For a high school kid from small-town Oregon, being accepted into a summer music program at Boston’s Berklee College of Music was a huge deal. But the cost of the program almost prevented David Wesley from going.
“He almost didn’t get to go, which meant we would have never met,” Wesley’s girlfriend, Sarina Ivory, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
David had been able to raise the money to attend the five-week program in 2013. It was there that the two 17-year-olds first met, beginning a relationship that later brought David to the Atlanta area to live with Sarina. The two hoped to return to Berklee to study music. But early Wednesday, David was killed before he made it to his job at a Buckhead Starbucks. He had pulled over to the shoulder of the I-85 ramp from I-285 and was changing a flat tire when he was struck and killed by another car, according to DeKalb County police. The at Spaghetti Junction would snarl traffic just as morning rush hour began.
She was still asleep when David called shortly after 5 a.m., but Sarina remembers him telling her he had a flat tire.
“Be safe and text me when you get there,” she told him. “It’s something he’s done before, but I was with him the last time it happened.”
Sarina didn’t hear from him again, and she was surprised when David’s manager called to say he hadn’t arrived at work. The manager had heard about a fatal wreck, and he sent Sarina a link to an online article. When she saw the picture, she knew instantly it had involved David. She recognized his Subaru Outback with the same bumper sticker that had been on the back when he’d bought it.
According to DeKalb police, David was struck by a 21-year-old driver who stopped at the scene. The accident remained under investigation late Wednesday, Maj. S.R. Fore said.
She was devastated and contacted David’s family members, who later confirmed his death through police. Wednesday afternoon, Sarina was still struggling to make sense of the sudden death of the man who was not only her boyfriend but also her best friend.
“The thing that I loved about our relationship, no matter what was going on, it was drama-free,” Sarina said. “He was my best friend. Truly my best friend. It feels like I’m starting my life over, almost.”
Just three summers ago, Sarina, a bass player, and David, who played alto saxophone, were assigned to the same ensemble group while at Berklee. He’d tried to drop her hints that he liked her as more than a friend, but it wasn’t until the last day that David actually spoke up.
“I really like you and I want to stay in touch with you,” Sarina remembers David saying.
The following March, David surprised her by flying to Atlanta. It was the first time they were able to be a couple, Sarina said. That June, she went to Oregon to see David graduate from high school, where he’d performed in marching band, jazz band and symphonic band. A classmate and fellow band member, Joelle Schlievert, posted on Facebook that she remembered David’s humor and his ability to make everyone laugh, even during the hot summer afternoons at band camp.
“He inspired me every day,” Sarina said. “He had that very bubbly, sweet personality, everybody loved him. He’s one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met.”
David’s family members were traveling to Atlanta from Oregon and Kansas late Wednesday, Sarina said.
About the Author
