Randolph Henry David

"Rand" passed from his earth life at the age of 71. His friends and family also called him Randy. He lived in the coastal cities of Orange County, California. Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, and Lake Forest were his recent communities.

Rand was born in Los Angeles to Henry and Helen David. The family lived in Manhattan Beach, Garden Grove, and Huntington Beach. He and his twin sister, Renee, were joys to their parents. Another sister, DeEtte, came along a few years later. When Rand was almost 7 his father died. His mother remained single, working as a waitress to raise 3 children. Rand never had another father figure, and drifted into delinquency. He also suffered two serious vehicle accidents during his teens.

Rand greatly enjoyed surfing and making music. Renee remembers him as "a natural musician, playing guitar and piano, sounded like Joe Cocker when he sang." He wrote songs and often jammed with other musicians throughout his life. DeEtte remembers her “good looking cool surfer brother.”

Rand went on his own before finishing high school, and his family ties broke. He worked various jobs, a machine shop in Garden Grove was a favorite. He told his close friend Lance Schmidt that he had a lot of fun working on parts for aerospace and the auto industry. That's where he got his ability to machine and reverse engineer all kinds of things. Lance remembers, "He was actually quite the genius. He could reverse engineer or fix or put something together that would just amaze you. I saw him Jerryrig all kinds of things on his truck to make them work the way he needed them to work . . . I think Rand was a very visual person and artistic person at heart."

Renee remembers when they were both in high school, she teamed with him in refurbishing a "woodie" with an engine and parts from another car. She organized the hardware in stages while he disassembled and rebuilt the engine and body. They got that woodie running!

Over the years, Rand investigated many self-help avenues. He was involved in various pursuits such as “trash to treasures,” song writing and journaling.

In 1987 Rand married Maria Catalina Villalobos Navarrete, 26 yrs. old. He became the step-father to her children Jose Israel Villalobos Garcia, 6 yrs. old, and Ivonne Vanessa Villalobos Garcia, 3 yrs. old. In 1992 the children were surrendered to other homes. The marriage ended a few years after.

Rand bought his first RV in 1992, and continued to primarily live in RVs throughout the rest of his life. Blessings to Christina Puga, as Rand appreciated the safe haven on the grounds of Mission Basilica in San Juan Capistrano.

Overall, the love of Randy’s life was his big, black dachshund, Hershey, his companion during his final 18 years.

Heartfelt gratitude for Rand's local family ~David Fellows, Lance Schmidt, Heidi Mitchell and Joan Hilliard. They walked alongside Rand and Hershey in acquiring RVs, and with their daily needs. They also reunited Randy to his family after 50 years of silence.