In Memory of David Henry Fogleman
David's Childhood and Ancestry
David was born on June 20, 1958 the fourth child of Frank and Dottie Fogleman. In June of 1959 his brother Jeffrey was born but only survived 1 day which left David the baby of the family for the rest of his life. He lived in Palm Beach County, Florida his entire life except for a short time in Macomb County, Michigan when he followed his girlfriend back to her home state right after high school.
David grew up in the late 60’s and early 70’s during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. All of the Fogleman children went to Lake Worth Middle and High Schools. When the schools became desegregated in 1972, David befriended a black boy and nick named him “Shinny Nose”. Shinny Nose and David had a similar problem. The others of their race didn’t appreciate the two of them being friends. One day, walking down the hall at school, Shinny Nose walked up to David and punched him in the face for no reason! David was so upset and felt betrayed by his friend. Later Shinny Nose explained to him that his black friends encouraged him to do that to prove his loyalty to his race. Shinny Nose was regretful. He apologized to David and, of course, was forgiven. They remained friends throughout the remainder of their school days. David was always forgiving, understanding, and a wonderful friend to everybody.
David comes from a long line of Law Enforcement, Military, and American War Heroes. There are two Fogleman families in the United States; the Pennsylvania Fogleman family and the North Carolina Fogleman family. David’s family comes from the North Carolina Fogleman family in Orange and Guilford Counties. His father retired from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and served in numerous positions in various departments throughout the years, including Undercover Drug Unit, Recovery Unit, and reaching Colonel, 3rd in command in the entire county. David’s Uncle Jim, James S. Fogleman, youngest of the four Fogleman brothers who originated the family name in Palm Beach County, was a Sheriff’s Deputy and lost his life in the line of duty while trying to save the life of an infant who was in an automobile accident. There is a “Fogleman Park” dedicated to David’s Uncle Jim.
Fogleman Park
David’s paternal grandmother was Allie Mae Prevatte from Robeson County, North Carolina. Her grandfather (David’s great-great grandfather) was Furney A. Prevatte was a CSA Veteran of Company D, 18thNorth Carolina Infantry "Robeson Rifle Guards" from 5/8/1861 to 2/1865. After the war, Furney started The Old Bethel Church in Saddletree, North Carolina.
David’s maternal grandfather was Henry L. Kennedy of Belmont, Massachusetts. Henry put himself through school including Vale University in France, and Northeastern University. He was an architect, engineer, and instructor at MIT, Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the inventor of Plasticizer (the ingredient that hardens concrete). He is in "Who's Who in American History." Volume 3, 1951-1960. Henry was instrumental in building the Hoover Dam and the tunnel of the Continental Divide. The Henry L. Kennedy Award was established in 1958 by the American Concrete Institute to honor him. Henry was a devout Catholic his entire life.
Other family names in David’s lineage include Klapp, Schoffner, and Albright. The Klapp brothers established many Protestant churches throughout the Carolinas. An interesting story about the Albright/Albrecht family includes their original immigration to the United States. In 1732, Anna Albrecht was almost 13 years old when she came to America with her family. She was old enough to hold some sentiment for her homeland country. The day she was to leave for America, she hid a small White Mulberry tree in her black silk apron, and brought it with her. By planting her tree in her new, adopted homeland, she was the first to introduce that species of White Mulberry to America.
Have you ever lost someone close to you?
David's Career Life
David left home when he was 16 and got a well paying job in the construction industry. As a young construction worker, he hopped a local train every morning and afternoon to get to and from work since he didn’t own a vehicle.
After a few more random jobs, David decided to enlist in the United States Army in 1990. While serving, he was stationed in Hawaii and worked in the motor pool. He was deployed to South Korea several times throughout his service and served as a baker. He was featured in the “Army Times” newspaper as being one of the troops’ favorite and received one of many medals from a General for his outstanding presentation of field baking. David served as a Specialist (E-4) and became disabled due to his contribution to our country developing degenerative disc disease, and unknowingly contracting Hepatitis C.
Upon his leaving the Army, David went to work for the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office as a Breathalyzer Technician. He worked his way up to Agency Inspector and Office Manager of the unit maintaining all of the instruments in Palm Beach County and testifying on a regular basis as an Expert Witness in the county’s court system.
David's Legacy
In 2001 David became ill with active Hepatitis C and could no longer work. He endured self administering injections of Interferon for 9 months and beat the active effects of the disease by putting it into remission. However, in late 2002, David awoke one day with an inability to move his right hand. Doctors assumed he had a stroke, but after many tests, it was discovered that he hadSpondylotic Myelopathy and his vertebrae were pushing against his spinal cord. With physical therapy, David managed to get the feeling and motion back into his right hand.
David has two biological children; a son who is a Navy veteran and a daughter who is in college as of this date in 2013. We were married in 1998 giving him two step children; a step son who is a Marine Corps veteran and a step daughter who is currently in college as well. As of February of 2013, David has a granddaughter and a step grandson.
During the summer of 2001, David became addicted to pain killers. In an attempt to rid himself of the drugs, he went through a miserable withdrawal episode. This caused him to have a unique near death experience where his entire life was shown to him, a demon cast out of him, and he was blessed with an experience of universal love. During his NDE he saw Jesus with his arms out, and His left arm was lowered. David knew he only had a short amount of time to live compared to the span of his life already. He also knew there would be something wrong with his left side.
Because of the constant and severe pain he was in, David saw a specialist and took x-rays of his neck. He needed surgery to replace the vertebrae in his neck immediately. In October of 2001, David underwent a grueling surgery replacing the vertebrae with cadavers. His spinal canal was so small that there was very little fluid protecting his spinal cord. Before he went into surgery, he was extremely frightened and kept saying, “Something is going to go wrong”. He survived the surgery, but was severely weakened on his entire left side and used a wheelchair on a bad day or a cane on a good day to get around for the rest of his short life.
Have you ever had a NDE, or do you know someone who has?
More about David's NDE
- Near Death Experience (NDE) - What is it?
The Near Death Experience I learned of, first hand.
David's Obituary Reads:
David Henry Fogleman went to be with Jesus on March 26, 2004. He was a native of Palm Beach County, Florida, born on June 20, 1958 in West Palm Beach. He served his country with honor and conviction in the U.S. Army, receiving several medals from 1987 to 1990. David was also the Agency Inspector and Office Manager of the D.U.I. Unit with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office for over 9 years until he became Ill. David was a compassionate, loving man who was a friend to everyone and loved my many. He loved to make others happy, and even in his worst moments he was always concerned with the feelings of those around him.
David left behind his beloved wife, Margie; two children, David Jr. and Melissa; two step-children, Robby and Chrissy Hatcher; parents, Frank and Dottie; two brothers, Tom (Bonnie) and Charlie; one sister, Dawn, and many other friends and family members who all miss him greatly.