The Dance Never Stops

David Rollison did the impossible.  He taught a Strait boy to dance.

David and Sarah were there from the beginning.  The last night that I spent as a single person before my marriage to Alison, was with David and Sara Rollison, at their Pond View Inn in Pierce County.  It was a beautiful, large, antebellum home situated in front of a gorgeous pond. They were the first Pierce County residents I had met outside of Alison's family. They greeted me, my parents, and my son, Doug, with food, warmth, and southern hospitality.

And that hospitality never stopped.  They were always friendly and welcoming to my family, both as neighbors and as members of our church.

David was a spirited and loving man, and it was hard on all of us when he was taken from this realm Friday night, with a sudden massive heart attack.  He was doing things he loved, moving a golf cart, laughing and joking with his beloved Sarah, brushing pollen off her backside, when he collapsed, and despite resuscitation efforts, was unable to be saved. 

David was a Navy Captain, and he loved the sea.  The call of the ocean always beckoned him.

He was an accountant, like I am, although he had left that profession aside, later operating the Pond View Inn as owner and chef.

He was an author, of the exciting Mike Kelly espionage thrillers. set mostly in and around St. Simons. His publications of his books was one of the things that helped inspire me to write my book and self-publish it.

He was a leader in our church, Grace Episcopal.  He was our Senior Warden, and was always a positive buzz of activity, welcoming people, taking pictures, assisting with building projects, always with joy and a mischievous grin.  He was the very heart of our church, and will be impossible to replace.

David and Sara

David was so much more than the things that he did.  He was also in a beautiful, loving relationship, with his beloved Sara - his wife, friend, and dance partner.

They did many things together, including running the area's Cotillion organization, which teaches young people to dance and more importantly, how to be respectful and have good manners.  That is where they achieved the impossible and taught my young son, Benjamin to dance.  They also taught him about being polite, and that has served him well, both in his relationships with adults and his peers.  It is often remarked upon how polite he is, and we owe that in large part to David and Sara.


Yes.  It's true.  David's body has been taken from us.  But....

The dance never stops.  The spirit continues on.  His love and kindness lives on through everyone he touched, family and friends alike.

I had hoped when I increased my level of retirement that I would spend more time with David, as a church member, as a neighbor, as part of the Friends of the Library, and as a fellow author.  But that was not to be.  Like others including Steve Bean, John Pharr and Ray Eleazar, all whom I wished to spend more time with, they have instead been taken and David now joins them in Grace's Men's Group, Heavenly Saints division.

But he has taught me this-

The dance never stops.

The spirit continues on.

Every time my son dances, I will see him there, and cherish his place in our lives.