Or lewismistreated, however you knew him.
I don’t really know how to say this. Well, he took his own life recently.
Karl (Lost and Found) broke the news on the 15th of January 2025 in a group chat on Facebook that I originally set up to let everyone know that the Random Fury! forums were closing, back in 2018. I just felt immense sadness for a long time. Couldn’t process it. While it was nice to hear from old friends, it was not pleasant given the circumstances.
On the 17th of January, Mike (Powers) announced Dave’s passing on the GRcade forum, here: https://grcade.co.uk/t:lewismistreated?f=8. This post is a version of what I wrote in that thread, adapted to make sense in this context. So when I say that “someone said this”, I’m referencing that thread.
I knew as soon as I saw Karl’s name pop up on my phone that it was bad news. I had a feeling. It had been so long since he’d been in contact, I was certain it was going to be bad news. And thus, the void created by the loss has taken residence in my thoughts ever since. I just can’t shake it. He was such a decent guy. The best of us, he really was. In the thread on GRcade, Prototype said that it doesn’t seem real, does it? Nope. Not one bit.
I have an inkling of the emotional pain he may have been feeling, having been on the precipice once or twice myself. It saddens me to think he was hurting that much – he really didn’t deserve that. No-one I know has ever had a bad word to say about Dave, he had such a genuine way about him. Even when disagreeing with him about videogames, he presented his points and opinions in such a manner that you could never really get annoyed with him, unlike others at the time that could really leave a bitter taste after a minor disagreement about draw distance or load times or some other trivial little thing. Qikz said “he’s definitely someone I don’t think any of us have ever forgotten”, and I wholeheartedly agree, I’ll never forget his kindness, his calm presence, his level-headed Dave-ness.
Curls wrote that “it’s a melancholic twist of fate that it’s bringing back some old members and making me smile also” – it is indeed nice, under these dreadful circumstances, seeing all these usernames popping up to pay their respects for Dave. I recognise some immediately, some need two and two to be put together before the recognition dawns, but it’s good to see a lot mentioning that common thread, which is that Dave was warm, welcoming, and a genuinely decent guy.
Grumpy David (who will always be cubeamania to me, no matter how many times I watch that episode of Total Wipeout), wrote that the RF meetup at the Science Museum was the first & only time he met him, but he was a great guy in real life too. And I’ll echo those sentiments. We had some meet ups, some barbeques and a wedding, and both Lady T and myself always looked forward with great anticipation to Dave’s arrival at these gatherings, she definitely had a soft spot for him.
I’m glad I spent some of my life getting to know him, and even though we had drifted apart it still hurts to think he was hurting. It may be a cliche for me to say that if you’re hurting, you can always reach out to me, especially as I don’t particularly hang out here at GRcade anymore; but if you are down then there are are always people you can talk to. And talking about it, while it is difficult, does help. That pain in your chest, that emotional pain, it’s fleeting. The situation you find yourself in, you can get out of it. The world is a better place with you in it, never forget that.
And on the flip side of that, if you’re in a good place then look up, look around, pay attention to any small details that may indicate someone you know or love is going through something silently. Lend them an ear. Offer a hand. Help them through the dark times.
May you rest in peace my friend.
