I just found out of Dave's passing. I'm heartbroken for his family and friends. 

He was one of the best sound engineers I ever worked with. He never,ever at least to our face,lol, referred to us as " chick singers". Which we appreciated more than he ever knew.He never treated us like that either. He was always patient and giving to fellow musicians. 

We did a lot of fair & festival stage shows with him. My favorite memory of him is behind the soundboard,smiling, checking the sound a chowing down on a corn dog. He got renamed ,Corn Dog for that very reason. And what a laugh ! So much fun and memories with him.

Rest in sweet peace ,Corn Dog. I love you always,sweet friend!💙💙💜

Pop taught me that the only constant in life...

Is Change.

In the early morning of June 24, 2022, I was visiting Mom and Dave’s and decided to take a shower before starting the day. Mom was still asleep, but Dave was already up, enjoying a cup of black coffee in the kitchen. We exchanged a few sleepy “good mornings” before I headed to the bathroom.

I pulled back the shower curtain, and my soul immediately left my body.

Now, Mom and Dave had lived in the country for several years at that point, so even this city-raised girl wasn’t shocked to encounter the occasional multi-legged critter during visits. But what was lurking behind that curtain was something straight from the depths of Hades’ Nether regions.

The only reason I know the exact date of this memory is because in my panic, I took a photo, fully aware that someone was bound to accuse me of being dramatic without photographic proof. That photo is timestamped forever with the date I nearly passed out in the Herget family bathroom.

Not wanting to wake Mom or startle Dave, I slowly closed the curtain and tiptoed back into the kitchen.

“Um, Dave?” I asked carefully. “By chance… are you afraid of spiders?”

Still waking up, he replied slowly, “No, not really. Why, what’s wrong?”

“Well,” I started calmly, before suddenly losing all composure, “the biggest fucking spider I have ever seen in my life is in the bathtub. And I’m no chicken with a good daddy long legs, but that thing is just… absolutely not.”

Dave let out his signature big, raspy laugh and said it was probably a wolf spider, which were common in the area and not dangerous. To which I replied, completely unconvinced, “Yeah… sure… okay. Please help?”

Dave headed to the bathroom. From the kitchen, I heard the shower curtain pull back, immediately followed by, “Well, GOD DAMN,” then some very definitive stomping, and finally the sound of water washing away the evidence of the homicide.

Dave returned to the kitchen wide awake. Because who needs coffee when you’ve got Aragog setting up shop in your shower?

“Damn,” he said. “That was a huge spider! Those things get big, but I’ve never seen one that big!”

And that immediate validation bonded us forever.

Thanks for saving my life—and probably the lives of everyone in Central Illinois—that morning, Dave. I’ll remember your heroism forever.

Dad called me outside one night to my car in his driveway. He said,  "Clap once." I did, and my car lights came on. He said, "Clap twice." I did and my car doors unlocked.

He said, "Clap three times."

I did and my trunk opened!

Dad said he got a clapper for my car... like the ones you get for lights in your home. Turns out, that's when car remotes came into play. I had no idea it was in his pocket! He never let me forget that story and he laughed so hard about it! He got me! I thought he installed a clapper to my car! I fell for it hook, line, and sinker!

He never let me forget it either!!