DAVE McDONOUGH
THE GENTLE GIANT OF KEENE VALLEY
From Prelude (McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed”) to Recessional ( Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing”) David McDonough’s funeral rocked. So did his life.
Lake Champlain
A cornerstone of Keene Valley, McDonough’s Valley Hardware was Dave’s dream come true. He started there as a young lad, sweeping, shovelling…doing any menial chore just to get his start. He ended up owning the place and with his wife Paula by his side, and a strong family to back him up, Dave built the store into a viable and competitive business in a Home Depot world. There wasn’t an empty seat in the house at Dave’s funeral and people were standing in the back. Years ago, Dave would have been on stage in such a building, singing a lead role in “Jesus Christ Superstar.” He was regaled for his beautiful voice and fronted many a neighborhood rock band in his youth. Dave was just an all-around cool guy. He loved photography and both his niece Jessica and nephew Jake tell the same story, how Uncle Dave resisted digital, primarily because he enjoyed the process of waiting for the prints to come back in the mail from the company that developed them. Two years ago, a hurricane dropped way too much rain on the northeast in a very short period of time and the Ausable River flooded. A couple of feet of water and mud flowed through McDonough’s store, a good portion of which remaimed until a horde of Dave’s neighbors, customers and total strangers banded together to mop up the floors and clean up what they could of damaged merchandise. The store recovered, but not Dave. Shortly thereafter he was diagnosed with a very rare cancer. After strenuous treatments, he made a nice recovery and had a few months where he was back at work. But the cancer retruned and after a very rough round of treatment, Dave succuumbed. The minister at the St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church in Lake Placid, NY, in speaking about Dave, made many memorable remarks as Dave was universally loved and respected. This is one that sticks: “In life, love is what matters most of all.” The photographs here were all taken by David in his hometown of Keene Valley, NY, in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains. Rock on, Dave. —VICTOR FORBES 32 • Fine Art Magazine • December 2013
David James McDonough: August 23, 1953 - June 10, 2013
Snowy Tree, Keene Valley
Ausable River
Cascade Lake, Adirondack Mountains