David Milan Pavlik departed this life and was reunited with his son and granddaughter on April 5, 2024.
Dave was born on September 2, 1942, to Clarence and Irene Pavlik in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dave was raised just a few blocks away from West View Park where he enjoyed both the Racing Whippet and The Dips roller coasters. It was here he also discovered the first love of his life, ice cream… specifically Isley’s Klondike Bars.
In his teen years he attended North Hills High School where he played football against future Medicare pitchman Joe Namath.
After graduation and a forgettable year at Muskingum College, Dave matriculated to Michigan State University.
As early autumn fell in East Lansing, Dave had the mundane task of dropping one of his Phi Gam brothers off at the Tri Delt house. As luck would have it Susan Ellis was helping finish up the homecoming float. Dave was immediately struck by her piercing blue eyes. She agreed to a date because, well, he had a car. Hello, love of his life #2!
David and Susan were married August 22, 1964.
Their three boys came in quick succession, David in 1966, Tom in 1970 and Rob in 1975.
Professionally, Dave bought the Window Garden Restaurant in 1973. He operated the restaurant for almost 30 years while still coaching his kids’ baseball teams and vacationing for two weeks each year, first in Grand Haven, Michigan and later in Kiawah Island. He was adamant that his kids follow their own dreams and not relive his, thus none of his boys entertained continuing the restaurant business.
Leaving food behind Dave reignited love of his life #3, automobiles. He became a car salesman, which allowed him to talk cars all day long. He started selling Mazdas (Zoom-zoom) and later BMWs (The Ultimate Driving Machine). Dave’s last day at the BMW Store was January 6, 2024, ensuring a tax return must be filed in 2025.
The worst day of Dave’s life was June 17, 2003, when his oldest son David and granddaughter Millicent were killed in a traffic accident. June 17 was always a sad day for Dave and Susan, and they often would go for long walks on that day. More often than not they would find a baseball on these walks. This was always seen as a sign David was present in their lives.
In Dave and Susan’s later years they would become winter caretakers of a house on Tybee Island, Georgia. After 15 plus winters on Tybee they became regulars at All Saints Church and Huckapoos Pizza. When they couldn’t travel to Tybee in late 2023, they were heartbroken…mainly because Dave couldn’t run the All Saints Pancake Dinner.
Dave leaves his wife, Susan, and his son Tom (Judy) and his son Rob (Michelle) and grandchildren Andi, Hannah, William, and Mathew. He also leaves his sister, Joyce, his brother Alan and his brothers in law Tom and Rob Ellis. And so, so many friends.
Services will be at 2pm on April 21 at St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. A reception will take place after the service. In lieu of flowers donations in his memory can be made to The Neediest Kids of All, P.O. Box 636666 Cincinnati, Ohio 45263.
David would say on his roughest days: “Courage, said Martin”. And that made things a bit better. In memory of everyone that has and will fight cancer, remember to live your life with courage.
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Debbie Morenz-Harbinger says
April 10, 2024 at 3:42 amSusan and family. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Your father was a great guy and I loved living next to him for many years. Love to you always…
Stephen Sturgil says
April 11, 2024 at 12:38 pmDave Pavlik was admired by my dad Paul Sturgil and me as well. So many times we were at the Window Garden Restaurant. Good times. Dave helped me have a Celebration of Life at his restaurant for my dad when he passed. Dave always had a kind word. I helped his son Tom become introduced to hus enthusiasm for flying with Dave’s help. Farewell Dave.
Larry Widmayer says
April 18, 2024 at 12:32 amWe will dearly miss you David, but hold in our hearts a lifetime of memories, and adventures, and so many conversations between us. This is our last earthly goodbye, but never, never the last memory of being together.
I remember joining our fraternity and meeting the brother from Pittsburg who told me he either wanted to own a restaurant or be a disc jockey on the radio. Between Brody radio at Michigan State, occasional stints on the radio in Cincinnati, and your “Window Garden” restaurant you got to do both.
I remember the ride you gave me to the Tri Delta house at MSU where Patti was helping with the sisters’ Homecoming Float. I believe that is when you met Patti’s sister Susan Ellis. That worked out great for all of us, resulting in many years of two wonderful marriages.
Then, as they say, “life got in the way” for a while. You in food services; me in technology. But our fraternity has a saying, our brotherhood is “not for college days alone.” Life helped bring us back together when my son Chris became a freshman at Miami University right near Cincinnati that broke the always “busy” bottleneck and recommitted us to being together whenever possible.
David, we had so many great times in that second half of our lives. Whether we met in Cincinnati or Chicago, it didn’t matter; we found a way of having fun together. That was particularly true during our “special destination” visits; you and Susan coming to our bed & breakfast in Glen Arbor, or Patti and me visiting Tybee Island.
Somehow many of these visits included golf. One of my fondest memories is of the two years we played the “Robert Trent Jones Trail” in Alabama. Plus, the big anchor every fall was our MSU Homecomings with many of our Phi Gam brothers in person, or, after Covid, on Zoom.
But it was never just the events. More importantly, we could share our thoughts on so many topics, whether it was politics, cars (especially BMWs), Cincinnati vs Cubs baseball, Michigan State football and basketball, the importance of dried cherries in oatmeal, or just life in general.
All these special moments together are what a good life is all about. Thank you, dear friend and brother, for being there.
This is not goodbye, but as the Germans say “bis wir uns wiedersehen” – until we meet again.
Larry
In lieu of flowers donations in his memory can be made to The Neediest Kids of All, P.O. Box 636666 Cincinnati, Ohio 45263.