Dave Shenk was my friend and he is missed.
His word was rock solid; if he said he would do something or be somewhere he would go out of his way to make sure he kept his commitment. He was very eager about his new leadership role in Donegal TU.
We enjoyed playing poker together, talking about fly fishing, fly tying, hunting, and many other things about life. He and his wife Jan got me started into fly tying and taught me and my 9 year old son Adam the basics. He was an artistic man and loved to invent new and productive fish catching nymphs and streamers. He was very encouraging to my son both in fly tying and fishing. He wrote Adam a very nice letter when he learned that he had caught his first ever trout on a fly rod using Dave's "Pearly Killer" streamer.
He served our country in the Vietnam War and had a deep love for the USA and our soldiers who fight for it.
The circumstances of his death serve to reinforce basic gun safety rules which we must all respect to keep ourselves and others from tragedy. Dave certainly knew those rules and not being there, I will never understand how this could have happened.
I was looking forward to tying with him this winter and hooking up on some trout with him this spring. My only regret is to not have spent more time having serious discussions with Dave. We as men spend far too much time talking about superficial things in life rather than the permanent things like our relationship with God and our relationships with others.
My prayers are with Jan, his wife, and his children whom I have not yet met as they grieve this very sudden loss. May the Peace of our Lord surround them and you as well.
