Father of Marine killed on motorcycle was hit by drunk driver on his motorcycle too

Friends, family share stories of hometown hero
Marine from Rosenberg allegedly killed by drunken driver
By SHAMINDER DULAI
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Aug. 12, 2010

Rain clouds blanketed the sun to trickle out a smattering of rain drops Thursday afternoon as Dwayne Stidman carried the ashes of his son out of a Rosenberg funeral home and toward a row of motorcycles.

"Today is a time of saying goodbye," Stidman said.

With military hymns in the air and a slideshow of his son behind him, Stidman stood up to thank the nearly 100 friends, family, Marines and complete strangers as they paid their respects to Marine Cpl. David James Stidman, who was killed last week when an alleged drunken driver struck his motorcycle.

Guests wearing red, the 23-year-old's favorite color, made an effort to turn the funeral into a joyful day of sharing memories to honor the son who survived two deployments to Iraq and one to Afghanistan, and recently finished a five-year commitment to the Marines.

Affinity for motorcycles
But there was sorrow.

One by one, Marines and friends stood up to share stories about one of Rosenberg's hometown heroes. He had built a gym out of found wood because he was bored, had coached his fellow soldiers to get up to speed and had shared stories from home of how much he loved his father.

Like his father, David Stidman became a Marine and a motorcyclist. The two also shared an affinity for fishing, so much so that they'd bought a boat. They were still planning their first trip to the open sea when the son was killed. Dwayne Stidman plans to take his son's ashes to the Gulf of Mexico.

The young Marine came home four months ago after a drunken driver hit his father, who was on his motorcycle. He broke his legs, a shoulder blade and his skull was severely cut.

Dwayne Stidman slowly recovered with the help of his son and soon bought another motorcycle so the two could continue riding together.

"I know how it can get and I didn't want him riding alone," Dwayne Stidman said

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Friends family share stories of hometown hero


Marine survived three tours of combat