David De Leon
Frank valdez , papaw , Apple , honey, son, brother, baby boy , dad, devin had many names. To each of us he was more than special.
Dad married my mother in 2008 , blending families. my brother Jacob and sister Elizabeth and i gained a sister Samantha and dad who became a great father to us .
when my mom and dad got together, I was scared the he was going to take my mom from me but instead he took us both.
Not to long after blending families dad became a papaw, this is what all his grand babies called him. ( papaw was present at the hospital with my sister each time she gave birth just waiting to hold each new baby)
the dad I knew was a funny, handy( taught Me a few things but don’t really know if i caught on ) , a an straight shooter, Dad told everyone how it was, no sugar coating. Dad played like he had a hard shell, but he really was a sensitive tender man.
Due to his physical health, he became known as a grumpy man, but behind all that grumpiness he was the sweetest , giving , loving, selfless person! He adored his family, each of us had constant reminders from text messages , calls , in person conversations, where he would make it a point to tell us he loved us. My mother and dad would argue all the time, but a second later both would call each adoring names, my mother knew it was not him but the meds or pain.
I want people to know that dad lived in constant pain, pain that I think was unbearable at times, but despite that pain , he would muster the energy to do things with my mom, play with his grand babies, hang with his brothers, talk to us over the phone, spend time at holiday parties, clean the house, do kid pick up , babysit , help family and friends ….all just for us
It will be hard not having him here, sometimes I know we will feel like it is unbearable, but my mom , us kids , we know , we know he is not in pain anymore, you have unless joy, he is whole , running with 2 legs , dancing in the sky!!!
I love you dad thank you for letting me be your son!
We will catch up to fishing , we just let you have a head start
