My friend Dave Teeuwen passed away this week. I got to know him when we were both in our twenties in Washington D.C., and he was at Radio America, before going on to work at USA Today, where he became managing editor. He was an extraordinarily blithe spirit, always an easy laugh, at your jokes and his own. Our perennial topics were politics, media, and sports (he was a devoted Steelers and Pirates fan, with a hilarious story about experiencing the Bucs meltdown in the famous Francisco Cabrera game). Above all, he was a devoted husband and father. It’s a cliche to speak of fighting cancer. Dave, who had intestinal cancer, beat the living hell out of it with every tool at his disposal and every ounce of his will through nine years of surgeries and chemotherapy. He did it with aplomb and dignity, true to his character, and with a determination rooted in his love for his family. If anyone deserved to prevail, it was him. My heart breaks for his lovely, brave wife, Leilani, who was his rock, and for his little daughter, Emma. May God rest his soul and comfort his family during this incredibly trying time.