David Brian Goldsmith

David Brian Goldsmith July 17, 1958 – June 26,2020 David Brian “Dorsey” Goldsmith, 61, passed away peacefully on June 26, 2020, with both hands being held by his wife and daughter and their other hand resting upon his chest, to feel the last beat of his heart. He was at his “favorite place in the world”, his home, in Mineral Wells, WV. He was a model of strong will and sheer determination, putting up a courageous battle with cancer right up until the end of his journey here on earth. He will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by many. David leaves behind a hell of a lot of stuff his family has no idea what to do with: Sir Galaxy radio controlled robot, Robo The Fan, Hot Wheels, a hand carved Hooey stick, Racing Champions diecast/card collection (circa 1988-92) “not worth a plug nickel”, new with tag clothes (he hated change), but this is not an ad for a local yard sale, this is an obituary for a great man, loving husband, and adoring father, who was born July 17, 1958. He was the son of Gerald “Burley” Goldsmith and Eleanor Jane Wendling Goldsmith, both preceding him in death. Taking advice from a friend, “you’ve got to find it to buy it” and “it’s only money”, as well as his habitual presence at local auction sales and flea markets, there isn’t a part or tool that doesn’t grace his “special space”: his garage aka his office. When family, friends or neighbors ever needed his mechanical, carpentry, or pool installation expertise, his face would light up. No job was ever too big or too small; you knew it would be done “perzactly” and approved by any OSHA board in the country. A perfectionist to the extreme, “do it right once” was his belief. David was a fun loving, proud, kind, and caring man. He was a Mountaineer fan to the core, an avid car enthusiast (actually anything with a gas motor or wheels enthusiast), with perhaps one exception: the weed eater, it brought out the worst in him. If he wasn’t browsing car ads, magazines and manuals, or surfing the internet, you may have found him in the kitchen perfecting his hot dog sauce recipe and baking anatomically correct cakes, or in his office sketching plans for whatever crazy idea “his Pookie” dreamed up, throwing back a Bud Light (or 6) at “beer-thirty”, and mastering the art of holiday exterior illumination. He earned his honorary law degree by watching countless episodes of Judge Judy, enjoyed every Hallmark Channel Christmas movie, with the ability to summarize the entire season with one just line: “and they lived happily ever after”. He was known to put racing stripes or flames on anything from the lawnmower to the grill, creating his famous sand sculptures and metal detecting for buried treasure at North Topsail Beach, designing and constructing a train depot and chicken coop, while weaving tapestries of obscenities that may hover over the MOV for decades. HOWEVER, his greatest love was being home with his wife and kids, along with his menagerie of animals. He enjoyed spoiling the cats (whom he claimed he didn’t like, but we know better) with a specific, painstakingly selected food menu and nightly treat regimen, having conversations with the family pet parrot Kermie, who only learned to speak what Dave taught him, and sitting on the porch watching the Peckerheads’ Place chickens and the two sets of ducks, that visited the yard daily. Dave was an avid animal lover, always helping at any opportunity, including moving turtles out of the road. David is the co-owner of Grand Central Express Railroad, the train at the Grand Central Mall and a travel train/cotton candy venture that was enjoyed by many at local fairs/festivals and corporate events. His day job prior to his retirement, June 1, 2019, was as a lineman at Frontier Communications. He loved his job and daily shenanigans at the workplace, with the coworkers he affectionately named: Do-wop, Buckbee, Sketchy, Sammich, Buck, and Jamus. Previous employers included Astorg Ford, TCI of West Virginia, Chenoweth Ford of Clarksburg and Salem Auto Parts, where his co-workers are probably still going by the nicknames he bestowed upon them. David is survived by his wife Malinda and would have celebrated 36 years of marriage on July 8, 2020; a daughter, Erica Jade Goldsmith of Los Angeles, who relocated back to Mineral Wells to assist with his care; a son Aaron David Goldsmith and girlfriend Nichole Dellinger of Mineral Wells; a brother, Keith Goldsmith (Betty) of Tennessee; a brother, William “Bill” Goldsmith (Amy) of Jane Lew, WV; a brother, Norman “Skip” Goldsmith of New York; a sister, Deborah Sherrod (Zach), of Wisconsin, brother-in-law Randy Marks (Sherry); sister-in-law Judy Marcum (Bo) and 9 nieces and nephews. Sister-in-law Barbara Young (Carol) preceded him in death. A tremendous thank you goes to his beloved doctor, Sonikpreet Aulakh, MD and her care team at the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center WVU Morgantown for all of their dedicated care and love. He was a “special” patient. With her expert knowledge and treatment, she was able to give his family a few extra months of good times together. Thank you to Nik Shah, MD, Gabor Altdorfer, MD, Richard Watson, MD, Monika Holbein, MD, and their care teams. Thank you to his Housecalls Home Health and Hospice caregivers: Patty, Barbie, Sherri, Missy, Burmee, Stephanie, Matt and Danielle for all of your compassionate care, advice, prayer and concern. Thank you to all of our family, friends, neighbors and co-workers who have visited, called, sent cards and prayers, and brought food. A special thank you to neighbors Mike McCown and Tim Life for keeping the yard beautiful so Pookie would stop breaking his tractor. David will be cremated. A sunset celebration of his life will be held on the front lawn of his home, in Mineral Wells, on his birthday, July 17, 2020, starting promptly at 6:45 pm; don’t be late, he hated being late. Casual attire requested; anyone wearing black will be blindfolded and miss the fireworks! If you haven’t been to our home in the last 18 years, don’t have our address on your Christmas card list, not worked with Dave or Malinda, his doctors or care teams, aren’t friends of the kids, business associate or former neighbors, then stay home.