David Gullans' Obituary
David Gullans passed away on his 30th birthday on July 1, 2014. He is gone too soon. He was born to loving parents—Mark and Gayle Gullans—in Fullerton, CA in 1984 and joined a close-knit, extended family of grandparents, 7 aunts, 8 uncles, and 23 cousins. He had one older sister—Daniella, one younger brother—Michael, a cousin born two months before him who was like a brother—Nathan, a second mom in Aunt Linda as he was growing up, and an almost-sister—Solomiya. At the time of his death, David lived with his long-time friend—Casey Bird and her mom—Connie in Laguna Beach, CA. He has left a gaping hole in his family and will be missed by all.
As a child, David gave the gift of sunshine with a smile that dazzled everyone; as he grew older, he saved his smile for special moments. Shy and sweet, he was a gentle soul who was deeply loyal to friends and family, and breathtakingly generous with his time, energy, and unconditional love. David was also a creative chef, a talented wine expert, a serious coffee devotee, a history buff, a passionate reader, a compulsive movie watcher, a life-long gamer, a brilliant athlete, a secret sweet tooth, and an animal lover. A few of the things his family and friends will miss about David are his amazing frittatas, his mouthwatering garlic mashed potatoes, his gourmet dinners, his insightful book and movie recommendations, his help getting small and large important tasks done, his listening skills, his quiet company at family events, his generous spirit, his kindness, his introspective wisdom, his tenderheartedness, his loving hugs, and of course his smile.
David graduated from The King’s Academy in Sunnyvale, CA in 2002. After he graduated, he took college classes in everything from psychology and history to literature and computer science, but his heart was in learning through reading and doing, not test taking and essay writing. David had an encyclopedic knowledge of world history, mythology, and of fantasy and science fiction films, TV shows, and books. This may be why he loved authors like J.R.R. Tolkien who built epic fantasy worlds out of history and myth. David knew the names of all the characters and their back-stories in Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He chose the image of Gandalf fighting the Balrog alone and the quote, “There is strength in groups, but courage in solitude” to commemorate his high school years in his senior yearbook.
Well-loved and supported by family, friends, and co-workers, David nevertheless had to fight some battles in life alone. He knew that and often retreated in solitude to face his biggest battles, but his family believes he was never completely alone. As a 7 year old, David asked the Lord into his heart and was baptized. Later, as an adult, in the midst of his struggles, he talked to his mom and dad about God’s goodness to him and how he could see God’s hand working in his life. He liked the book Blue Like Jazz, Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality by Donald Miller, an unconventional Christian author whose writings touched David. As Donald Miller said in his book, “Believing in God is as much like falling in love as it is making a decision. Love is both something that happens to you and something you decide upon.” David also depended on the people in his life for his strength, and the greatest gift he gave others was of himself, which he gave over and over again.
A couple months before David passed away his younger brother—Michael—married the love of his life—Christina—and asked David to be a groomsmen. David saved up his money to buy the new couple an expensive bottle of smoky Scotch, and he said good-bye by raising a toast to his brother in the company of his extended family. Almost all of his extended family got to see David at the wedding and say a good-bye. Two weeks before he died, David joined his parents, his sister Daniella, her husband Chris, and his Aunt Barbara and Uncle Billy in Maui for a few days to celebrate his 30th birthday in style. He took advantage of every minute of his time there to kayak, snorkel, sail, drink mai tais with family at Duke’s, and just sit on the beach, enjoying the company. Everyone had the opportunity to hug David, wish him Happy Birthday, and say good-bye. How precious a sweet good-bye is!
Finally, although David fell in love with Tolkien’s writing in junior high school, he fell in love with reading through Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes comics. In his memory, here is a short excerpt from one of Calvin’s poems.
I made a big decision a little while ago.
I don’t remember what it was, which prob’ly goes to show
That many times a simple choice can prove to be essential
Even though it often might appear inconsequential.
I must have been distracted when I left my home because
Left or right I’m sure I went. (I wonder which it was!)
Anyway, I never veered: I walked in that direction
Utterly absorbed, it seems, in quiet introspection.
For no reason I can think of, I’ve wandered far astray.
And that is how I got to where I find myself today.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 & 11
For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die…. Yet God has made everything beautiful in its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.
What’s your fondest memory of David?
What’s a lesson you learned from David?
Share a story where David's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with David you’ll never forget.
How did David make you smile?