Smiles to you,
E

Much love, my friend.

m.

I’m sure he will continue bestowing his love and help from the higher realms and will love the wonderful portrait you have painted, of his character and zest for life..

Blessings, love and light, to all those who knew and were close to Dusty…

Jaye x

Mariette

I met Dustin in Chico, CA at the age of about 13. Immediately we developed a great bond. We used to take turns sleeping over at each’s others places all the time. We used to collect sporting cards together all the time (baseball, football, basketball cards). We used to send cards to professional players for them to sign them and on a daily basis would ride our bikes to the post office to see who signed our cards and sent them back. We used to delivery newspapers together on our bikes after school on the weekdays and in the mornings on the weekends. It was an awesome time. Two young kids were developing friendships for life with one another and had no idea. Dustin wasn’t a friend, he was a brother. We used to do so many pranks together as well. Whether it was ringing on people’s doorbells and running away, or toilet papering homes, we had so much fun.

I remember so much about Dustin. I remember my mom being in Grad School and having spent numerous amounts of time writing her thesis. Somehow it was mistakenly thrown away before submission and lo and behold, it was Dustin who went through the big trash compactor to retrieve it. This was before the growth of technology as we know it today.

I remember staying up late at night playing video games with him. Our favorite for the longest time was a Nintendo game called “Baseball Stars.” We would play this game constantly and never get bored. I remember him creating a customized team and name all of his players “Mulham” after me.
We were each other’s company, confidant, and more. Our home situations were so similar and that’s why we had so much in common.

I lived in Chico, CA for only two years but never found anyone I enjoyed as a friend as much as Dustin. To this day, I am 31 years old, and there has never been another friend who meant as much to me as Dustin. This is a testament to his warmth, his heart, and above all, the love his mother provided him with. He cared about you and wanted to see you happy.

I remember one day we helped our neighbors move. We were young kids, but our neighbors said they would give us each $20 if we helped them move. Afterwards, Dustin and I took our $20 each and rode our bikes to a local sports shop. I remember buying a baseball hat and can’t recall what Dustin bought.

I remember on Mother’s Day we each bought our Mother’s something together. I believe it was earrings, but not sure.

I remember living in Chico for 2 years and then moving to San Jose. Dustin and I never stopped staying in touch with one another. Afterwards, I moved to FL for college and he stayed in touch with me. He was awesome. He would send me letters, pictures, tapes, etc. in the mail. He was personal in this impersonal world. It was always awesome hearing news about Dustin. His letters were always a great read and made you pleased knowing that Dustin was your friend. He took time out of his day, to write, talk, share his thoughts, ideas, goals, etc.

For the longest time, Dustin would always call me on my birthday. He never seemed to forget when my birthday was, even though I always forgot his. This is an example of Dustin’s character.

Many more things that come to mind as I write about my good friend Dustin. I remember him introducing me to Top Ramen soup. I remember him coming to our home and having my grandparents joke around with him. They liked him so much, as did my entire family.

My family is originally from Syria and I remember Dustin coming to our home and enjoying our culture, our food, etc. I remember our sister’s being great friends as well.

I remember our close group of friends (Mischa, Greg, and Andreas).

I remember our code words with one another (ragamuffin, etc.)

I look back at recall only great memories with Dustin. I hope this quick posting has given you a glimpse into Dustin’s life and his heart. I hope we learn from his tragic passing that life is truly short, and our life on this earth is even shorter. All we have to take with us are our deeds. Many people live to be 100 years old and others unfortunately pass away before they even learn how to walk. We never know when our time will come as this is something we usually can’t control. What we can control is how we treat one another, how we respect one another, how we learn from one another, and how we leave an impression on one another.

A special thank you to Dustin’s mom, Liz, for showering her son with so much love throughout his life. You only get one chance to be a parent in life and the warmth that Dustin had in his heart is a sign of the warmth you gave him. He loved you and Kristin so much.

Wishing you all peace, comfort, and softness of the heart in this difficult time.

I am an OLD friend of Liz’s from South Lake Tahoe( we became friends in 1973) and we both had baby boys in the late 70′s, I only knew Dustin as the cutest litte blond boy for two years. Liz talked about you fondly during the years we hung out. It sounds like he grew up to be a great guy, whose life should not have been cut so short…