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David and his family could not get adjusted to living in Cincinnati. He quit his job with the Leather Specialty Company and received a letter of recommendation.  With the help of his sister-in-law, he and his family  left Cincinnati and moved to Houston, Texas. There he sought a new life and new beginning. During his job search, David diligently struggled to find work and took odd jobs working in a lumber store and selling goods door to door.  He made very little money and he went for days without eating to feed his children instead. He lived with his family in a small two bedroom apartment with no central air and heat. He later obtained a job in a small metal shop. The shop produced a new type of butterfly actuator valve and his job was to assemble them as well as paint them. The name of the company he worked for was called Keystone Valve International. Keystone became a world renowned manufacture of butterfly and actuator valves. The company later was purchased by Tyco Industries, Inc.  David moved up the ranks from valve assembler to valve engineer. He was very mechanically gifted with the valve work. He was highly praised in his job and throughout the years was given promotions and pay raises. In the evenings he would moonlight and work at a hotel as a waiter.  Although he did not make much he always cared for his family, put food on the table, send his children to college and later purchase a house. He gave up his dreams to return back to Cuba and with the help of his friends he, his wife and children applied for citizenship and became U.S. citizens. 

David and his wife Aida conceived a son by the name of Robert. David thought highly of Robert as he was the only child born in the United States. As the family adjusted to the new surroundings, David enrolled Robert into karate school so he can learn discipline and to defend himself. One evening on a rainy day, while picking up his son from karate school, he and Robert were involved in a fatal car accident. The car's brakes locked and the car skid into the an intersection into an oncoming truck with two passengers. The car hit the truck and instantly killed the passengers. It was a freak accident of which David had no control. David and Robert were rushed to the hospital with massive head and neck injuries. They both remarkably survived the crash; however, David was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter. He went to court and lost the case and was given ten years in prison; however, due to the nature of the accident and the compassion of the court, instead of prison, he was given house arrest, meaning he was able to go to his Job at Keystone Valve every day; however, after his job he would have to stay home and not leave the house until the duration of his sentence.

During the years at Keystone Valve International, David was stricken with Multiple Sclerosis. No one in his family had the disease and they were told that people that move from a cold environment to a warm environment have a good chance of getting it. At work, David would lose his balance and  would drop the valves on his feet. His leg became numb and he had to use a walking cane. He sought endlessly for a cure and went from doctor to doctor seeking treatment. He took numerous types of expensive medication which did not do him any good. After a brief period with Keystone Value, he had to take earlier retirement.  

Due to his illness and inability to work, his debts surmounted into the thousands of dollars. In order not to lose his house, his wife Aida had no choice but to seek work. She would hold down two jobs.  Even their sons worked on a part-time basis to help the family. Aida obtained a job as a housekeeper earning minimal wages for a small medical clinic and in the evenings she would clean office buildings. On weekends she would earn extra money as a seamstress and baby sitting. Due to the stress of her husband being terminally ill and to work hard at her job, Aida suffered a heart attack and had to have a triple bypass operation. The medical cost for the operation put extra burden on the family.

David's illness progressed and he needed special medical attention. He had to be put in a nursing home.  During the two years at the nursing home, his wife Aida would visit him daily and stay with him for a period of ten hours a day and seven days a week. From laying down in a bed with the inability to move, David developed bed sores on his back and legs. He was under intense pain and would scream in agony day and night. For not to disturb the other patients, he was heavily sedated on a daily basis.  One day the bed rail to his bed fell down, and David fell to the floor and hurt his head. He bled profusely. He had a concussion and he was sent to the hospital. Although he recovered, he was traumatized. 

 

In November 2005, David contracted Pneumonia. He was rushed to the hospital and put under a breathing apparatus. After several days under the apparatus, he was not able to recover and breathe on his own. Due to the amount of pain and suffering, the family elected not to resuscitate him. He passed away with his elder son and wife Aida at his beside. David had a simple burial. He was survived by his wife, three children, granddaughter and grandson.

"Papi we will always miss you"