Even though I never met David Oliver in person, his larger-than-life presence on Facebook made a deep impression on me. Through a hometown connection to his son Brad, I learned about David’s efforts to create a compassionate model of end-of-life care. I also discovered how much Brad and David adored the band Rush after a double-strength dose of Oliverian charm persuaded me to send both men Rush stamps from Canada in 2013.
Both in death and in life, David has inspired me, and I hope this collage can effectively reflect his love of travel, nature, family, and the Missouri Tigers (hence the black and gold color-scheme).
Brad told me that haiku was one of David’s favorite poetic forms, and the three arches (a reference to trips to Istanbul) contain one line each from a haiku of David’s. May “Living the Moment” do justice to a brave man who embodied the art of living with cosmic joy and unbridled enthusiasm.
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