Obituary of David William Bedker

David William Bedker 5/18/1976 - 5/14/2010 David passed away from this world due to complications of pneumonia. Rosary will be recited 11 a.m. Saturday, May 22nd followed by a Funeral Mass at St. Mary's Catholic Church, 757 138th St. S. Tacoma, WA 98444. Graveside service to follow at Calvary Cemetery. Viewing 4:00-8:00 p.m., Friday, at the Piper-Morley-Mellinger Funeral Chapel 253-472-3353. A most beloved son, brother, nephew, uncle and friend joined his paternal and maternal grandparents and his inseparable cousin Bryan Dunham on May 14th, 2010. David William Bedker was born May 18th, 1976 in Tacoma, Washington on his mother's birthday and was a true delight to all he encountered. Dave was an avid artist, who loved to draw, paint, and work wood. He worked at his family's company of Bedker's Portable Welding as a metal craftsman, with a W.A.B.O. certification unlimited. His father had hoped David, his brothers and sister would one day own and operate the family's business. In his early twenties, Dave served in the United States Navy and United States Marines Corps and went on several missions, including Iraqi Operation Freedom. For a time Dave also lived in Seattle, WA where he attended the Art Institute and continued his studies at local colleges in Tacoma, after his military career. Dave was a Seattle Seahawks enthusiast, a family man, and loved to play as hard as he worked, which included beautifying his property in Parkland, Wa. Dave is survived by his parents Phil & Liz Bedker, his siblings, Aaron, Matthew and Leah and her husband Jamie; his nephews "Mikey" and Isaiah; his nieces Emilee, Sarah, Ava and Cadence; many other family and friends who will always love and miss him deeply. From Aaron: Dave had a huge heart for his family. He was generous and loving beyond measure. The men he served with in the military were like brothers to him. When he got home he carried that spirit of comraderie with him everywhere he went. His nephews and nieces were a big priority in his life. He went out of his way to spend time with each of them. Taking them to the movies and parks and spending as much time with them as possible doing what they wanted to do. He even took his teen nieces to the mall, even though he himself hated shopping. He had his own nicknames for each of them, even little Isaiah. His whole countenance lit up around the kids. They all loved to see him, because Uncle Dave always brought a spirit of fun and laughter. Dave was a proud individualist, saying and wearing and doing exactly as he pleased. It was a source of pride for him to not need to conform to social expectations. Dave's friends loved this about him. We'd say "With Dave, what you see is exactly what you get." This independence and honesty earned him respect and love and even a little ribbin' where ever he went, bringing us all to tears with laughter at times. Those David counted as friends were a lucky group. Dave treated them like family. They knew without a doubt that Dave loved them and knew he was unbelievably loyal and reliable. From Matt "David was my truest and best friend since the day I could walk, I knew him and he knew me better than any other soul could. He was my rock and without him my world has become colder, duller, and darker. At every turn he was my inspiration to be better; to do better. Even though I feel I never lived up to any of his expectations I knew that for some reason he was always my biggest fan; for me it was much than more a brotherly love. Dave was a source of unconditional love unlike any I've ever known. Not a single day will pass from now till I see him again that I will not stop and think or be reminded of everything we shared and how much I will miss my older brother". From Leah: My love for my older brother, Dave will never diminish. For as long as I live, I will always cherish him and ache for him, for he has left a hole in our family that can't be mended. He was one of the people in my life that I felt closest too, that I could be my true self with. In truth, Dave was my hero and the admiration I have for him is deeper than any ocean. His countenance, his kindness, his overwhelming love for his family are just a few things that I already miss about my friend. I miss his quirky ways, like singing and jamming to one line of a song to no end or how he would finish a project and say, "That's Sexy". I will miss his kilowatt smile and how his blue eyes sparkled when he surprised you. I will strive to live as he did, simple and true; and adopt his idealism of not "busting your head about what other people think". I will remember his unselfish generosity with his family while being extremely frugal with himself. Dave just had a way with people that made you want to be around him, to soak him all in. I can not say enough about my brother that truly does him justice, nor would he want me to. I will just do as he told me too, the very last time I saw him, and "take it easy".