Dave and I were best friends and Vocational Electronics classmates. After graduation he went to work for Smith Electronics in Brecksville, bought a lot in Richfield, had a pre-fab house delivered to the site, and me and other friends helped him build his house.
Then one night we went bowling at the old North Royalton Lanes on Rt. 82. Rick VanDiest and Dave Grebe were also there as I recall. Dave wanted to leave after bowling but had been drinking too much so we got him to just stick around but he was not happy with us. He would not let anyone drive his car to take him home so we waited it out. After a while he went to the bathroom but left his bowling ball at the counter so we were sure he was coming back. He was very possessive of that ball. Nope, he took off.
Then the next morning (I think) I got a call from Rick asking if I had heard about Dave. Dave was driving south on State Road (?) headed home, went left of center on a sweeping right turn and hit a pickup truck head on with two young people inside. They were not significantly injured but Dave was killed. His car, an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, was towed to a lot in Brunswick and I got a look at it. No one could have survived the way it got smashed up.
Per Find A Grave he passed on October 16, 1983. His parents came up, took him back to Knoxville, TN and buried him there. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/83236819/david-alan-oakes
Dave really liked beer but his parents were 100% against drinking. Dave used to have paper grocery bags (remember those?) in his house filled with empty beer cans. We wanted to go to his house and get those out before his parents arrived but we had no keys. I guess it doesn't matter because they would soon find out anyways.
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Ray Pesek
Dave and I were best friends and Vocational Electronics classmates. After graduation he went to work for Smith Electronics in Brecksville, bought a lot in Richfield, had a pre-fab house delivered to the site, and me and other friends helped him build his house.
Then one night we went bowling at the old North Royalton Lanes on Rt. 82. Rick VanDiest and Dave Grebe were also there as I recall. Dave wanted to leave after bowling but had been drinking too much so we got him to just stick around but he was not happy with us. He would not let anyone drive his car to take him home so we waited it out. After a while he went to the bathroom but left his bowling ball at the counter so we were sure he was coming back. He was very possessive of that ball. Nope, he took off.
Then the next morning (I think) I got a call from Rick asking if I had heard about Dave. Dave was driving south on State Road (?) headed home, went left of center on a sweeping right turn and hit a pickup truck head on with two young people inside. They were not significantly injured but Dave was killed. His car, an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, was towed to a lot in Brunswick and I got a look at it. No one could have survived the way it got smashed up.
Per Find A Grave he passed on October 16, 1983. His parents came up, took him back to Knoxville, TN and buried him there. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/83236819/david-alan-oakes
Dave really liked beer but his parents were 100% against drinking. Dave used to have paper grocery bags (remember those?) in his house filled with empty beer cans. We wanted to go to his house and get those out before his parents arrived but we had no keys. I guess it doesn't matter because they would soon find out anyways.