David Cole Fare

This obituary was commissioned at the behest of his loving friends who felt that the world at large should be made aware of his sudden passing on February 18, 2016. He was 56. As one can tell by his picture, Dave was a unique character, so an ordinary obituary will not do. David was born in Shreveport, LA, on September 16th, 1959, under less than ideal circumstances. His early years were sad and fearful, but that is not what he’d want people to remember about him. Therefore, I will focus on the big kid he grew up to become. Compared to Big Dave, Peter Pan was an old geezer! He lived for cheesy horror movies like “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” and actually appeared in a student horror film called “The Muffin Man”, in which he played the title role as a murderous butcher. He loved Batman graphic novels.  And yes, he was confident that Batman could lick Superman! He also loved sports, becoming a place kicker at Barbe High School, where he graduated in 1977. He continued kicking at McNeese, with dreams of one day kicking for the New Orleans Saints, but left college for other pursuits. A music lover, he became a DJ for Nova 104, in Lake Charles, (1979-80), starring as Wes in “Wes’s Graveyard Rock”, and then as “Big Dave” at KRKR, in Lafayette, LA (1987-88). David was a hilarious mimic. He could do a dead on impression of Groucho Marx, Bill Clinton, Christopher Walken and Alf. In his younger years he was a favorite with the ladies. He once repelled down the side of a girl’s dorm to woo a lovely coed at her upper story window. Another great love of his was animals, particularly gators, tigers and killer whales. He was once ejected from Sea World, for sneaking into the killer whale enclosure, where he had the profound pleasure of petting the animal on the tongue! But his biggest love, was airbrush art, which became his profession, as “Big Dave’s Airbrush”. Self-taught, Dave perfected his craft with about thirty years of working experience. He painted helmets for almost 300 Texas girls’ softball teams. He has painted T-shirts, hats, boats, cars, trucks, vans, motorcycles, airplanes, stage backdrops, tables, Christmas windows, and business signs. He even painted bikinis on a group of naked Swedish models during a spring break on South Padre Island! But his favorite job, was painting murals. Samples of his work can be found at such places as Hollier’s and Quaker Steak in Sulphur, LA and the Bounce House in Lake Charles. Dave’s life may have been short, but his escapades could fill a book, and along the way he won the hearts of friends who looked beyond the paint spattered clothes and his bombastic and sometimes blustery nature, to become closer to him than family. He loved them back with his whole heart, and would have defended them all from a pack of Nazi werewolves if the need ever arose. He lived up to the name David, which means “Beloved”. Some may wonder how David died, but it’s more important to remember that Dave lived life on his own terms and faced the world with humor and bravery. However, if you just must know how he met his end, I will give you his own chosen epitaph: “Big Dave died rescuing a bucket of kittens from a burning building under heavy machinegun fire”. That’s David’s story and I’m sticking to it. David is survived by his adoptive son, Jason Hamilton, his wife Celene and three children; foster brother, Stephen Parham; siblings from different mothers: Mark and Dee Merryfield, and their children; Steve and Susan Breaux, and their children; Mike Breaux; David Toney and his children; Russell Matthews; Bob Goen; Ellen Toney; and too many others to name; his blood kin: the Fare, the Tessier and the Bellard families, who spent years looking for him, but filled his life with love for the three years they got to spend with him; and his girlfriend and “keeper”, Correze Ray Ford, or as he called me, “The Goddess.” David was cremated, and his ashes will be scattered on a beach on South Padre Island, only because we can’t spread them on the end zone at Saints stadium. Any donations may go to the Shriner’s Hospital or any favorite charities of your choice. Notes of comfort and memory are welcome on the Johnson Funeral Home Obituary page.