Our David

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Dear readers,

My family and I wanted to let you know that David lost his battle with cancer in July. We know you were part of his photography family and we thank you for all of the kindness, and support many of you offered while he fought his battle this winter and spring.

He loved nothing more than taking his camera out, often at the crack of dawn, and then coming home to work on his images, and post to Stories From Home.

You, his photography family, had a special place in his heart, and we are forever grateful.

-Lori, Sam and Jack

Jack, Oliver and Sam atop Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park (August 2014)

Jack, Oliver and Sam atop Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park (August 2014)

 

 

 

 

61 thoughts on “Our David”

  1. Barbara Greenstone

    Lori, Sam, and Jack, I hope you will leave this blog up for a while. When I think of David, I often come back here to look through the photos and reread his stories. It’s a wonderful tribute to him and his artistry. Take care.

  7. I am so sorry to hear this. Your (husband, father, friend) was a beautiful soul, one could see that in his photography. I feel blessed to have seen some of his pictures and heard some of his stories. Wrap yourselves in your memories… he is only a thought away.

  8. Lori, Sam, Jack and Oliver – May you all be blessed during this difficult time. Your beloved touched the lives of many with his beautiful photos and wonderful posts. Memories to be with you always.

  9. mitymous

    I am terribly sorry to hear this; I had wondered at the absence of posts as well, but had not realized how dire the situation was. I enjoyed, and was touched by, David’s sharing of his beautiful spirit. It was so gracious of you to let his readers know, in the midst of your grief. Thank you.

  10. Thank you for letting us know. I never met him, but we shared the love of family, dogs, the rugged coast of Maine, lupines & the beauty of NI. My heart goes out to you as you grieve.

  11. So sorry to hear of David’s passing. We shared a number of brief but always enjoyable discussions about Acadia NP. He will live on in your memories together and his wonderful photos

  12. First…thank you for sharing this news with us. David touched my spirit with his joy filled and stunning photography. And, oh, those shots of Oliver plowing through the deepest of snow. I must echo the wish that his blog remain for awhile….my thoughts are with you all. Please give Oliver a hug for me. (This is so sad…hugs to all of you, too.) Christine

  13. I am saddened by your loss. I had wondered why nothing had been posted for a while. I did not know your David, but enjoyed his blog, and those beautiful photos of his. We have a tradition here of planting memorial perennials on our farm when we hear someone has lost a loved one. David will have some planted for him here now as well. Thank you for letting us know.

  14. She_Who_Hears

    I only recently found this blog but I sounds as though the blogging community will miss him. May he R.I.P and I hope his work helps get you through some rough patches. Best wishes from Australia.

  15. I’m so very sorry – I only happened upon this blog last week and fell in love with his photos as I am a displaced Maine coast/Acadia lover. I’m sorry I didn’t get the chance to know him. Love to your family.

  16. I am so sorry to hear about David’s passing. Thank you for letting us know. His beautiful photos were very inspirational for me. I especially loved the stories and photos about Oliver.

  18. Johann Briffa

    So sorry for your loss. You (and David) have been in my thoughts since I saw the lack of posts. Thank you for letting us know.

  19. mehertog

    My condolences for this huge loss. I loves reading about his beautiful pictures if Acadia and fell in love with young Oliver.

    My thoughts are to you all!

    Maurice from The Netherlands

  20. davidcollinsfoto

    Words can’t be a substitute for such a loss but my thoughts and best wishes are with you. My wife set up and ran a palliative care service here in England and whenever I complained about a bad day at work she would say, “I’ve never heard anyone close to the end say, I wish I had spent more time at the office, they always said they wished they had spent more time with their family and doing the things they enjoyed. I think David’s blog is an indication he understood that although sadly his time was less than he would have liked.

  23. Sorry for your loss, God bless David and may God give you and your family strength… There are some people who impact and touch our lives and inspire us…. David was one of them… He will be in my prayers…. Blessings,
    Sheetal

  26. frank o'shea

    Ah man, that is the saddest news. His photography was inspirational. His methods and his way of seeing have been inspirational to me. We corresponded here a few times and he always gave unquestioningly of his advice and his wisdom. I will continue to practice all he showed me. And we never even met.

  27. I am so very sorry. I knew it had been awhile and I truly hoped David was just resting and building his strength. His love for his family, his Oliver and Acadia shone through in every post. Love to you all.

  29. lilybug1960

    Lori, Sam, Jack and Oliver,
    I met David one day just over 5 years ago at Otter Cliffs. I had come up from Georgia with my wife to vacation and photograph. David and I ended up in the same incredible spot that morning. He shared with me his favorite locations near there, even moving over so that I could get a shot. He said he just lived up the road and could go anytime, I was from far away.
    Being in a great spot and taken with the view, David shared with me his greatest joys: his wife and sons. He talked about wanting to catch a Red Sox game that year. I was wearing my Red Sox hat. I saw later he made it down there. He talked about how great a family he had that let him explore his photographic vision and how much they meant to him in every way.
    I have two Golden Retrievers, Lily and Bailey, and when Oliver entered the picture for you guys it was like my girls had a cousin up north. We all checked in Oliver and his romps in the snow and at the golf course. We saw such great joy in Oliver’s addition to the family.
    I visited Maine only once after that physically, but visited often through David’s images and stories. Hearing this news is very saddening. I had only spent an hour or two with David, but I felt I have known him a lifetime. That is how I will remember David, a great husband, father, photographer and as an inspirational friend. I could see from his posts how proud a father David was of Sam and Jack. I am very sorry for your loss, if there is anything I can do please let me know and if you are ever in Georgia, you have a place to stay. Oliver is welcome as well to come meet his cousins. Take care. God Bless.
    David Akoubian

  32. This was hard to see but am grateful for you letting his blogging world know. I am so very sorry for your loss; as others have commented, we could tell how much David loved his photography, but especially his family, two- and four-legged! I always enjoyed his posts about Oliver. I know you all miss him. Take good care.

  34. Lori, Sam, Jack, & Oliver,
    I am so very sorry to hear of your loss. I knew David from his blog and have followed him for quite some time. I never met him personally, but knew that he was a very generous, kind man and loved his family very much. He shared with me some wonderful places to see and visit in Ireland. I feel very lucky to have followed him through his blog and always enjoyed his sharing of his family, home, and life through his writings and photographs. He will be missed very much!
    Sean Lyons

  41. I am so sad for you and your loss. I missed seeing his wonderful work and was concerned. Thank you so much for sharing him with us and your great generosity in telling us he is not longer here. My prayers to you and yours.

  45. Thank you for letting us know, David touched me as a teacher, when I was learning how to implement social media into my classroom and he became a mentor for me to help me do it successfully. I still use many of the things David taught me for my personal use today. He was a gentle soul, who was also a gentleman. I am sad for you and your family for losing David, he will be missed by many and that I will miss him as well.

  46. While I didn’t know David personally, I found great enjoyment from his photos and blog. I’m so sorry to hear of his passing. He will be greatly missed.
    My sympathy goes out to you and your family.

  47. Andrew Thomas

    Lori, Sam, Jack, & Oliver,
    We just returned home from our latest USA National Park trip when I saw this email, that left me quite upset, little compared to what you must be feeling.
    David was kind enough to pick us up from our motel just under 2 years ago, and take us into the park for the day. I remember thinking at the time what an incredible offer this was when he told me that you lived in Bangor, though whilst close to Acadia, not exactly a 10 minute drive. And he met us around 5am, so I was even more grateful for the effort he made that day. We got to experience, in Davids’ own words, one of the best sunrises he had seen at Otter Cliffs…so I’m pleased to have this memory of time spent with for that sunrise and the rest of the day when he toured us around the park in a way we would have found difficult on our own. Whenever I view my images from that day I will fondly remember the time spent with David, and the further adventures I followed through his blog
    All the best from Australia
    Andrew and Debbie

  48. Very sorry to read your news this morning- I’ve thought about David several times throughout the day. I never met David in person, but our mutual loves of photography and Acadia brought us together online, and I enjoyed the occasional interactions we had. His photography was inspiring, and his enthusiasm for Acadia was infectious. I had hoped to meet up one day to talk to David in person, but alas, it wasn’t to be. I hope you take comfort from all the beauty he captured in his camera. Blessings on you all.
    Mike
    http://www.imagesofacadia.com

  49. Please accept my condolences. I am a complete stranger to you–and to David–but I enjoyed his blog, and he and I exchanged some brief notes to one another about our love for dogs. I had no idea that he was battling for his life, perhaps because he seemed so fully engaged in living. My sympathy, my prayers, and my heartfelt sadness for your loss.
    J. F. Riordan

  51. Dear Lori, Sam, and Jack –
    You and David have been in my thoughts often over the last several weeks, and I am so very sorry for your loss. I “met” David through handsome and sweet Oliver and fell in love with the coast of Maine through David’s breathtaking photography. Please know that my thoughts will continue to be with you.
    Suzanne (Harper Lee’s human mother)

  52. Dan Meade

    It is wonderful to read all the posts from people that David touched. So many that had never met him, but still he had an impact through his beautiful photography and blog posts. I speak for all of the teachers in the AP4ALL program in saying that we miss him tremendously. He was a great leader and mentor for this valuable program. Photographer, teacher, soccer coach, blogger, father, husband…he is missed by so many.
    Dan Meade

  54. I am so sorry for your loss. David was always such a kind person, and was so reassuring when my daughter started school – I knew him professionally, but remember well that first day of K when he saw us all walking and gave us some kind words. His last tweet was complimenting an instagram photo of mine, taken on that same stretch of street where we crossed paths on that first day of school, and it is fitting that he found beauty in family and photography — his own, and others. I am glad I knew him.

  55. wanderingseniors

    So sad to read this news and so sorry for your loss. David was so nice, always thanking everyone for comments and taking time to answer questions. I will miss his stories and photos of the family, Oliver and Acadia Park. Thank you for letting us know and also for leaving his blog up.

  58. I was shocked to read this news this morning … I’d fallen behind on blog-reading. It has bothered me all day. I did not know David, but, like others here, felt like I knew him somewhat from his posts – and his gorgeous photos. I lost my husband several years ago and our favorite place in the world was Schoodic Point, Maine – a place your husband photographed so beautifully. He sent me one of his prints months ago and I treasure it. As an amateur photographer I ate up everything he said about photography; his Maine photos were a connection to my past. Though I know these words don’t mean much, I am truly sorry for your loss. If you ever need to connect with someone who’s been there please don’t hesitate to look me up – I remember how tough those first few months are. David seemed like such a kind, patient, gentle man. Somehow it just doesn’t seem fair.

  59. Dear Lori, Sam Jack & Oliver. I am grateful that you have left David’s blog up this long. I did not receive your telling post of David’s departure until now. Since it has been so long from reading a post or any news, I thought he was taking a protracted sabbatical due to the illness and treatments. I have literally prayed often for him and all of you. I am like so many of the folks who have posted heartfelt responses to the news. I never met David face-to-face, but we shared comments with each other… especially about our dogs! I My wife and I have a Westie named Carson. I so enjoyed David’s images of Oliver, and was inspired by his master pieces from Acadia. My wife is surprising me with my sixtieth birthday present in June to a destination unknown to me. Cheryl asked me to list four or five places where I wanted to visit and Acadia was at the top of my list. David’s photographs, descriptions and passion about this sacred place had a lot to do with this choice. If that is our destination, I was planning on contacting David, and perhaps meet him. If we end up going to Acadia, I will skip a rock or two in his behalf, take a multitude of photos and remember the man behind the lens that captured my attention so thoroughly. Bless you all.

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