Wildcats Forever - Honorary Inductee

[Bengalzona]

Induction into our Hall of Fame community is usually a happy occasion. However, this induction is bittersweet. As many of you may be aware by now, our member and friend Wildcats Forever (a.k.a. David Fleeman) passed away last week following open heart surgery. His family said he passed peacefully in his sleep.



After consideration from the other Mods and Admins, we decided that David's work on the board and, moreover, the presence and wisdom he brought to the board made him worthy of inclusion in this special group. Here are some reasons why we felt he was deserving of the honor.

Like many of us, David transferred here from the old board, where he had already established himself as a poster who was friendly, funny, and wise. He treated people with respect, sometimes when they did not appear to deserve it. And these were traits that David brought to our new board and shared with us. Those who knew him and interacted with him regularly had a high degree of respect and admiration for him.

When we needed a new Moderator at one point, David's name came up and he was immediately a top choice due to our regard for his enthusiasm and his ability to deal respectfully with people. He joined us and proved an excellent choice, constantly striving to make the boards a friendly and respectful community for all of its members.

David had three main passions in life: the Bengals, the Wildcats and playing the drums. He pursued all three with great vigor and zest, despite advancing age and increasing medical problems.

David cared about people. This was evident from his interactions with them. Sunset Bengal shared this story about David:

Quote:Dave reached out to me at a pivotal point in my life.  My old career as a tradesman had pretty much vanished from the great recession, I had taken the step of going back to school to learn the Surveying profession.  Being so many years removed from formal education, I was struggling to keep up with the curriculum, and keep the bill collectors at bay.
In our conversations, he gave me encouragement, guidance and advice, all while appearing to not be trying to do so.  He had a way about him where he could just speak with a person, and never let it show that he was speaking from a perspective.  It wasn't until years later that I even realized that he was 20 years older than I.

Before he went in for surgery, David posted one last post in the Mods forum. Here is a portion of what he said:

Quote:I don't know what age 69 sounds like to you guys, but I have been strong and active for the most part up until this summer. Playing drums and golf 3 - 4 times per week for years has been largely responsible for this. There are a few secrets to longevity, and one is to keep moving. I cannot stress the importance of that. Proper diet is as important. But here is one thing I was guilty of doing, and I suspect most would confess to doing the same which is ignoring signs your body gives you. Plus not getting regular tests and checkups.

I think the world of you guys, and want you to treat yourselves well every day of your life. It's your best chance of living a long life of high quality. For those of you who follow me on Facebook, someone will post my status there after my surgery. Let's hope it is me who will be posting that message.

For those of you who did not know David, I'm sorry to say that you missed out on meeting someone special. For those who did know him, you know why he his here in this select group far better than my simple words can convey. And you know that it is not a "pity vote". David is here due to the strength of his character and his passion for the team, the board and the board members.

Somewhere in the great beyond, Cam and David are shaking hands and hugging.

God speed, fellow MAS member!

[*bengalfan74*]

David was a wonderful man. We will all miss him, a lot.

Well deserved

[McC]

Bittersweet indeed. Our great loss is heaven's gain.

[Bengalholic]

An outstanding human being who loved this community and served it with tremendous class and dignity as a staff member.

He will be greatly missed!

RIP Dave

[Truck_1_0_1_]

This just hit me in the gut... really hard.

I'm stunned and quite saddened at this... I was hoping to connect with him, if he lived the area of the city, the next time I come down for a game (which would be this year and I haven't forgotten about you, Faulk!). If all went well, of course, as timing and all the jazz makes meetings like this always up in the air.

If I may share the last PM I had with him, in April of 2017 (we PM'd a lot for the first few years on this board and he was an awesome guy to speak to; he definitely made me smile and helped out a lot), I will do so here, right now (it was in regards to a crappy time at work, where I was told I would be let go, along with my team and the morale just sucked the life out of everyone... Plus Calgary is not the greatest place to live lol):

Quote:Ah yes, those adult problems. This world could be a lot more fun without them, for damned sure. The long road I've traveled has produced exposure to many philosophies, all seemingly intended to ease the angst on this subject. The brain pulls one way; the heart in another. Just keep your sights on what makes sense to you, what satisfies your thirst, and what suits your talents the best. It is a process.

My quest for knowledge has powered me through many storms, and most times I've come out the other side in a space not before anticipated, yet fulfilling in ways never imagined. The secret for me was learning not to worry about the future, as it has a way of taking care of itself, regardless of how much worrying I put toward things. It's kind of like the golf swing - the less tension, the more flexibility and the farther the ball goes as a result. I hope you find the patience to put up with bullshit along the way. Don't take any of it personal - we all get to deal with it in some fashion.

11 draft picks this year is a waste on this team imho. Not doing what was needed to keep a decent oline is their Achilles heel. Limited pass protection and run blocking will have the most effect hands down. And with no tackles worth taking this year, it's going to be a long season. We'll have a respected defense though. It will be frustrating to watch the defense get Dalton back on the field quickly, only to watch the offense squander the opportunities repeatedly.

I'm being this negative in hopes of being proven wrong :-) Please prove me wrong!!

As for me currently, learning about another industry, mainly because retirement sucks for type 'A' folks like me. And I didn't save enough money to do what I really want, something that I have no idea what that is.....just suspicions ;-) But I do enjoy the "process". Thank you for asking.

Be well, and Cheers

Some say you can place your ear next to his, and hear the ocean ....

My heart sunk upon reading that first post. My only hope is that he's resting peacefully and that he will always be smiling down upon us and his family.

:'(

[*Go Cards*]

May he rest in peace and my condolences to the family.

[Tiger Teeth]

Goodbye buddy. You will be sorely missed.

[*jason*]

Rest easy my man...

[Shake n Blake]

Just found out today, and it immediately brought tears to my eyes. Shared a lot of PM's with Dave and was really hoping to hear good news on his surgery. RIP Bengals brother.

[SunsetBengal]

Cheers to brother Dave! May he be playing sets with some of the greatest musicians of all time, hitting a few rounds with some legends of the game, and maybe even rubbing elbows with a few former Bengals. Your presence will be missed by all of us, but your spirit will live eternal in our hearts.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

Thank you to the mods for doing this for David.  We sure lost a good one......many fond memories of chats on here (including a warning....lol), and via PM here and on social media.  I really hate that we never got the chance to meet up, but hope we will some day in the great beyond.  Awesome gesture.

[Bengalzona]

(01-09-2019, 01:09 PM)Wyche Wrote: Thank you to the mods for doing this for David.  We sure lost a good one......many fond memories of chats on here (including a warning....lol), and via PM here and on social media.  I really hate that we never got the chance to meet up, but hope we will some day in the great beyond.  Awesome gesture.

BTW - He did feel a little bad about having to give you that warning.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(01-09-2019, 05:44 PM)Bengalzona Wrote: BTW - He did feel a little bad about having to give you that warning.

He shouldn't have.....I had it coming. 

That's when you know someone has really messed up.....they get suspended or the hammer.  I know that all mods on here give warnings first.  If you don't heed them, that's on you.

[Dill]

(01-06-2019, 10:59 PM)Bengalzona Wrote:

Like many of us, David transferred here from the old board, where he had already established himself as a poster who was friendly, funny, and wise. He treated people with respect, sometimes when they did not appear to deserve it. And these were traits that David brought to our new board and shared with us. Those who knew him and interacted with him regularly had a high degree of respect and admiration for him.

When we needed a new Moderator at one point, David's name came up and he was immediately a top choice due to our regard for his enthusiasm and his ability to deal respectfully with people. He joined us and proved an excellent choice, constantly striving to make the boards a friendly and respectful community for all of its members.

I am deeply saddened by this event, which I just learned of this week.  I was PMing with David in December, before I had to take a business trip which put me offline for a few weeks.  He told me about the coming operation, and promised to keep me informed of his health condition.  When I returned, I missed this announcement entirely, waiting a month for an update from 'Cats.  I finally learned the sad news from B-zona. 

'Cats/David was one of my oldest friends here, carried over from the old board. We spoke over the phone a few times, and I hoped to meet him face to face for a beer eventually.  I really miss him.

And I want to thank B-zona (another old pal from the previous message board), for this wonderful eulogy to our mutual friend.  It says something about this message board that people are respected and honored in this way, and among a community of people, few of whom ever actually meet one another.

[Sociopathicsteelerfan]

(01-06-2019, 10:59 PM)Bengalzona Wrote: Induction into our Hall of Fame community is usually a happy occasion. However, this induction is bittersweet. As many of you may be aware by now, our member and friend Wildcats Forever (a.k.a. David Fleeman) passed away last week following open heart surgery. His family said he passed peacefully in his sleep.



After consideration from the other Mods and Admins, we decided that David's work on the board and, moreover, the presence and wisdom he brought to the board made him worthy of inclusion in this special group. Here are some reasons why we felt he was deserving of the honor.

Like many of us, David transferred here from the old board, where he had already established himself as a poster who was friendly, funny, and wise. He treated people with respect, sometimes when they did not appear to deserve it. And these were traits that David brought to our new board and shared with us. Those who knew him and interacted with him regularly had a high degree of respect and admiration for him.

When we needed a new Moderator at one point, David's name came up and he was immediately a top choice due to our regard for his enthusiasm and his ability to deal respectfully with people. He joined us and proved an excellent choice, constantly striving to make the boards a friendly and respectful community for all of its members.

David had three main passions in life: the Bengals, the Wildcats and playing the drums. He pursued all three with great vigor and zest, despite advancing age and increasing medical problems.

David cared about people. This was evident from his interactions with them. Sunset Bengal shared this story about David:


Before he went in for surgery, David posted one last post in the Mods forum. Here is a portion of what he said:


For those of you who did not know David, I'm sorry to say that you missed out on meeting someone special. For those who did know him, you know why he his here in this select group far better than my simple words can convey. And you know that it is not a "pity vote". David is here due to the strength of his character and his passion for the team, the board and the board members.

Somewhere in the great beyond, Cam and David are shaking hands and hugging.

God speed, fellow MAS member!

I don't read much (anything) outside of P&R of late, so I just saw this.  Wildcats was a great dude, out of the old board I think I talked with him and The Bat more than anyone else in PM's.  He had a great sense of humor and we shared a lot of the same views.  He wasn't always fond of my confrontational style and frequently made this known once he became a mod here.  I always respected his ability to remain impartial and call a person out that he otherwise had a good relationship with.  That's the kind of integrity we rarely see in today's world of homeboy hook ups and situational ethics.  I'm honestly saddened to hear this and I hope he's happy, wherever he is, and that his family finds some solace in the knowledge that he was so well liked by a bunch of people who never met him in person.

[coachmcneil71]

What to say? I've tried to post about David more than once. Till now I could never manage to get through it. David and I immediatly hit it off on the boards. We both thought and felt very much the same about many things. He was interested in my music. I had no idea at the time that he was one of the baddest drummers on the planet!!

As our conversations continued , we began to realize hat we in fact knew several of the same musicians personally. One of my greatest pleasures regarding David, was the day that I was able to reconnect him with, " Rook". "Rooks" first name is David also, hence part of the reason he received his nickname. Obviously, Rook was about 10-15 years younger than the other guys. Rooks is currently playing with an Allman. Can play with Tedeschi Trucks any time he chooses. That said, I was able to send him some video from a nearby venue, ( that I have played as well). He was tickled!! I mean, like a young man. He as so excited,thankful, and gracious to me for being able to give him that.

It makes me proud, and my heart soar, that I was able to do that for him! I can sing the absolute shit out of Black Betty. I had always hoped that one day I would have the honor to jam it with him. We spoke of the beach,music,cars,and life's many funny twists. How the world really can seem small sometimes. I'm blabbering, hence why I haven't addressed his passing on here till now. I could go on, but alasit brings tears to my eyes.

He was not simply Wildcats Forever, he as a GREAT CAT!!

Proud of you guys for doing this. It is right and good. Makes me proud to be a small part of such a great group of human beings. Kudos gentleman. I owe each and every one of you a beer. This is hands down the best community of fans in the NFL, or anywhere else, for that matter. Thank you,thank you,thank you.

[Lucidus]

This is very unfortunate. My condolences go out to all those who loved him and to whom he was considered a friend. He was among the first to welcome me to the site after I joined and seemed extremely friendly and helpful.

[xxlt]

I still think about Dave a couple times a day. He was a good man and a good friend. His birthday passed a few days ago and I have been thinking a lot about him and 2 other close friends who recently died. I just wanted to thank everyone who took the time to post in this thread. As my grieving process continues I found reading these posts to be a helpful and healing experience. Thank you.

[Bengalzona]

(06-02-2019, 09:32 AM)xxlt Wrote: I still think about Dave a couple times a day. He was a good man and a good friend. His birthday passed a few days ago and I have been thinking a lot about him and 2 other close friends who recently died. I just wanted to thank everyone who took the time to post in this thread. As my grieving process continues I found reading these posts to be a helpful and healing experience. Thank you.

I'm with you, brother.

BTW - Dave's old Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/david.fleeman.14) had a lot of posts honoring him on his birthday.

[Bengalzona]

A photo of Dave (right) with his first band:



The guy on the left with the tamborine is Mike Conner who went on to become the keyboardist for Pure Prairie League. Dave knew a lot of the guys involved with PPL including Vince Gill.