It has been one year since David Belter was violently torn from our lives. I am David’s only sibling. We were adopted by our absolutely amazing parents John & Jeanette Belter. I cannot put into words the anguish our family and friends have suffered losing David. However, I do think that sharing about my brother can help us heal and find more peace and some joy.
David was a long-time resident of Boerne. We moved here in 1983 – just in time for the 84-85 blizzard with almost 2 ft of snow to play in! We were blessed with a couple of trash can lids and numerous hills to slide down on! David and I loved Boerne, and we had tons of memories in those early years like of going to Boerne Lake, our cozy happy hometown with only yellow blinking lights on Main Street, and horse racing at the Kendall County Fair. Our family attended St. Peter’s Catholic Church, and David attended many events, retreats, and gained many of his first and longest-time friends there. Like many other kids back then - to live in the country wasn’t all fun and games, and our dad made us do hard work all year long for a meager allowance of $7.00 a week!
My brother was a big fan of sci-fi. He loved Star Wars, Star Trek, and Dungeons & Dragons role playing games. Throughout his life he would do artwork and play musical instruments and write stories. How we all envied his imagination! One of the musical instruments he played was the trombone, which he proudly played all four years in the Boerne High School Marching Band. David graduated from BHS in 1991 – to the graduation song “The Dance” by Garth Brooks. Yes Garth, life is beautiful and all too short. David attended Texas A&M and got the bonfire building bug, and we were all quite concerned about his startling hobby of hard toilsome work. After this period in his life, he moved back to Boerne to work for several years with the horses at the amazing Double Diamond Ranch. Then he moved out to Blanco, TX with some good friends working in construction for a while before taking a job at Blanco’s main favorite town gas station. He worked there for many years, and everyone in Blanco County (as well as many who were just passing through) met my brother. He was given the nickname “Big Dave.” As our parents got a little older my brother (who never got married or had kids) wanted to move back to Boerne to be closer to them – to help and see them more often. I was very proud to have enough space at my place for my brother to move in with me for a few years, and he began a night stocking job at the HEB in Dripping Springs. Eventually my brother was able to get his own place even closer to our parents. My brother realized that he – more than I – would be better situated to help our parents as they aged, and he very much looked forward to being there for them as they had for us our whole life.
They say after a trial of convicting someone who kills your loved one - you can find closure. Speaking for myself (I believe my parents also agree), the process of closure began when all law enforcement and emergency personnel absolutely rushed en masse to the wreck (I listened to the dispatch recording). A little bit more closure came when the good gentlemen from the funeral home went out late at night to get my brother’s very damaged body. And yes, even more closure came when the trial was completely over. I think closure is really when those who have lost their loved one receive support from the community, thereby validating their grief and the value of their loved one.
My family would like to extend deep gratitude to the emergency responders that made the scene that horrific June 2nd, 2022 night, to the DPS troopers and all DPS personnel who devoted full resources and efforts to investigating thoroughly, to the District Attorney’s office – all of whom worked so diligently to gather the facts needed to help the jury do their difficult job, and to all of David’s friends and our friends who supported us, especially the entire St. Peter’s Catholic Church community.
Finally, David was a kind and humble man. He was not judgmental of others. He didn’t value what possessions or money a person had, but rather, valued how a person treated others. My family and I ask those using my brother’s death, along with lies or distorted “truths” to attack others, to please stop. It is not honoring my brother – of that I am certain.
Lastly, I will have 14 years of sobriety this summer. Alcoholism is not a choice, BUT its treatment or lack thereof is a choice. There IS a solution! Please do encourage those you may know to seek help through the Twelve Steps and the God of their own understanding, BUT do not protect them from the consequences of their disease. Consequences are the best chance we have of reaching alcohol and drug addicts before they kill themselves or others.
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