believe world where he could dominate. Often playing all-night long.
Most of these past loves and hobbies were forever “part” of him as they were immortalized on his body as one of his many tattoos.
Dave long ago lost his faith in God and became an atheist. I had long discussions with him on this, never to sway his opinion. And let me tell you, anytime you got in a discussion with Dave about ANYTHING, you had better know your stuff, because he was always well read, and well educated on his topic of choice.
I look back at the times him and I went to concerts together with great fondness. We didn’t see eye-to-eye on everything but we had a common bond in music. I know now, in retrospect how lucky I was to know Dave, and to spend close to half of his life with him.
For everything Dave was or wasn’t, he WAS sincere. He had his quirks, but in the end Dave was always honest to himself and the people he worked with. Isn’t that something great to be remembered for?
I hope that Dave has found his peace in heaven, though he had lost his faith in it, I know that is where people with such kind hearts and troubled lives deserve to go. As one of Dave’s favorite bands, Megadeth put it...“Rust In Peace” Dave.
Doug Jacobs
At this point, I know little about the facts of his passing, but this is more to celebrate his life, than to commemorate his death.
For those of you who have been doing business with Auto Accessories Warehouse / Restylers’ Choice over the past 15 years have probably had the opportunity to interact with Dave. Since 1995, he has done just about every job in the company. In fact, Dave was hired to help out Ross when I left to pursue other interest back in 1995.
When I returned to AAW in 1996, Dave was one of just two full-time employees. I leaned a lot on Dave at the time, and he always excelled at his job. As the company grew, I think Dave became less satisfied with being part of a bigger team. He always seemed to thrive where there LESS personal interaction. Something he struggled with his entire life.
Dave quit around 1999 when we were moving into our new facility. We were all at the building on a Saturday morning packing the moving truck, when the fax machine beeped, and the first of many, of Dave’s manifestos came sprawling out of the fax machine. Dave liked to write when he was upset, and this was no disappointment. Needless to say he quit that day, via fax, and got a lot of frustrations off his chest in the process.
Dave spent a few years working at Half-Priced books, where he could follow his one true passion - reading.
Dave returned to AAW a few years later, and had worked as part of our team until the end of last year. Over the years, Dave had written a half dozen or so of his manifestos, usually via e-mail, that dealt with any number of our conflicts and issues. It usually had to do with Dave’s inability to make it to work on-time. Regardless, if his shift started at 8am or was gradually moved back to 11am in an attempt to make him walk through the door on time, he was ALWAYS late!
On 12/1/2009 I came into work to find another of Dave’s manifestos. This would be his last. This time he resigned his position with Restylers’ and thanked me for the years of employment and the patience I showed him over the years. (I told you he was always late!) He just wasn’t happy in the new position I created for him, after he grew bored in the warehouse. He gave this new job a single day of effort and threw in the towel. Which was unlike Dave - in retrospect, a scream for help that fell on deaf ears.
I responded to his email with a kind reply, my final words were “...and don’t be a stranger.” Little did I know that would be last time I would talk to him.
Those who who knew Dave knew that he was eccentric. He was one-hell of an artist, in-fact he penned the original illustrations of our own Freddy Funk. He even had a full-ride scholarship to the Cleveland Art Institute, that he never followed up on. Dave was also a National Merit Scholar Finalist his senior year in high school, proving to the world that he was indeed smarter than you!
Dave had barely a chance of living a “normal” life after his father committed suicide when he was barely a teenager. In my opinion, this event threw his life a curve ball, that he tried to swing at, but never could hit. His relationship with his mom disintegrated, and he began his search for love and meaning through a long series of failed relationships, and hobbies.
Dave’s personality forced him to pursue every new challenge to the fullest degree. His intense love of music - everything form Classical to Norwegian Death Metal - led him to pick up the guitar and in a very short time, became a fluent guitarist, practicing hours at night. He then took up online role-playing games and immersed himself in a make-believe world where he could dominate. Often playing all-night long.
Most of these past loves and hobbies were forever “part” of him as they were immortalized on his body as one of his many tattoos.
Dave long ago lost his faith in God and became an atheist. I had long discussions with him on this, never to sway his opinion. And let me tell you, anytime you got in a discussion with Dave about ANYTHING, you had better know your stuff, because he was always well read, and well educated on his topic of choice.
I look back at the times him and I went to concerts together with great fondness. We didn’t see eye-to-eye on everything but we had a common bond in music. I know now, in retrospect how lucky I was to know Dave, and to spend close to half of his life with him.
For everything Dave was or wasn’t, he WAS sincere. He had his quirks, but in the end Dave was always honest to himself and the people he worked with. Isn’t that something great to be remembered for?
I hope that Dave has found his peace in heaven, though he had lost his faith in it, I know that is where people with such kind hearts and troubled lives deserve to go. As one of Dave’s favorite bands, Megadeth put it...“Rust In Peace” Dave.
Doug Jacobs