David P. Winters, of Leesburg, Florida completed his earthly journey on November 5, 2020 with his wife and sister at his side. David is predeceased by his parents Ralph and Anne Winters and is survived by his wife Susan, children Michael, Richard (Kassandra), Raymond, Mary (Paul) and Brittany (Isaac). David leaves behind 2 sisters, Donna (Brian), Lynn (Jim), dozens of nieces and nephews as well as his 12 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren who meant the world to him.
David, at heart, was an artist. As a child and young man his love for music was born and nourished, performing alongside his family, especially his sisters who he loved so much. As he grew older this passion only flourished, going on to teach himself to play countless instruments and singing for the entirety of his life. Even now, in the hands and voices of so many of his children and grandchildren, the notes he strung through their spirits will play on forever.
David was a character. His mental encyclopedia of music and movies was unparalleled and he was ever at the ready with a terrible Dad joke, followed inevitably by his infectious laughter. He had a hobby for every day of the week…scuba, golf, guitars, ukulele…he never stopped learning and he never stopped living life to the fullest.
David was the calm in any storm. In a world full of strife and angst, David was a sea of peace that washed over ever person who met him. His quiet spirit and abounding ability to join hearts that were wounded was his hallmark, his gift and ultimately his legacy. He was silly and serious, joyful and sincere…at times shy and others the life of the party. He was singular.
But what David was most, was a husband, father and grandfather. For 25 years, he and Susan walked together as best friends and ultimately each other’s saving grace. Through every trial and challenge, through loss and triumph, they held tight to their love and lived in peace knowing beyond all doubt that their story, was one for the ages.
To understand David’s soul, you need only look to his 5 stepchildren. From the moment he stepped into their lives, they were his. No questions, no reservations…just love, pure and real. He was the father he didn’t have to be, a bulwark against the outside world and those 5 lives were changed forever.
David,to his grandchildren was “Beepa”. There was no ask too big and no moment too small for him to make special and to be there….always. He was their coach and their cheerleader, their playmate and chauffer…he was Santa and the Easter Bunny and every super hero in between. And now, in all those little hearts is a seed. A seed sewn by the example of how to be better to each other…what selflessness looks like and the purity of joy. One man’s spirit, rooting generations to come.
As we look now, to a future without him…it is easy to fall into the abyss of grief and despair, to focus on the loss our hearts are consumed with. But that is not the way he lived and without doubt, not what he would have wanted for any of us. He believed whole heartedly that life is short….too short for grudges or endless grief. As a Buddhist he believed completely in the cycle of death and rebirth, that what we put out in the world comes back to us and those we love and in the the four Brahma that guided him….Loving Kindness, Compassion, Empathetic Joy and Serenity. We rejoice in his life and the years spent in the fullness of his spirit and know that he is enjoying a lemon merengue pie with his mom as we speak. Here’s to David…and times gone by, in moments never to be forgotten…that he may live on in our memories and in our hearts, forever.
