Our local treasure Davo passed peacefully on Christmas Eve in the company of his wife Sue Stephenson, his sister Eileen O’Farrell Smith, and his friend Anina Fuller.
Davo was well known as one of the most skilled and humble guitarists in Sonoma, but who David Farrell was as a whole remains largely a mystery as he rarely volunteered much about himself personally. As his friend Prasanna said, “David had so many facets that I don’t believe any one person knew him completely.” Here is Davo from the perspective of five of his closest people.
John Arntz and Davo were simultaneously kicked out of the blues band they were playing in when they met in 2011. The ousted musicians decided to start jamming together, which led to many musical collaborations over the years.
“Davo had only started playing electric guitar shortly before we met, but his years on the acoustic, sheer musical ability, and dedicated practice made him a quick study. He didn’t talk much so he was such a mystery. No one really knew what he was thinking. The only consistent input was that if he felt a song didn’t groove he wasn’t interested in playing it”.
The two performed together for years in the band behind Live Band Karaoke. Davo could easily learn and play every piece. His battle cry was, “Any song, any key, any tempo, any time, anywhere”.
Later, as he came to grips with his ALS, he talked about how his deep roots in Buddhism and nonduality helped him to live and play music very mindfully. Despite the obvious complications of the disease, he didn’t seem to suffer. As he lost his ability to speak, his final years as a musician were noticeably some of the most joyous times of life.
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Davo was the big brother Eileen was always in awe of, always finding any reason possible to tag along. They were close and he never seemed bothered by his little sister’s constant presence, even when she followed him to kindergarten and their mom had to go fetch her home.
Davo worked from coast to coast, as an heirloom seed seller, baker, soldier, farm manager and respiratory therapist – he held an eclectic, extensive list of jobs. She visited him often in Boston, delighted by work in theater and opera, another area of his many skills.
While driving a taxi after moving to Chicago in the 70’s, David heard spiritual teacher Jiddu Krishnamurti on the radio and was immediately hooked. He enjoyed sharing his newfound spiritual truths, having no idea the impact that would have on his loved ones.
Their sibling bond remained strong even after Davo felt California calling him and drove off—writing letters to his family from the road. “Despite the distance, he stayed close with my kids, Nora, Bennett and Lili.”
Eileen followed Davo to Sonoma after his diagnosis. She enjoyed many of his gigs here, acting as his roadie. “The way he navigated his illness was impressive. I am not the same person I was when I arrived twenty-one months ago”.
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Shortly after moving to Sonoma, Davo encountered Anina Fuller, a local artist who was drawn to his spiritual outlook. “He talked about non-duality and Buddhism and I was fascinated.”
Anina and Davo became close companions and had great discussions. “He asked me deep questions that had me thinking about things I had never had before. One day he said ‘listen, this is the most important thing. “If you’re serious, you have to examine your life.” It was a big wake up call for me. I would not be the person I am if I hadn’t met David.”
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Sue met Davo through their mutual friend Bruce Kunkle (of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) at the Larkspur Café Theatre in 2006. Sue felt an instant attraction to the tall blue-eyed sound man. He invited her to go sailing on his 25 foot boat on San Francisco Bay, and the two were married two years later to the day. “In addition to being incredibly kind, he was so quiet few people realized how brilliant he was.”
“David loved to help, loved to fix things,” his friend Prasanna remembers fondly, “If you needed anything he was always right there, any time.” The two met around 2000 when Anina brought David to see Prasanna’s paintings. The two had a great many interests in common, especially in the area of spirituality and philosophy, “though, often, when we were together, we did not talk. Just being together was more than enough. I still feel him in my heart, the warmth of his presence without words. He is still here.”
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Local singer Sharyn Paquette and Davo met when she was invited to sit in on a few songs with his three member Quartette at the Wine Annex in 2012.
“Davo was polite but gave nothing away then or in later rehearsals that would give me insight into how he felt about my added presence. At our first official gig when he suddenly turned to me with a radiant smile and said, “You were great!” followed by an enthusiastic hug, I was astonished!”
The quartet of three became a quintet of four, and further evolved to become Sonoma Sound Syndicate. “We were developing our own sound, but after the pandemic shut down we never quite made it back as a group.”
Itching for musical expression, Davo and Sharyn began again to play music together. “Hand pain had robbed me of my ability to play my own guitar so I would say, “he’s the hands and I’m the voice”. It always elicited a smile.” The musical connection became intuitive and they performed regularly as an acoustic duo until Dave could no longer perform.
“I took to greeting him affectionately with a warm ‘hello Sir’ and our hugs hello and goodbye became more precious as time went on. Davo became both a spiritual mentor and a valued friend. He shared books and insights that sparked new growth and shifted my mindset. I learned his language of few words.
He was generous and calm, and though we had many great conversations, Davo spoke fewer words than any friend I’ve ever had. The last of those few words he had for me were, “keep singing your heart out.” I will, and will miss him always.”
Those who knew him will never be the same. I know I’m not the same. I write this tribute to Sir, with love.
David Farrell
January 10, 1950 -December 24, 2024
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