Elder Carter Mayberry and Elder Danny DeWitt

It is with great sadness that I report the death of my good friend, Danny DeWitt, who took his own life on Thursday, November 20, 2015. My heart is tender as I remember the good times we had together. Some memories:

He was my last companion before I completed my eighteen-month full-time mission in the Venezuela-Maracaibo Mission in March 1983. We served together in San Cristobal, in the state of Tachira. Do you know how sometimes you just “click” with some companions or roommates? Well, Elder DeWitt and I “clicked.” We worked hard. And we played hard – while still following mission rules. It was during that time together that I experienced the most success as a missionary in San Cristobal.

One couple was returning to activity in the Church and asked Elder DeWitt and I to bless their children, ages about 2 and 4 – so their names would be on the records of the Church. I asked the parents why they asked us to do that and they said could tell that Elder DeWitt and I loved each other and got along – allowing for the Spirit to work through us as we blessed their children.

We were both extremely competitive. I was better at distance running and he was better at sprints. I remember one morning jogging together and deliberately taking him on a route that would end with a steep hill before sprinting back to the apartment. Just before running up the hill, I said, “Race you back to the apartment!” I knew that getting his legs and lungs tired running up the hill was the only chance of beating him. He groaned aloud, but didn’t let me off easily as we huffed and puffed up the hill and back home – and I won.

About five years ago, we had a mission reunion in Utah. I hadn’t seen him in several years. He had gained a lot of weight. I teased him about that and said, “Now maybe I can beat you in a sprint!” Not backing down, he said with a smile, “Let’s go out in the parking lot and see what you’ve got!” That caught me off guard enough that I was the one who backed down, thinking, “Maybe he’s still got more than I think!”

4th from left, Danny DeWitt – Far right, Carter Mayberry

Elder DeWitt was the mission’s arm wrestling champion. I think we had a zone conference and we met at the mission office afterward. He said to Elder Lovell, “I’ve heard you’re the one I need to beat at arm wrestling!” – and they sat down at the kitchen table to settle it right then. Elder DeWitt won seemingly easily. President Karl Fenn came in to see what the ruckus was about and he challenged Elder DeWitt, who reluctantly agreed to the contest. Again, Elder DeWitt won.

L to R – Danny DeWitt, Keith Ingersoll, Elder Cunningham

I returned home from my mission a few months before Elder DeWitt. I was living and working in the Phoenix area. I called his parents, who invited me over to show pictures of my mission. Nice folks! When Danny and Lisa were married in the Mesa Temple, he invited us to the ceremony. I felt honored to be there.

After our son, Ashton, died from suicide January 28, 2014, Elder DeWitt had to cancel his plans to come to the funeral because of pneumonia. He informed me of this in the last text I received from him on January 31, 2014. A few weeks later, I saw him at Pres. Fenn’s funeral. A few weeks after that, I saw him again at a dinner organized by Elder McKay Pearson and his wife. They live in Salt Lake City, but were visiting the Phoenix area for a half marathon. Elder Gary Crosby and his wife were also there. It was comforting for me to be near my good friends and brothers in the gospel during the time my grief was especially very fresh and raw. That was the last time I saw Danny DeWitt in this lifetime.

Written by Carter