June 16, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. David Mayes.

David and Margaret spend several weeks in Mexico, living in the unit adjacent to us at Playa Royal. We always overlapped at least some time when we were there. I do not know how we became such good friends. Other folks stay in the same unit and we merely say hello. But for some reason, we became good friends. Perhaps that was because Margaret was a doctor also she and Ken often talked medicine. They are more energetic than us. They drive their bike to Bucerias every morning for breakfast and every day they use their boards in the ocean. They live in Kimberley, a charming town in the mountains at the south end of The Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. They live out of town on a large property. Margaret rides her two horses and they hike all year round, summer or winter. Now that they are both retired, they enjoy their active life. David can make or fix anything. He made and installed a model railroad outside, with a foot wide track. He elevated the track to allow his back to stay functioning. Yesterday, I received a sad e mail from Margaret. David died suddenly of something to do with his aorta. He is younger than us and he was younger than Margaret so his death came as a huge surprise to Margaret. I was stunned too. He was thin and fit and energetic with no signs of any health failures. But he has gone. I talked with Margaret today and she is deciding what to do. David maintained everything outside. I urged her to hire which she is doing. I will miss David. He was an interesting and competent man. Even though we have only seen them a few weeks every year, we keep in contact throughout the year and I have always thought them to be good friends. He will be sorely missed.