David A Ingram

For Those Left Behind

As I depart the bonds of earth and sky, my soul
unburdened of worry and doubt,
I know my loved ones sorrow and mourn, even though
I make my journey without
pain in my heart.

There is no need to shed tears for me. My agony
is now past, my battle is done. My fears are
no more, my burdens are gone.
I can now count my blessings
as I make a new start.

Though I depart for a place near our Dear
Father's side, I hope memories of me will abide
with those left behind. I will visit you often, in the quiet
of the day, when peace settles o'er, you'll feel me nearby
even though I can't stay.

And, once you put tears and mourning behind,
you'll know I was blessed by the Father, loving
and kind. He gave me a gift, to use ‘fore I died,
it was the rare gift of time to tell dear ones goodbye….
and I love you.

Condolences to Steve & Annie
from the Sloan Boys--Chuck, Al & steve

We drive past Auke Lake every day. My daughters (ages 7 and 4) stop everything they are doing to say "There they are!" when we pass the flamingos! What a sight they were this Christmas, pulling a sleigh and all lit up! Thanks for the memories, Dave!

I'm still in shock over the loss of Dave. My condolences to his family. It seems only yesterday he and Buddy were sitting in my house and he was telling us of his latest road trip. He loved his car, his dog, and traveling the backroads. I enjoyed all his stories of the concerts he had attended. He always seemed to remember how much the tickets cost! Many of the concerts were free. I enjoyed all our discussions of Alaskan and national politics. He was a true independent voter. He was unhappy with George Bush's first term, but he wasn't terribly impressed with the Democrat's nomination either. Dave "held his nose" and voted for John Kerry. I'll miss Dave, his frequent laughter, his sense of humor, and his friendship. Until next time Dave. Chris and Karen Cummins (Juneau, Alaska)

Feb. 16, 2012

Only one Dave Ingram comes along in a lifetime. And I was blessed to have known him for over 50 years.
Dave always liked to tell people the story how he and I met. I offered him a ride home from football practice. He thought the ride was in a car, but it was on my bicycle. Thus began our friendship.

Dave, Rich Chapman and I were inseparable in high school. We kept in touch over the years to one extent or another. Music always seemed to be the connector. When I would call Dave on the phone, he would say "Hey, Dermots" and then break out into a song from 1960. To parahrase from a song, he was "sunshine, lollipops and rainbows". His song collection was so large he kept it on a separate computer. We often swapped hard to find songs.

I never anticipated that when I visited Dave in late September, it would be the last timne I would see him. But we had a great time on the eve of our 50th HS reunion. Rich was there along with another longtime friend, Toby Swanson, Steve and Annie.

I had open heart surgery Dec. 12 and was unable to drive the 10 hours to see Dave. That bothered me. We continued to visit on the phone.

Rich was the one who nicknamed Dave, "Dingles". To this day, we have no idea how that came to be. It was Chappy, Dermots and Dingles---we hit 2,3 and 4 on our HS baseball team.

Recently Dave told me that the only regret he had in life was that he never had children. The reality is that all people were his "children". From little kids,to students and to friends. Here is a specific.

Our son and his wife have a 2-year-old with cancer. She and her parents were at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. The baby was getting chemo.

Dave had been visiting us at our home in Rogers, AR. The day he left he drove to Memphis just to stop by and visit our son and his wife and check on the baby. He truly had children.

Rich and I have many fond memories of Dave and we cherish them all. He was always there as a friend. He was always there to help.

In HS, Dave and I enjoyed literature. I recall like it was yesterday when Dave said he liked Tennyson. He said to me, "Dermots, when my TIME comes, I like this."

"Sunset and evening star and one clear call for me. And may there be no mourning of the bar when I put out to see."

Dave's interesting life is an inspiration. I met him through mutual friend Tom Findley playing pool at Louie's. He was always friendly though quite well educated and well traveled, never left any sense of self importance. He's the only guy I know that rode the trans Siberian from Vladivostok to Moscow. Happy trails Dave, we're all the better having the privilege of your friendship and joy of life.

Jim Akins

Dave and I worked as professors at UAS over approximately the same period of time. Since I was the full-time faculty member and responsible for the law -related classes, I had plenty of opportunity to work with Dave and to hear from his students. He was highly respected and appreciated by his students and for me he was a pleasure to work with and was always reliable. My condolences go to all his family and friends who must now carry on without Dave.

Dave Ingram was a great teacher of law. He taught us criminal procedure and I still remember many of the Alaska Rules of Evidence, which are quite complex. RIP and sincere condolences to friends and family.

Dave was one of the most humble "Great" men I have known.
As a former UAS student, I looked forward to Dave's law classes. His colorful stories made even the least interesting subject vibrant and fun. He had a story for every legal situation one could imagine. Dave would humorously convey these gems of wisdom, stemming from his own life experience, and somehow manage to bring it all back to topic! In every story Dave told, you could always hear his "heart".
Later, Dave was my friend. His love for people (and dogs and flamingos) was evident. I could not help but notice how he lived his life. Always generous, always patient, always kind yet never lacking in humor. He enjoyed laughter, yet knew when to lend a hand or when someone else needed care or encouragement. Dave was truly courageous. Even when life was tough for him or he was in pain, he chose to focus on what he could do instead of what his limitations were.
Dave demonstrated greatness in that though he possessed a high level of intelligence, maturity and rare life experiences, he always displayed humility. It showed that he cared about every person, regardless of status.
With all these great qualities, it is surprising that Dave also had great fashion sense. He always knew what to wear- a smile and a twinkle in his eye!

I hope that those who knew him learned what it was like to live a good life by watching his example.
The world needs more people like Dave.
I will surely miss him.