David Guadagnoli
Our dear friend David had a heart attack and died in his sleep Sunday night. I really don’t know what to say about losing such a warm, wonderful person. I’m having trouble believing it’s true.
I’ve taken nearly a week to figure out what to say, because it has to be right. And even now I’m not sure I’m doing justice to David. I can say he was warm, kind, funny and caring, but does that do enough to tell you who he was?
David was never shy about telling you how much he cared about you. At first that really made me uncomfortable, because it’s hard to hear compliments about yourself, even when it was completely clear that he was sincere and meant what he was saying. But after awhile I realized these are things we really should say aloud about our loved ones directly to them – people do need to hear that you care about them, and that they have value. He didn’t hold back emotional expression, and around him you knew you were loved and special. He was great at looking after people. On Stephanie’s and my first anniversary, I was just out of heart surgery, and David and Garrett fixed a wonderful dinner for us so we could have a special day even though I wasn’t able to leave the house or go far.
David was a very handsome man, but what doesn’t seem to be showing up in my photos are his very blue, beautiful eyes. And David’s eyes smiled when he did – he definitely had laugh lines around his eyes, because he always had a smile on his face and a glimmer of merriment in his eyes.
David and Garrett were helping us load up the truck with Stephanie’s things when we were moving into our house, and I made the mistake of taking I-70 to get downtown, instead of traveling through town. Part way, stuff started falling off the back of the truck, and David actually JUMPED OUT of their car and ran into traffic to pick up some of the stuff that had fallen. We were really upset with him; we didn’t want him risking his life to retrieve things. Silly boy. “We’d rather have you than any thing we own,” we told him. That’s still true.
From the IndyStar:
April 22, 2008
David D. Guadagnoli 41, of Indianapolis, passed away at his residence on April 21, 2008. He was born June 16, 1966 in New Castle, IN to David P. and Kay Ann (Keihn) Guadagnoli, and they survive. David was a graduate of Ball State University with a degree in marketing. He managed several restaurants including the Leland Hotel in Richmond, IN and R. Bistro on Massachusetts Avenue in Indianapolis and was currently a manager of a local antique mall. He was a member of St. Peter’s United Church of Christ. Other survivors include his loving partner, Garrett B. Hutson; step-daughter, Alexandra Paige Hutson; two sisters, Pam Collins and Lisa Guadagnoli. David was preceded in death by his sister, Debra Guadagnoli. Friends may call from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23 at the Leppert Mortuary, Nora Chapel 740 E. 86th Street, Indianapolis. A funeral service will be conducted at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 24 at the mortuary. You are invited to visit www.leppertmortuary.com where you may sign the online register, leave a personal message, or make a memorial contribution to the American Heart Association.
