David A. Sweet, 1949-2017

Burial elsewhere - memorial stone only.

David A. Sweet, age 67, died suddenly, peacefully, mercifully at home on Tuesday, February 14 in Columbus, with his wife by his side. They had just come home from a lovely lunch out, both having completely forgotten it was Valentine’s Day. He had been taken under the care of Ohio Health Hospice just 6 days before. Dave was predeceased by his father, Paul E. Sweet in 1988 of pancreatic cancer, by his mother, Mary C. Sweet in 2013, and by his brother, Jerry Sweet just three weeks before Dave died. Jerry had esophageal cancer, but died of a heart attack. Dave is survived by his wife of 40 years, Cicily, and by his daughter Bevin (Mark) Reid, and his grandson Owen Stanley Reid of Columbus, Ohio, and his son, Paul H. (Devin) Sweet of Los Angeles, California. He is also survived by his other mother, Mary Lou Sweet of Kenton, Ohio, by his sister, Patty (Bill) Humpfer of Venice Beach, Florida, and by his brother, Mike (Beth) Sweet of Lewis Center, Ohio. He is also survived by beloved step-siblings, nieces, nephews and in-laws too numerous to mention. And friends. Dave WAS a good friend and, thus, he built many solid and enduring friendships over the years. During his last few years, his friends and family did not abandon him. If anything, their attention and devotion to him deepened. This was a blessing that he recognized and appreciated daily.

Dave was also diagnosed with lung cancer metastasized to his spine in late 2016.

Dave was born in Hammond, Indiana October 15, 1949 to Paul Eldon Sweet and Mary Catherine (Duncan) Sweet, the third of 4 children. He lived in Griffith, Indiana with both parents for several years. They divorced and his dad moved to Kenton, Ohio. He split his time between them, but ultimately moved to Kenton for his High School years. After graduating from Kenton HS in 1967, he moved to Columbus to attend The Ohio State University, his first immediate family member to attend college. He was at OSU during the 1970 spring protests and riots, and loved to tell the story of his arrest during a demonstration where he was “doing nothing, throwing nothing, shouting nothing.” He ultimately graduated from OSU with a BA in Sociology in 1971. By sometime in 1972, he had become a self-employed painting contractor. Over the years (40 years in business), he became very successful in this endeavor, ultimately painting mostly upscale custom homes and being known for his quality work. He had a finely honed skill for matching and coordinating colors. He was in business for 40 years.

He married Cicily Robinson in May, 1976. They met playing volleyball just 9 months beofre. A group of Dave's friends played volleyball every Sunday in Clinton Park, right behind his apartment. A couple of those friends worked with Cicily at Kroger, and one invited her to come and play. Dave and Cicily enjoyed 10 years of a child-free lifestyle. Working, of course, but traveling, skiing, whitewater rafting, hiking, playing volleyball, partying with friends. Thent hey had two planned and much loved kids: Bevin Lindsey Sweet, born June 26, 1986 and Paul Hayden Sweet, born August 27, 1989. Dave's prosperous business allowed Cicily the luxury of being a full-time mom for 18 years. And even though he was busy being the only breadwinner of the family, he never brought into rigid traditional family roles. He was always an involved dad and marriage partner. Dave, who was pretty athletic growing up, and had fond memories of being coached in Little League baseball by his dad, continued to be very active. He had his own company softball team for several years, playing in a Parks and Rec league. Ironically, the year they recruited some younger hotshots and won the title was the year they all had the least of fun. Lessons learned. As he own kids grew up, he was on coaching teams for each child in turn, taking great pride in their fun and accomplishments. Dave was a Buckeye football fan. For perhaps 30 years, Dave had access to season tickets. He shared these with family and friends. There were usually plenty of interested parties for the Michigan games, in particular. In his last couple of years, it became impossible for him to manage the walking and the crowds. Those games he watched from his living room. Dave also loved golf. He would say he was not very good at it. Golf is a game that some can take very seriously and would have become very frustrated if maintaining his level of play. Dave just enjoyed it. The beautiful venues, the comradery, the jokes, the decompression from his daily grind. Even after he developed Parkinson's Disease, he enjoyed getting out on the course. He amused his friends by taking a good swing at the ball and falling down with his follow-through. Then he usually got up and reported, "I'm fine!" When Cicily's dad died in 1996…first, Cicily was a mess emotionally and was in charge of her father's affairs and suddenly also of her mother's care. And her mother had failing health. Dave stepped up in every possible way to take up the slace with kids, cooking, whatever…while Cicily was busy and distracted. Secdon, Dave and Cicily eventually would up owning her dad's cottage in Tobermory, Ontario, Canada. This is a place that Dave and Cicily both loved dealy. Dave poured money, heart and sweat into improving and maintaining the cottage for the ensuing 20 years. Millions of happy moments were spent there: hiking, biking, swimming, grilling, schmoozing, chopping wood, relaxing by the fireplace, and watching the sunsets. One of their favorite times of day for many years was the early morning there. He would take coffee on the deck overlooking the water and enjoy the quiet. He often said that this was Heaven to him. It is where he wants his ashes to go. Dave joined the Worthington Lions Club in about 1986, was very active in the club for many years, and had rejoined about a year before his death. He felt good about being a part of the community-based and humanity-minded work that they continue to do. Dave was extremely proud of how his kids turned out as adults. And he was proud of the choices they made for spouses. He was very happy to celebrate both of their weddings, Bevin and Mar's (Reid) 2011, and Paul and Devin's (nee Viola) in 2016 in LA. Just a few months before he died. And, of course, he was thrilled to have gotten to interact with his first grandchild, Owen Stanley (after his maternal great-grandfather, Stanley U. Robinson, Jr.) Reid , born September 4, 2016. Dave was talking about planning to get an "Owen fix" within a half hour before he died. And he was also talking about visiting his step-mom, Mary Lou in Kenton. Family was very important to him. Dave was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in late 2004, and tried to keep active, including attending David Zid and Ohio Health’s “Delay the Disease” exercise classes frequently in his last few years. He was a bit of an upstart in those classes and made it his mission to get others to smile. It was severe enough by 2012 that he needed to retire and go on disability. By mid-2014, Cicily needed to retire to be more involved in his care. He tried always to stay as active as possible.

Dave began experiencing severe pain in his left leg not long after the LA wedding in October. Various testing eventually led to a diagnosis of lung cancer metastasized in his spine in late 2016.

Dave's memorial service will be a Quaker-style service with plenty of opportunity for sharing thoughts. It will take place Sunday, March 12 at 3 PM at Xenos Christian Fellowship’s 4th Street Pavilion at 1934 N. 4th St Columbus 43201. It is on the east side of N. 4th between 18th and 19th.