David Steven Besnack

We are very saddened to announce that David Steven Besnack, also known as CD (Coyote Dave) age 70, of Ridgecrest, passed away unexpectedly at 5:52 pm March 13, 2025 at Riverside Community Hospital of a myocardial infarction during an unsuccessful heart catheterization procedure.

Dave was born on July 30, 1954 in Sewickley, Pennsylvania to Peter and Eleanor Besnack. Dave grew up in Ambridge, Pennsylvania where he attended Ambridge High School. He went on to enlist in the United States Marine Corp and proudly served in the Vietnam War where he was one of only  thirteen Marines in a Platoon of forty to return home.  Dave moved back to Ambridge where he worked as a blast furnace operator for J&L Steel Corp. Dave advanced quickly in the blast furnace hierarchy  to "3 points & bonus" which he described as "big bucks". Dave worked for J&L until they closed down. He moved on to Miami working in construction, and then to Atlanta where he helped build the Hyatt Regency Hotel with the Polaris rotating dining room at the top.

Dave met the love of his life, husband Robert A (Bob) Eldridge, in Atlanta, Georgia. They lived from one coast to the other for 48 blissful years together as one. Dave and Bob moved to Washington, DC where Dave graduated from Lincoln Tech with a degree in HVAC. Then the "two peas in a pod" moved to San Francisco where Dave worked for the Veterans Administration Hospital,  Livermore until he got the job from the past  as an Industrial Furnace Operator at The United States Mint, San Francisco where Dave melted millions of dollars in old coins to be made into new ones. Dave suffered significantly from PTSD and retired on disability from the Mint just before it too closed. Dave and Bob then moved to Ridgecrest in 1997, where they remain today.

Dave was a member of American Legion post 684 for many years. Dave loved his music. He enjoyed  acting as DJ to his many friends in his" Head Room" playing many different genre of music and sharing his countless enthralling life stories.

Dave was a proud bell ringing Cancer survivor having contracted Laryngeal Cancer and Liver Cancer from contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. He spent the last five years traveling back and forth to Palmdale for radiation, Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy. He was declared Cancer free just weeks before his untimely death.

Dave is preceded in death by his parents Peter and Eleanor Besnack, sisters Eleanor (Ellie Sr) and Mary Louise Besnack and a nephew Johnny Weaver.  Dave is survived by his loving husband Bob Eldridge; sister Anne Carr of Ambridge, Pa; niece Eleanor Carr aka  Ellie,Jr ( Armend Mala) of Sarasota, FL; niece Debbie Carr of Clearwater, FL; Nephew Dann Carr (Tasha) of Ambridge, Pa; nephew, Mike Carr of Tampa, FL; great nieces: Lexy Carr, Kora Mala, Ella Mala, Lena Carr, Valerie Carr, Kyla Carr and Eva Valentin, great nephews: Elijah Carr, Keldan Carr, Tre Carr and Sy Mala as well as great great niece Skyla Carr.  Dave is also survived by his 17-year-old (84 human) loving kitty kids, Bart, Lisa, Maggie, Mikey, Butch and Smokey who will dearly miss his scritches.

In lieu of flowers please make donations to the American Cancer Society and American Heart Association (for better training of heart surgeons).

There will be a public viewing from 5-7 pm, Friday May 2, 2025 at Holland & Lyons Mortuary, 216 S Norma St Ridgecrest. Funeral services will be held at Holland &Lyons Mortuary, Saturday May 3,2025 at 2:00pm with internment  following at Desert Memorial Park, 801 San Bernardino Blvd, Ridgecrest.