Since the
loss of Dave Parcells on April 21st, I have received a tremendous amount
of articles/notes of condolences/etc. The most relevant ones are
summarized below, and 4 pictures are attached, two from the Tampa Bay
Race. All of this is sad because we have lost such a magnificent person
in this world. Please forward this to anyone you think would appreciate
these memories of Dave. (Would someone please send this to the Channel
Smartgroup site?)
I may see
some of you this weekend in Madison.
Marcia
April 25 OBIT, Service Info, & Donation Info
PARCELLS, David J.
David J. Parcells, 49 of Branford, formerly of Madison, passed away
April 21, 2007 while competing in the Tampa Bay Marathon Swim in
Florida. He was born April 15, 1958 in New Haven. He is the son of
Robert and Miriam (Quinn) Parcells of Milford, and Jensen Beach,
Florida. David is survived by his parents, his loving children, Jenna
and Matthew Parcells, brother, Robert Parcells and wife Beth of
Wallingford, sister, Paula Wendland and husband Edward of Charlotte, NC.
David is also survived by his three nephews and niece, William and Sarah
Parcells, and Edward and Eric Wendland, loving aunts, uncles and friends
from around the world. David graduated from West Haven High School in
1976 and graduated from Providence College in 1980. David earned his CPA
in 1982 and was a Senior Manager with Arthur Andersen, VP of Swiss Army
Brands and most recently CFO of Garrity Industries of Madison. David was
an accomplished athlete. He completed the 1989 Iron Man Triathlon in
Hawaii. David was the first non-professional swimmer to complete the
Long Island Swim crossing and is the current record holder as the oldest
person to complete a double-crossing of the English Channel. David
became the marathon swim director of the St. Vincent's Medical Center
Swim Across the Sound, which has raised over 2 million dollars for
cancer.
The family will receive friends on Sunday, April 29, 2007 from
2-7 p.m. at the Swan Funeral Home, 825 Boston Post Rd., Madison, CT
06443. Family and friends are invited to attend a funeral mass at St.
Margaret's Catholic Church, 24 Academy St., Madison on Monday, April 30,
2007 at 10:30 a.m. (Both are accessible from Exit 61, I-95,
head towards the water, then ask for directions if you don't have them
already.)
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to St. Vincent's
Medical Center, 2800 Main Street, Bridgeport CT 06606 with checks
payable to: Swim Across the Sound. You may direct your donations to
either cancer or MS in memory of Mr. David Parcells. Please visit
MeM.com for more information.
Please
forward this to anyone involved with Dave.
Nancy has requested if anyone has any pictures of Dave at any
events, she would appreciate a copy(s) to be displayed while
we're at The Surf Club and for the future for Matt and Jenna to
remember their dad. Thank you. Joe
April 22, from Richard Clifford
April 23 From Cristian Vergara:
I was at Tampa when this whole ordeal took place. I spoke with
Dave before the start, he was in good spirits and looked well.
I did a 2 person relay and had told my boat captain to follow Dave's
boat as they know the best way to go and we were able to keep up with
him,
but at the 3rd hour we decided to go past the sand bar towards the
middle of the channel for maybe better current (but rougher waters).
Dave's boat stayed at the other side of the sand bar closer to shore,
but
in line with our boat.
It wasn't until shortly after the 4th hour (I swam the even hours)
that my boat captain told me that he had just heard, on the radio, that
my friend (Dave) had pulled himself out of the water because he was not
feeling well. A few minutes later
a request for the EMT came from Dave's captain through the radio,
and shortly therafter a call came in for the EMT/Coast Guard ASAP as
Dave was having convulsions. This was all happening just past St. Pete,
Dave's boat was close to shore, we were out closer to the channel, but
we could see his boat. A few minutes later the calls over the radio
were
for 911, it was to my understanding that they were close enough to shore
to request people by the pier to dial 911, Dave had gone into cardiac
arrest. The last thing we were informed was that CPR was performed
and Dave was stabilized on route to the hospital.
At the finish I asked Ron Collins about Dave, all he said was it wasn't
good. At the hotel I saw Dave's boat captain, who was in tears, and
asked about
Dave's condition, all he said to me was that he did not make it.
This whole thing seems so unreal...I will miss him.
Cristian
April 24 From: Epstein,Paul M. [mailto:
Epstein@NSO1.UCHC.EDU]
Dear Conn Masters,
Julie just contacted me with the very sad and shocking news that Dave
Parcells died of a heart attack today while swimming the Tampa Bay race
for Earth Day. As many of you know, Dave was often referred to as the
"King of Tampa Bay" for having won this race so many times in the past.
Dave's many long distance swimming feats are legendary and have made
the history books. In the summer of 2002, at the age of 44, he became
the oldest person to successfully complete a double crossing of the
English channel, and many of you read his journal entries from the
summer of 2004, when he and Marcy MacDonald attempted a triple crossing
together of the Channel, as a cancer fund-raiser, which unfortunately
was derailed by bad weather. But even more notable than this, has been
Dave's constant enthusiam for the sport, and his encouragement of his
fellow Conn Masters, many of whom he trained, encouraged and helped
bring up to speed to compete in open water events. As creator and
Director of the Madison Mile swim every June, and the Swim Across the
Sound fund-raiser every August, as well as all the funds he's raised
from his own channel crossing swims for the cancer programs at St.
Vincent's Hospital in Bridgeport, Dave has given so much to the sport
and to youngsters suffering from cancer. Last summer I talked to Dave
at length about the logistics of organizing the events he has, like the
Cross-the-Sound fund-raiser, as I had seriously been considering
organizing one to raise funds for leukemia research, and after going
through it with him, I realized that the time, energy, and logistics
needed to successfully carry something like this off were daunting. He
was a truly selfless person for contributing so much of himself to such
worthy causes. I remember Dave saying, after his double crossing of the
Channel, that despite all the pain he experienced during it, and the
swelling from all the jellyfish stings, he kept thinking that it was
nothing compared to all the suffering children with cancer go through,
and by knowing he was able to contribute to helping them by doing this,
it provided the motivating force that enabled him to keep going. This
is the kind of person Dave was. Clearly one of a kind. It's a deep,
deep loss, and a complete shock, for all of the swimming world, and
especially for us, his fellow Conn Masters swimmers, for someone so
incredibly fit, active and enthusiastic as Dave, in the prime of his
life, to see his life to end so suddenly. He will really be greatly
missed by all of us. Please hug someone you love today, in remembrance
of Dave.
And Please Be Well,
Paul
April 24: News of what happened to Dave:
http://www.usmsswimmer.com/200503/feature3.pdf
April 23 from Tobey Sarancino (2 pictures are attached)
Hi All,
Thank you all for your wonderful emails. I am so sorry for your loss.
Dave was such a wonderful man and an amazing mentor. He will be dearly
missed by the entire community.
One of my crew members (Laura Broenniman) took some great pictures of
Dave at the beginning of the race. I wanted to share them with you all
as Dave's accomplishments and love of the sport should definitely be
celebrated.
Please feel free to forward these on to friends as I was not sure who
else to include on this email.
Tobey
April 23 from Andrew Johnson
From: Ron Collins <
collins@tampabay.rr.com>
To:
Channel_Swimmers@googlegroups.com
Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2007 20:48:39 -0400
Subject: [NEW Channel Group] From Dave Parcell's boat captain, Marv
I was Dave's boat escort for the past 6 years in the Tampa bay marathon.
We have all lost a great friend, co- worker, son, father, mentor and
companion. I write this for all to know that as his boat Capt we did all
we could, amazing even the USCG. Our group's response was faster then
even land based EMS. Like all of you, I have cried, cussed, and blamed.
I send this note to all, for sharing with anyone you wish. Know Dave did
not suffer. His departure was swift and in spite of trained medical
personnel on the scene in 2 minutes, it did little. I am in tears again
writing to people I do not know. But our bond of knowing this great
human being compels me to reach out to you in this time of grief. Know
that in the absence of all of you who were closer to him, that he was
tended to and cared for as the great person he was. I lost a brother of
the sea. It happened on my watch. I will never forget that day. I have a
whole new respect for life. That is why it is called the present…
because every day is a gift. Farewell my friend…Mahalo ……….. Aloha
always YOUR Captain, Marv
Marvin.Siple@Noveon.com
April 23 from Tobey Sarancino, commenting on the letter above, from
Marv
I wanted to forward this letter along to you all. This is from Marv
Siple, Dave's boat captain in Tampa. He wanted to make sure that
people knew that Dave was taken care of to the best of their ability
and was amongst friends at the time. Please feel free to forward
this letter as it will be posted on
www.distancematters.com and a few other select websites. Marv
and his wife Claudia will not be able to make it up for the wake and
funer al but Tom Casey, Dave's crew member will be in town if you
have questions. I do hope this provides some comfort in such a
tough time.Keep strong, Tobey
April 23 from Will Newberry
April 22 from Ron Collins
Subject: [NEW Channel Group] Re: Our David
My condolences go out to everyone in our marathon swimming community
on the death of our friend Dave Parcells. Very few people outside
of our circle understand the commitment, the dedication and the
entire lifestyle that is required to do the Channel, Tampa Bay,
Manhattan, or Catalina. When I originated the 24 Mile Tampa Bay
Marathon Swim in 1998, I had no idea that it would become a race for
people to travel to Florida and swim. I was honored that Dave
Parcells came to do my swim and I believe he loved swimming Tampa
Bay as much as I did. This was his 8th time participating in the
event.
To dispel any rumors that may pass around, I'd like to share some of
the facts: Dave disqualified himself and withdrew from the race
after swimming about 8 miles. He got onto his escort boat and they
were on the way to a boat ramp while Dave made 3 or 4 phone calls to
family and friends. It must have been 15 or 20 minutes later that
he collapsed and I am unsure who may have spoken to Dave during that
time. We don't know the cause of his death, nor do we know exactly
when it happened. Due to our privacy laws, we are unable to find
out more official medical information from the paramedics or the
hospital.
My deepest sympathies go out to his family. I am crushed by our
loss and I've been wondering what might be a fitting tribute to
Dave. Perhaps a nomination for the Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame
may be appropriate in addition to doing the Swim Across the Sound as
a memorial.
Sincerely,
Ron Collins, Race Director
24 Mile Tampa Bay Marathon Swim
April 23: From Anne Cleveland
I am so sorry to hear
about Dave's passing. He gave so much and will be missed by
all. I never had the opportunity to meet Dave in person,
but was touched by his generosity, both with his many
fundraisers and his willingness to help his fellow swimmer
friends achieve their goals. When I asked for his advice
during my double training, he immediately emailed me hints
and suggestions, as well as his training schedule. He was
also most helpful to the Moore's Cancer Center here in La
Jolla when we were putting together my fundraiser. Dave has
been a mentor to me and a true credit to the swimming
community worldwide.
Dave is now enjoying the
oceans in heaven, having enjoyed the ones here on earth so
much.
With Love,Anne Cleveland
858-454-3196
--
Marcia Cleveland
Chair, USMS Long Distance
915 Pine Tree Lane
Winnetka, IL 60093
H: 847-446-5142
F: 847-446-4566
C: 847-227-7202
E:
MarciaC944@gmail.com
