grampa.is

It had being raining non-stop for about 2 weeks in Pemberton when Lucas proposed that we MFs should be headed to California to fly our paragliders. The next day we were crossing the US border. I remember being asked by the mean looking custom agent about Mr. Dave McCord. I had no idea who that was… but I quickly figured out that Lucas simply had never told me that his name wasn’t Lucas but Dave!!Read More

Never met him. I never had the honour to meet Grampa Dave. I saw a photo of him and new I would miss out if I did not meet him…Read More

Heaven has received a good helping of personality now Cheers buster, rock on!Read More

We’re still waiting for him to parachute into the yard, grinning, as the finale to an elaborate joke. We met because his wife and my wife were in a band together. He was the band’s main supporter and generous benefactor. A musician myself, I got involved and spent alot of time with him. I immediately respected and admired him. Soon, I joined his small crew and built many Solstar homes. We grew closer and IRead More

When I first came to South Africa Grandpa Dave was but a legendary figure people would tell you about. Almost three years ago I finally met Dave face-to-face and felt immediately a part of his great big circle of friends. In the days when I never felt a part of anything he made me feel like I was one of the crew. He would pop by the house randomly for a beer or to feedRead More

My sweet sweet gentleman Dave. I am fully aware that my version of Dave wasn´t the only version but that didn´t make it any less true. I miss how he made life funnier and better. How he for example said thank you to Gussi (for the whiskey drop out from his plane) because some things can only be expressed with your naked ass up into the air. I love how there were always comunicasion betweenRead More

That’s a great black and white photo of Lucas; in every craggy facial crinkle a story, dark eyes intense with a fiery burning adventurous spirit , Fu Manchu nic stained, smiling (well almost). He came over the other night for dinner, after the comp, before Revelstoke, whisky bottle in one hand and a dozen stories in the other. So proud of his shark biologist daughter and his grand children and his friend the airline pilotRead More

The last time I flew several years ago, unfortunately it did not end well and I had a pretty bad crash which Lucas witnessed. Alastair and Lucas hurriedly came to see if I was ok. Once this was confirmed (other than scaring myself silly) Lucas without hesitation went to his cooler and opened me an ice cold beer. Rightly saying “Here Tammy, you are going to need this”. He picked me up off the groundRead More

Lucas breezed into our Pemberton lives. Warmed our hearts. Shook us up. Regaled us with stories and scared us with some of his flying antics. No one should lose bits of their wing to a tree, in flight. It was two years before i found out his real name was Dave. Never did get a clear answer as to why we had been calling him Lucas. I can see the twinkle in his eye afterRead More

This year at the Canadian Nationals I caught a ride with Grandpa Dave and he took the long way with multiple stops to our destination. Seems he had errands to run and wasn’t in any rush at all! I was, things needed to be done! It was Wednesday and it was BBQ night at the Miller’s. 15 min drive at best. Probably 2 hours later and several inquiring calls we show up with our loadRead More

That’s a great black and white photo of Lucas; in every craggy facial crinkle a story, dark eyes intense with a fiery burning adventurous spirit , Fu Manchu nic stained, smiling (well almost). He came over the other night for dinner, after the comp, before Revelstoke, whisky bottle in one hand and a dozen stories in the other. So proud of his shark biologist daughter and his grand children and his friend the airline pilotRead More

Grampa, you are a free and kind spirit who inspired many people. I told you on several occasions that I would like to follow your example and be as detached as you one day.  You told me that the most precious things you have in your life are family and the relationships you have built all over the world.  It’s quite evident with all the stories pouring in. I was fortunate to go on twoRead More

So, this summer I have been living in a tent next to Dave, which is awesome. The only problem is that I can’t lock my tent so if I am asleep anyone can come and wake me up at any time. One morning the mf came calling “Giss”, because he was out of ciggies. (not the first time) and woke me up before 7. I so did not want to wake up and was soRead More

I met Dave last year October 2016 in Ölüdeniz/ Turkey at the International Air Games. From the first moment I felt his special spirit. I will never forget him. Flight is freedom in its purest form, to dance with the clouds which follow a storm; to roll and glide, to wheel and spin,
to feel the joy that swells within. to leave the earth with its troubles and fly, and know the warmth of a clearRead More

The world is a little duller now, it will never be the same without you. But, us – all of the lives that you touched, this global community – we can try and make it brighter in the way we live, love and squeeze every last drop of fun out of life. That’s the way you lived your life. It has been so bittersweet to hear all of these stories – perfectly underscoring what aRead More

My daughter, Freya (5), has never met her dad’s dad, Grandpa Mike, in real life (only on skype). For a long time she was convinced that our neighbour Grampa Dave was surely HER grampa. Who could blame her? He had the right beard (at the time), a constant supply of sweets in his pocket, a desire to secretly fill her with chocolate, and a twinkle in his eye. He was either Santa or her Grampa.Read More

A beacon of light in tough times , Lucas was there. Through his own inner strength he gave me, others , the sense that all is never as dark or without hope as we may feel in the moment. In lighter times he is, was , an affirmation of joy. Even though the years have distanced us in location , he has never been far from my heart as an irreplaceable , incredible human. LoveRead More

Grampa, you are a free and kind spirit who inspired many people. I told you on several occasions that I would like to follow your example and be as detached as you one day. You told me that the most precious things you have in your life are family and the relationships you have built all over the world. It’s quite evident with all the stories pouring in. I was fortunate to go on twoRead More

The more days pass and the more stories come to mind. This morning I was thinking of how you reacted every time you saw me with Máni the dog, “Here come my two boys! How you doing?” and Máni would just run to you. I would just say hi, I was more shy than he was. Now I’m regretting I didn’t spend more time talking to you.Read More

Like everyone here has mentioned, I have so many stories about Dave. I knew him as a friend, landlord, contractor, employer and “the guy who built my house”. How does everyone have so many stories about him? He really lived I suppose. I’ll give you one of my favorites. Dave and I went to Davis cup together in Montreal to see Canada take on South Africa. Dave dressed in full S.A. gear and we gotRead More

David, Grampa Dave, Lucas….a man of many names. To me, he’s Lucas. I’ve known him my whole life. He’s family. My parents count him as one of their oldest and closest friends. As kids, Meag and I had countless sleepovers in one of Lucas’ many unusual homes. We spent hours in the most amazing treehouse he built. I always thought maybe he’d help build my dream house one day. We spent summers by the pond,Read More

My memory of Grampa Dave I met Grampa Dave one weekend earlier this summer. I had heard about him through my friend Gísli and thought he would be interesting to interview for the newspaper Morgunblaðið, the Sunday edition. We had a coffee and he told me his story and about his passion for paragliding, about living a simple life without too much stuff, about his daughter and beautiful grandchildren that he cherished. I liked himRead More

Share stories they asked, yes, no, I dont know, well maybe… but I’m not a story teller, he was. Oh yes he was. I never admited but fuck it was sooo long when he started… ! Never ended, I liked to listen to him though, sharing his adventurous life, saying how deeply he loved his family and friends, how stupid they were sometimes, so sorry. I loved it and hated it too, just like himRead More

Dear Dave. I’m sad since I have heard that the world’s without you now. Yet I didn’t feel entitled to write any lines for you before because we only shared our lunch table for about ten days in May, in the home that Æsa and Þráinn always offer us to come to when we return. But I am not only sad for the sake of some of the best people I know; the people whoRead More

A piece of my heart is broken, but thanks for sharing your heart with us… U will be in our hearts forever MF!! So many wonderful stories of this old goat… I remember picking him up one night late at the airport here in South Africa, he had one request, “BRING me beers MF for the ride home”…. He emerged from the arrival area wearing his jeans and an embroidered denim jacket, looking like aRead More

Dave was a true Renaissance man. He was always up for any adventure and he always had a great story or two to tell. A favourite was how he lost his index finger by chopping it off with a posthole digger and of course then the dog ate it!!! I knew him when he lived on Ronson Road near Mountain, Ontario, Canada. He built many beautiful eco-friendly homes in our area with his company, SolstarRead More

I’ll miss this awesome, Canadian MF. What can I say? Like everyone who knew you… I’ll miss you. I met you last year. I’ve been your waffle/coffee/trout provider at Nordur Vík for two summers now. I’ll miss you high-fiving me on my hike up Reynisfjall as you drove up in your car. I’ll miss you coming into the hostel kitchen for the freshest coffee and waffles. Every morning we would have a small chat. ItRead More

Para Hiking BC style Grampa Dave came into my life a handfull of years ago. To start with I didnt know that Lucas was Grampa Dave but never the less the old fella was very likable. We flew from the same launch and drank beer and scotch together at the LZ. Eventually i asked the old guy if he would like to hike up to the miller ridge launch with overnight gear and camp outRead More

Dave was an amazing guy, I always new him as Lucas, a nick name he had back here so many years ago, a quality builder of signature homes with his company Solstar. You couldn’t meet a more upbeat optimistic person, always had a good word to say, always ready for a party, so many people in this world are better off for having had Dave in their life. I’d like to think he’s standing atRead More

Hell I did, Grampa I can remember the first time I saw you as if you were right now standing in front of me. You wiggled your hipps to some rocky chords while setting up the barbecue stuff. “I’m Dave”, you said offering me your friendly and hard-skinned hand, “but you can call me Grampa”. Despite your bended body posture, your half-closed eyes and your slow pace talking, I could immediately feel the powerfull energyRead More

A piece of my heart is broken, but thanks for sharing your heart with us… U will be in our hearts forever MF!! So many wonderful stories of this old goat… I remember picking him up one night late at the airport here in South Africa, he had one request, “BRING me beers MF for the ride home”…. He emerged from the arrival area wearing his jeans and an embroidered denim jacket, looking like aRead More

It’s been three days since you passed and I wake up every morning thinking you are playing one of your jokes on me. I have so many stories to share but no words right now. I just want you to know that hundreds of people will be celebrating your life on Saturday, August 19th in a fashion truly deserved of you. Despite your wishes, we cannot help but be sad. But between the sadness hasRead More

I know you wouldn’t want me to be sad right now and keep laughing, having fun and enjoying life like you did. I’m doing my best, hopefully the tears shed while writing this will be my last for you. From now on I will try my best to share love and happiness around in your honor. You were such an inspiration, just wish I had had more meaningful conversations with you. I know there wasRead More

Dave was a true Renaissance man. He was always up for any adventure and he always had a great story or two to tell. A favourite was how he lost his index finger by chopping it off with a posthole digger and of course then the dog ate it!!! I knew him when he lived on Ronson Road near Mountain, Ontario, Canada. He built many beautiful eco-friendly homes in our area with his company, SolstarRead More

Grampa Dave, was one of those persons you notice inmediately you enter into a room, those iconic legends that only with his presence can tell something. Wisdom words, irony humor and pure heart… no filter needed Time to time he used to send me random tracks of his favorite music by Facebook, something not usual, but totally special and unique like him, I feel blessed to meet this guy, will always remember this human withRead More

This guy left a big gap in my heart, I would love to have him here to get me through these rough times. I don’t have many pictures of us together but I thank Corinne for this one. Many stories to come. Life is too short for a long story.Read More

Never give up! Never stop looking for the very best! Never stop yourself making a step to be kind to others! Never stand there saying: “I am doing quite well middle size!” You have to be top size. Kindness and braveness – this is a way of life. Every day is the first day of the rest of your life! It is really important that you make every day count! Go step by step. ThankRead More

I need someone to fuck up Dave. This is how our chat ended on messenger, pure love.Read More

One early morning in May I was heading to Amsterdam to pick up Grandpa Dave, he was coming back to Iceland after having spent the winter in South Africa. We had good tailwind and arrived 20 minutes ahead of schedule in Amsterdam and after landing I went inside the terminal to say hi to Grandpa but he was nowhere to be found so I went back on board the airplane to prepare for the departureRead More

I miss sitting with you having breakfast at Norður-Vík.. I miss how you would say “So are we not very social today?” when I did not sit in the chair next to you and you would move to the next chair and come closer… I miss you telling me how proud you where of your daughter… I miss your music… I miss waiting behind the corner and startle you, and get some good belly pokesRead More

I first met Grampa Dave because Pete thought the best way to get out of trouble for messing up his first Paragliding lesson appointment, would be to send him a blonde Icelandic chick. So off I went, in a beat up old pick-up truck, to the adventure it was to meet Dave for the first time. Being new to South African roads it took me an hour to find Dave, but finally found him waiting patiently, andRead More

I have a number of fond memories of Grampa Dave. My favourite perhaps when we spent time on SIV. It was there that he invented some new acro figure, the c-line stall. He was unable to get properly seated because of his life jacket and this seemed to have some effect on the stall. The recovery was quite spectacular and we all had a great laugh about it later that evening at the camp fire.Read More

Guardian angel Grampa Dave found me, scratched me from the ground, cheered me up and put me into the hospital in Hermanus after my wing wouldn’t fly any more. We enjoyed the beer he smuggled into the hospital and his warm words which made my unfortunate stay fly by. His daughter and he welcomed my wife in their home during these days and were a really strong support! It’s desperately sad that he is goneRead More

He planed to visit me in Norway next year. We were talking about driving around in my old Mustang. Our gliders and the car filled up With bear. He often sent me musick , blues. He sent it to me all the time when i were on my work on the oilrig. I went to Yellowknife in Canada in june, but i didnt had time to wisit him. A great guy. A good friend. IRead More

Miss You were not only a friend, but a father to me.  Always a kind word. Always understanding. Always supporting. Thank you for your wisdom, kindness, love,life lessons and friendship. You were one hell of a friend and a great inspiration. There will be a lamb chop for you on the braai on those days that I miss you and I know will be there in spirit to enjoy In my heart for always MFRead More

I called him GPD ( GramPaDave) I can hear his gruff voice in my head tonight, it’s mostly laughter I hear. I don’t believe the passed hear what we post on Facebook but I have to say I’m kinda cross with you GPD! I know you’re all around those who instantly miss you, even though we didn’t see you everyday. I will never forget you and neither will the friends you made everywhere you went.Read More

Grandpa Dave was as genuine as they come. Every so often I would receive a song in my inbox from him. I would always take a moment to listen. I will dearly miss those gestures and cherish every one. “Our house is a very, very, very fine house with two cats in the yard. Life used to be so hard. Now everything is easy ’cause of you.” His creative mind, sense of humour, love ofRead More

When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return…..Leonardo da Vinci…. RIP Grampa. We will never forget you… Markus and MiriamRead More

I didn’t know David F. McCord. The man I knew was Grampa Dave. Grampa Dave was a lover of life. He didn’t want to do anything except flying, sharing and living to the fullest. He didn’t care much for material comfort: a trailer, some music, a bottle of whisky and some friends to share it with were enough for him. I knew him only for two summers, but now I’m heartbroken. And we all are.Read More