David was born in Spokane, Wash., May 23, 1984. Two days later he was adopted by Ron and Cheryl Lawler and his big sister Rachel. He accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior at VBS in Redmond, Wash., at the age of 5.

He loved all things baseball and visited many of the major ball parks in the U.S., including the old and new Yankee Stadiums. For his high school graduation, he and his dad went to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. When the King Dome was destroyed, his best friend purchased him a piece of the imploded building. When Safeco Field was being built he wanted to be memorialized there. Today, you can find a brick with his name on it which reads, ”R. David Lawler, Jr. Love, Mom & Dad,” so someday when you are at the stadium look for brick #13451.

David also loved movies. He loved every aspect of them! He studied producers, genres, directors, composers, etc. He was definitely a movie buff! At one point in his life, he wanted to make films. His health condition preempted that desire, yet his love of movies was never stifled. He and his dad made frequent trips to the cinema to check out the latest releases. He has left a large cinematic collection for his family to watch and enjoy.

David also loved children. As a young teen he started working with children in the summer day camps at his church, later helping in the Sunday school programs, and eventually serving as a worker for the MOPPETS program. Eventually, he took a mission trip to northern Canada to work with the First Nation children. But the best part of loving children was when he became an uncle to his four nephews, Aidan, Tristan, Rylan and Jack.

Last but not least among his loves were his two dogs Nene and Kai. They were his best friends. During their lives with him each of these dogs were his faithful friends and companions, keeping secrets none of the rest of us would ever know. We never knew who was provided more therapy, the dogs or David.

David was a gifted writer and artist for many years. His writings were mostly poems or stories he wrote to family members commemorating a special day or event. These writings were insightful, funny, profound and enlightening. Many of us have saved and cherished these writings. They are keepers. His artistic style was caricatures he would make of friends, family members, actors, etc.

David epitomized the idea of gift-giving. He would study and analyze the person for whom he was going to purchase a gift. He would spend months looking for “just the right thing.” And, sure enough, as each gift was opened the receiver would say, “David buys the best gifts!”

David is survived by his parents Ron and Cheryl Lawler (Oak Harbor); his sister Rachel; nephews, Aidan, Tristan, Rylan and Jack (Lake Stevens); and many family members and friends.

A memorial service to celebrate David’s life will be held at 2 p.m. Oct. 1, 2016, at Family Bible Church in Oak Harbor.

In lieu of flowers the family has requested that gifts be made to either the Bailey Boushay House (Seattle) which compassionately provided the highest level of professional care, or to the Huntington’s Disease Foundation in David’s memory.