Patti McGarvey/Special to the Sun

Life began for David Mitchell in Bakersfield at 8:43 p.m., Feb. 21, 1990; he weighed in at 7 pounds and 5 ounces and was 20 inches long. The joy his mother Holli Mitchell felt at that precise moment was more than magnificent, and over the next 21 years her love developed for her son bigger than any one word can describe. Holli said, “David and I were extremely close, and daily we talked, or text each other.”

On the morning of Jan. 13, 2012 Holli texted her son to warn him of the accident she saw on Channel 17 news. She wrote, “David there is an accident in the canyon, I hope you are okay,” expecting him to reply, her text went unanswered. Her only child, her beloved son was involved in the accident she had texted to warn him about, he passed away due to his injuries. His mother now feels the sorrow that is as big as the love she holds in her heart for her son. “The death of my son has broken my heart.” said Holli.

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For a parent to face such a tragedy of this magnitude is the darkest moment in life. With a broken heart Holli a grieving mother opens up to shine a light on the type of person her son was.

Holli grew up in a family environment of spending time in the outdoors, one of their favor activities was to ride dirt bikes, and she passed that desire onto her baby boy. When David was five years old he competed in a super motor cross race in Bakersfield, riding on a 1982 Yamaha. He won two trophies, one for second place and the other for third. This was just the beginning of what developed from a passion into a racing career.

His love for the sport grew as he grew. He earned over the years a load of trophies as a motor cross racer; his last race was in Kernville in 2008, he took first place. Shortly after that race his bike blew up. He took a break from racing for a while, then after repairing his bike recently, he made plans to get back into the world of motor cross racing. “His girlfriend Kassity Riley and I spent countless hours working beside David on his bike, he was a master mechanic, great with his hands, he could fix anything as a mechanic and with was very knowledgably (sic) with technology,” said Holli.

David’s step father Ronnie Schnell recalls the many moments using the car port as a pad to work on bikes and using his tools to do so. “I was amazed at how smart David was when it came to mechanical things. When he set his mind to it, there wasn’t anything he could not do,” said Schnell.

Through her heartbreak, Holli shares some extremely meaningful memories of her son, “When David was four years old I would tuck him into bed and he would say, ‘Come here sugar and give me a kiss,’ I would kiss him then go to leave his room and hear him say, ‘thanks sucker.’ He was a character. And when he walked into a room he brought light, he was full of life, always had his mouth moving, he was loud, he had a huge personality, he was funny, and always joking, and very playful.”

Holli recalls the day her son convinced her to get a new cell phone, without her knowing he had placed a GPS on her phone. For the next two months David had fun playing with his mom, he would show up where she was although she had not told him where she was. She could not figure out how her son was able to find her so one day she asked him, and he told her, “I just guessed.”

David’s grandparents Sharon and Dan Robinson will forever miss their grandson, they have boxes full of his favorite movies, they have one room in their home that is known as the David Museum, and the walls are covered with photographs of their grandson. Sharon said, “I am going to miss him walking through the door and his first stop being at the refrigerator, he loved to eat.” He also loved to cook, he was great with seasoning. Riley mentioned the time when David taught her how to skin a snake, and BBQ it, it was good tasting she said.

Riley and David started hanging out at the age of ten, they began dating at 17, and Riley said, “We did everything together, he taught me how to snow board and that was a sport together we really enjoyed.”

David was laid to rest at Greenlawn Cemetery on January 21, 2012 dressed in his motor cross gear. Beside his white casket were several items that reflect the love and passion he had for life. Among those items were his 2007 Kawasaki 250F four stroke, the trophies he earned as a motor cross racer, his snow board, and his first pair of racing boots, (the boots he wore at the age of five in his first motor cross race).

Holli said, “The director at Green Lawn was exceptionally thoughtful, they said we could place motor cross stickers on the casket, and have everyone autograph the casket using a permanent marker.”

Among the pall bearers were Michael Paul Roofner, Dougie Rossback, and Aquivo Sun, who began their friendship with David at the age of five. They started kindergarten together and enjoyed their friendship through their toddler, teen, and on into their young adult years.

Wanting to help the family with funeral expenses Riley and Rossback put together a car wash event held at the Crossroads Shell Station prior to the funeral and since then a funeral fund has been set up at Alta One Bank, the David Mitchell Memorial Fund. “I really appreciate everyone for their prayers, and support,” said Holli. “I am also grateful for Jeff Sherman a teacher at Community School in Lake Isabella for helping my son achieve his high school diploma. That was important to him.”

Holli, a mother with a heart full of love and sorrow said, “I know I will have to learn to breathe all over again, I know I must get out of bed every morning, even though I don’t feel like it. I know my life has changed and things will be different, and I have to learn to cope with life and those changes. I know that some people say that with time, there will be closure. Maybe that is true for some people, but I know for me, that there will never be closure because my heart will hurt the rest of my life missing my son.”