Heaven's gates are permanently open right now

These are gut wrenching, heart breaking times.

A very good man named David Selvaggi (at left, in yellow) recently lost his personal battle with Covid-19, and I'd like to write a few thoughts to tell you why that saddens me. 

It has escaped no one's notice that the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a staggering loss of life, cutting a swath through our communities like a whale-sized sickle. The daily death count reported in the media desensitizes the repulsion of so many people's passing, losing loved ones in the constantly mounting numbers. I can recall conversations where questions were posed if anyone had the personal impact of a passing, the responses consistently confirming that no one involved had lost a friend or relative. 

I can't say that anymore.

I first met David Selvaggi when his son Eric attempted to earn a spot on the U15 Rugby Ontario team in 2007. First impressions of Eric included appreciation for not only his impressive physical traits, but also his equally impressive people and leadership skills. I suppose I should admit that I felt a kindred spirit existed since we were both larger, hard-running centers, but it was Eric's quick smile, positive disposition, and magnetic personality wrapped around a tiger-like ferociousness that caught my attention. The cherry on top was finding out that my Queen's buddy Mark Burleigh had been a part of Eric's introduction to rugby when Eric attended Country Day School.

Eric, in case you didn't guess, earned his jersey, leading to a number of occasions for conversation with his Uber supportive parents, Dave and Doris. As the summer progressed, they and I shared many opportunities to build our acquaintance, quickly revealing where Eric got his wonderful personality traits from. As it would turn out, Dave was a passionate shutterbug and we were able to swap tidbits of advice about equipment and settings that best suited a fast-paced sport like rugby. 

The summer of 2007 was a busy one, from an ORU perspective, and culminated in a tour to Newfoundland that included a number of touristy memories like Cape Spear, Swillers Rugby Park, Chess's Fish and Chips, and Signal Hill. This was that tour that birthed the semaphore flag story I wrote about a while back (CLICK), and when the invitation to return to the ORU coaching staff for the summer of 2008 to move up with Eric and his team mates to U16, the moment of hesitation was just shy of a second before accepting. 

The summer of 2008 was indeed memorable.

It was during that time that Dave and Doris spread their arms of friendship wider as we shared a number of gratifying laughs and giggles on a variety of subjects, not just rugby. Eric was so much his parents, but especially his father. Dave had that same twinkle in his eye, that warm smile, that welcoming presence. He was very easy to be around and went to great lengths to ensure the coaching staff understood the depth of his gratitude for providing an invaluable opportunity for Eric. It was the first of their family's trips to the National Rugby Championships, this one held at Ottawa's Twin Elms Park, and despite the disappointing loss to BC in the final, reinforced our growing relationship.

I'm by no means attempting to diminish the tragedy of others who have succumbed to this horrible virus, but I am profoundly saddened that my friend Dave Selvaggi is gone. We did not share a deep friendship but his loss impacts me none the less because it has personalized the threat of Covid-19, and it will profoundly effect Doris and Eric's future. Dave was 67 at the time of his passing, and our being so close in age struck me like a slap in the face. 

I'm not an overly religious person, but that doesn't mean that I lack it in my life. The toll of this pandemic has manifested in St Peter keeping the gates of Heaven permanently ajar, and I pray that God blesses the Selvaggi family with the requisite strength to endure the loss of what I view is a great human being. 

Your loss will be felt Dave.
Note: Click for info from Vescio Funeral Home