“The universe is a pretty big place. If it’s just us, seems like an awful waste of space.” - Carl Sagan
David made it very clear during his life that he wished to have his ashes launched into space after his passing. It is with great honor and pride that we make this final wish come true. We already know he is smiling down on us from above and we send all our love and affection to him with this launch. He is deeply missed.
David A. Lavender Jr was born June 16th, 1955 in Attleboro MA to David and Beatrice (Bunny) Lavender and Jeri Lavender, who became his Step-Mother in later years. Growing up, he was absolutely infatuated with all things space related, he could remember the full names of all 7 original astronauts, watched with fascination every time there was a launch scheduled and was intently focused on every move closer NASA got to the moon. He dreamed of being an astronaut. We hope with this launch, he feels like an astronaut now.
During his college years, he developed and hosted a radio show called “ The Lavender Blues”. After receiving his bachelor's degree from the University of Maine Orono, he had a daughter, Melanie, with Teresa J. Lavender. He then pursued a career in videography and editing for local news stations and weddings. He loved this procession for many years and went on to work for NBC news.
Later on, he moved to Cape Cod Massachusetts and remarried, welcoming two step-sons, Nicholas Johnson and the late Travis Johnson into his heart. It is there that he started working for community news and is credited with developing Falmouth Community Television. He also worked for several years with his father David Sr at Lavender and Associates as a real estate developer.
David had many interests, and just as he did when he was a young boy, his love of all things space-related continued into his adulthood. He loved to build his own rockets, taking great time and precision in perfecting their design and loved to fly them once they were built. He loved modeling, and built many models, including automobiles, fighter planes, reproductions of our space programs rockets and sci-fi models. He loved everything Star Trek. He built a large version of the International Space Station and the Titanic which he won many awards for. His brother Michael Lavender has the Titanic in his office to this day and he donated the International Space Station to a local school for educational purposes.
David also loved to sail and be by the ocean. He owned a sailboat named Klaatu, which was named after a fictional humanoid from the 1951 movie “The Day The Earth Stood Still”. In the winter, he would toil on the boat, revamping and doing repairs. David also enjoyed playing the guitar. He loved rock and roll, blues, and jazz. He played by ear and could be heard playing music regularly on his 12 string. He once played a guitar randomly in a music store in Austin Texas, making everyone there pause and listen. David enjoyed sports cars. For years he had a 1986 Mercedes 300D convertible, which he enjoyed during the warmer part of the year.
Throughout his life David was an animal lover, having several dogs, each he adored for their unique personality. But it was his beloved Bichon, Ashling, who was his constant companion, sticking by his side during his most difficult times. He was a member of AA and celebrated 20 years of continued sobriety. He had a very close relationship with his sponsor Bob, who was not just a sponsor, but a dear friend also. He also had other wonderful relationships with other AA members.
David's daughter Melanie was the light of his life. They enjoyed camping and being in nature. He passed on his knowledge of space exploration and rocketry to her, and his step-sons, inspiring and motivating them in life. He loved spending time with his daughter, his son-in-law Casey, his late step-son Travis and his stepson and daughter-in-law, Nicholas, and Jennifer and enjoyed whenever his family could be all together. In addition to being a family man, David was a loyal friend. He had a wonderful longtime college friend, Mike Shostack, that he would stay in contact with and they would get together twice a year to enjoy adventures. More than anything, David adored spending time with his family and friends and is deeply missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him.
Live Long and Prosper David. You are missed by many.
