David Heron - Memorial Information

Was held Saturday, March 11 at 11:00 AM EST in Titusville at the Space View Park, Broad Street & Indian River Avenue

Space View Park, Titusville, Florida

Photos of the park: Page 1 Page 2

David William Heron, age 49 of Titusville, died February 28 at the Parrish Medical Center.

Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, July 11, 1956, he was the son of the late John D. Heron and the late Clarice M. Heron. He graduated from Warren Central High School. David worked for 25 years as a computer programmer in the Titusville area.

He is survived by two sons, Anthony Heron of Mims and Andrew Heron of Titusville, and two daughters, Rachael Warman, of Murphy, North Carolina and Kayla Heron, of Titusville. He is also survived by three sisters, Barbara Selvitella of Massachusetts, Susan Heron of Tampa, and Roberta Lumiere of Indianapolis. In addition he is survived by two grandchildren, Lorlelai Warman and Stephan Heron.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, March 11 at 11:00 a.m. in Titusville at the Space View Park, Broad Street & Indian River Avenue.

Memorial contributions may be sent to the American Humane Society or the local Humane Society chapter.

(Published in the Orlando Sentinel on 3/8/2006)

Click here to access the Orlando Sentinel site and sign David's guest book.

American Humane Donation Page

Eulogies:

We gather here today in Space View Park, a monument to dreams, to celebrate the dreams of David William Heron and our memories of his love for family, friends and all things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small. If David were here to speak today, we think he would agree with the writer Mark Twain who said "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do "Explore. Dream. Discover."

In 1961 President John F. Kennedy challenged the United States to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Two years later a bright and curious young boy announced to his second grade class that his dream was to work with NASA in Florida. That dream came true in the early 1980s. The most satisfying years of his computer programming career were those he spent here at the Kennedy Space Center.

Another of his dreams began to come true prior to coming to Florida. His first child Rachael was born and some of the pictures displayed here today show his great delight at holding his brand new daughter. Family, and especially children, were central to David's happiness, and he was lucky to be the father to four children: Rachael, Tony, Kayla and Drew. He said that the most special holiday he ever celebrated was last Christmas Eve with his four children and two wonderful grandchildren, Stephan and Lorelai. His joy and pride in that moment knew no bounds.

David had the good fortune to be born in the Age of Technology. Bill Gates and David were almost the same age. Those of us in his family have many memories of the things that young David took apart to see how they worked. If we were lucky, he would stay interested enough to put them back together again. We were glad that he moved on to computers. They fascinated David from the very beginning when he and his friend Bill Colwell first started working on them, a fascination that persisted to the end of his life.

He loved games, art, books and reading but especially science fiction. One of his favorite authors was Robert Heinlein. His favorite novel was "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", in which one of Heinlein's messages was that people are what's important. But we should also remember that Heinlein's hero in that book was Manuel Garcia O'Kelly, a computer engineer par excellence, who also enjoyed chatting with the intelligent computer he'd discovered.

He was a true Heron who loved and cared for all kinds of animals, but he loved cats best. As a little kid, he compared their purring to smooth running motors. Coincidently, Barbara's favorite cat died on the same day last week. We are willing to bet that David and Rosie are now together watching out for all of us and laughing. As The Little Prince said in the book of the same name,

"In one of the stars,
I shall be living
In one of them
I shall be laughing
And so it will be
as if all the stars
were laughing
when you look at the sky at night. "

He would love the fact that all of us decided to meet in Space View Park because it's views combine his love of space and animals. He often talked about the beautiful and fascinating wildlife that he spied as he crossed the wetlands to the Space Center in the early morning.

As each of you reflect on your own personal memories of David, remember what DeAngelis said:

"Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver".

The true tribute to David's life would be for all of us to spread the love and kindness that nurtured his life even in his darkest hours.

And Gilgamesh wept ... saying, "He who was my companion through adventure and hardships, is gone forever... "

-Gilgamesh (Lament for Enkidu )

I met my dear friend David on the last day of my first college semester. A classmate and I were playing monopoly with the school computer and Dave had to know how. Once the next term started we became fast friends. A friendship lasting 32 years.

We shared an eccentric sense of humor as well as a love of science fiction. The Firesign Theater, Robert Heinlein, Monty Python, Isaac Asimov and National Lampoon, were among our favorites. Many a good laugh followed by imagining the possibilities for the future and how we could play a part. We saw the first Star Wars on its opening night. Took road trips to favorite state parks, amusement parks and nowhere in particular.

During this time I was lucky to share those things were important to him. I spent time with John, Claire, Roberta and of course Oso. He got to know my grandparents with whom I lived. Everybody loved Dave. I was the best man for his wedding. Was there when Rachel came home for the first time (may even have been her first babysitter).

I have a cat story about David. The cat in the apartment upstairs started a fire, which was extinguished, which flooded Dave's (first) apartment. We got him moved into a nearby apartment up the street. Shortly after the move some cute girls moved in upstairs. Dave of course greeted them and soon introduced me. One girl, Cindy, eventually became my spouse.

The last time we saw each other was during my sister's wedding in Florida. We spent from dusk to dawn visiting the family and catching up. It was near this very park Dave showed me a real space shuttle for the first time. I could see how this place had captured his imagination.

Although distance and life paths kept us apart Dave was always a constant presence in my mind. I will miss that comfortable warmth. I know many of you will as well.

Pet Chance for me my other brother. "...I know we'll meet again some sunny day."

With love,
Bill (Bo) Colwell