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Obituary

Beloved D.C. bartender Brooks Davis dies at 29

Austin native worked at Bunker nightclub

Published

2 years ago

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Brooks Davis

Brooks Davis, a D.C. resident since 2018 who worked for the luxury retail outlet Louis Vuitton and later operated his own exotic plant business before becoming a bartender at the D.C. gay nightclub Bunker, died on July 17 at the age of 29.

Family members have asked that the cause of death remain private.

“Brooks brought tremendous joy and light to everyone’s lives, and we are heartbroken that he left us too soon,” a Facebook message posted by his friends says.

Larry Richardson, Davis’s husband, said Davis was born and raised in Austin, Texas, and graduated from Austin’s West Lake High School.

“And then just after graduating from high school he started working in luxury retail, which was his passion,” Richardson said. “So, he worked at Louis Vuitton in Austin and then transferred and did the same thing here in D.C.,” Richardson told the Blade, noting that Davis moved to D.C. in 2018.

“And he pretty much stayed in luxury retail and then during the pandemic he started his own exotic plant business,” Richardson recounted. “And then after the pandemic peaked, he went back to luxury retail and then transitioned to becoming a bartender at Bunker.”

Richardson was referring to the D.C. gay nightclub Bunker, which opened in February of this year as a dance club and a venue for drag shows located at 2001 14th St., N.W. Davis began as a bartender at Bunker at the time of its opening, according to Richardson.

“He was always self-motivated to teach himself new skills,” said Richardson. “So, he actually taught himself how to be a bartender.”

According to comments posted on social media, Davis became a beloved figure at Bunker among its many patrons.

“We were going to celebrate his 30th birthday with a sailing trip to the British Virgin Islands, which he loved,” said Richardson, which would have taken place in February 2024.

“Brooks had the biggest heart of anybody that I knew,” Richardson recounted when asked what he remembers about his husband. “And he always gave all of his emotional strength and energy to his friends and family.”

Davis is survived by his husband, Larry Richardson; his parents, Stacy and Kevin Davis; his brother, Todd Davis; many friends; and his and his husband’s beloved rescue huskies Tailz, Pfieffer, and Wally.

A Celebration of Life for Davis for family and close friends was scheduled to be held Sunday, Aug. 6, from 6:30-9 p.m. at Bunker nightclub. Joe Devito, a Bunker employee, and close friend of Davis released a statement saying others who knew Davis along with the general public could join the commemoration at 9 p.m., when Bunker will open its doors to the public.

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Obituary

Cassandra Mary Ake-Duvall, 36, passed away on July 2, 2025.

Cassandra’s enthusiasm for discovering diverse cultures and acquiring new languages inspired her to move to DC.

Published

1 day ago

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July 17, 2025

By

Cassandra Ake-Duvall

Her career was in international development

She was born in Dayton, Ohio, on December 23, 1988, to Laura and DuWain Ake. 

From an early age, she displayed an insatiable curiosity about the world and its people, a trait that would define her entire life’s journey.

Cassandra’s passion for exploring different cultures and learning new languages led her to DC at 18 years old to pursue an education at American University, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in International Relations with minors in Arabic and Spanish. She continued her education at Georgetown University, earning a Master’s degree in International Development Policy, preparing herself to make the meaningful impact she so deeply desired.

Her academic achievements were just the beginning of a life devoted to serving people across cultures. Cassandra lived and worked abroad in the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Argentina, Lebanon, and Jordan, immersing herself in each community she encountered.

In 2017, Cassandra began her career in international development, work that became central to her mission of creating positive change in the world. She spent her final years as a MEL Technical Advisor for The Palladium Group in Washington, D.C., where she helped evaluate and improve USAID projects worldwide. She was passionate about ensuring that development programs truly served the communities they were designed to help, always asking the hard questions about effectiveness and impact.

Cassandra’s commitment to community extended beyond her personal circles. For many years, she volunteered at the Rainbow History Project in DC, where she collected oral histories from her queer elders. She understood that preserving these stories was vital work, ensuring that the wisdom and experiences of those who came before would not be lost. Through this work, she became a keeper of memories and a bridge between generations.

Cassandra is survived by her wife, Courtney Duvall; parents, Laura (Whelan) Ake and DuWain Ake; sister, Rachel Ake; mother-in-law, Aundra Brown; grandfather, James Whelan; and a plethora of cousins, aunts, and uncles.

The family requests donations to The Trevor Project or World Central Kitchen in her honor.

She was put to rest at Bestgate Memorial Park in Annapolis, Maryland, and David’s Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio, on Saturday, July 12, 2025. 

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Obituary

Longtime DC resident Thomas Walsh dies at 87

Pa. native’s husband was by his side when he passed away

Published

2 weeks ago

on

July 3, 2025

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Thomas Walsh (Photo courtesy of Anthony Carcaldi)

Long-time D.C. resident Thomas Walsh died on May 16. He was 87.

Walsh was born on Sept. 17, 1937, in Scranton, Pa. His family later moved to Levittown, Pa.

Walsh met his husband, Anthony Carcaldi, at the Blue Note, a gay bar in Asbury Park, N.J., in 1964. 

“I walked in the bar with friends from New York City,” recalled Carcaldi. “I looked at the piano and this person was singing … and all I noticed were his blue eyes.”

Walsh was singing “Because of You.”

“I walked up to the piano while Tom was singing and stared at him, which caused him to forget the words,” said Carcaldi. “He composed himself and started from the beginning.”

Carcaldi and Walsh became a couple in 1965, a year after they met, when they moved to Philadelphia.

“We moved in together and have been together ever since,” said Carcaldi.

Walsh was a freelance graphic designer until he accepted a job in Temple University’s audiovisual department. Walsh and Carcaldi moved to D.C. in 1980.

Walsh began a graphic design business and counted Booz Allen as among his clients. Carcaldi said one of his husband’s “main loves was painting,” and became a fine artist in 2005.

Walsh showed his art at the Nevin Kelly Gallery on U Street, the Martha Spak Studio near the Wharf, and at the Wexler Gallery in Philadelphia.  Walsh also sang with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington.

Walsh and Carcaldi married at D.C. City Hall in 2014.

“Tom and I have been together since 1964 until his death,” said Carcaldi. “Tom died peacefully with me at his side in bed on May 16, 2025, holding Tom in my arms as he made the transition out of life.”

A celebration of life will take place in September.

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Obituary

Beloved schoolteacher, D.C. resident Patrick Shaw dies at 60

Colleagues, friends say he ‘touched so many lives’ with warmth, kindness

Published

3 months ago

on

April 29, 2025

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Patrick Shaw

Patrick Dewayne Shaw, a highly acclaimed elementary school teacher who taught and served as vice principal in several D.C. schools since moving to the District in 2002, died April 19 at the age of 60.

His friend Dusty Martinez said his passing was unexpected and caused by a heart related ailment.

“Patrick touched so many lives with his warmth, humor, kindness, and unmistakable spark,” Martinez said in a statement. “He was a truly special soul – funny, vibrant, sassy, and full of life, and we are heartbroken by his loss,” Martinez wrote.

Among those reflecting on Shaw’s skills as an educator were his colleagues at D.C.’s Mundo Verde Bilingual Public Charter School, where he served as a second-grade special education teacher since August 2023.

“Patrick brought warmth, joy, and deep commitment to Mundo Verde,” his colleagues said in an Instagram posting. “His daily Broadway sing-alongs, vibrant outfits, and genuine love for his students filled our community with energy and laughter,” the posting says.

Biographical information provided by Martinez and Karen Rivera Geating, a senior inclusion manager at the Mundo Verde school and Shaw’s supervisor, shows Shaw had a distinguished 38-year teaching career and multiple degrees in the field of education.

He was  born and raised in Little Rock, Ark., and graduated from Little Rock’s Catholic High School for Boys. 

He received two bachelor’s degrees, one in philosophy from St. Meinrad Seminary College in Indiana and one in elementary education from the University of Minnesota in St. Paul. 

The biographical information shows Shaw received three master’s degrees. One is in secondary education and history from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. His second master’s degree is in special education from The Catholic University of Washington, D.C. His third master’s degree is in school administration from Trinity College in D.C.

Shaw began his teaching career in 1987 in Little Rock, Ark., as a fourth grade General Education Teacher at Our Lady of Good Counsel School and a short time later at Little Rock’s St. Theresa Catholic School as a fourth-eighth grade teacher through December 1989. 

He next moved to Minnesota where he spent part of the 1990s as a fifth and sixth grade teacher and a physical education instructor, according to biographical information. His resume shows that from January 1995 to December 1998 he was associated with the Minnesota AIDS Project in Minneapolis.

He “recruited, interviewed and staffed volunteer education and transportation programs for people living with HIV and AIDS,” his resume states.

Shaw next returned to Little Rock where he served from January 1998 to December 2004 as Theology Department Chair at the Mt. St. Mary Academy. His work included creating theology lessons for ninth-12th graders and creating a social justice program for 12th graders.

Upon moving to D.C., Shaw served as classroom teacher and vice principal at several schools, including the D.C. Public School’s Benning Elementary School; vice principal at Chavez Prep Public Charter School; vice principal at Bridges Public Charter School; Special Education Coordinator at Monument Academy Public Charter School; and Special Education Case Management and Math Intervention Specialist at D.C.’s College Preparatory Academy for Boys.

“Patrick dedicated 38 wonderful years to teaching, from 1987 to 2025, inspiring generations of students with his passion, wit, and kindness,” Martinez said in his statement.  

Shaw was predeceased by his mother, Myrna G. Shaw, and is survived by his father, Thomas H. Shaw, his brother, James Shaw (Michele), his sister, Angela Mahairi (Wafai), and his cherished niece and nephews Austin, Tariq, Reed, Ramy, and Jasmine, according to information provided by Martinez.  

Martinez said  a funeral mass would soon be held in Little Rock, Shaw’s hometown.

“His family will be honoring one of his last wishes,” Martinez wrote, “to be returned home and remembered in a unique and meaningful way” – by having a tree planted in his honor, “a living tribute to the full and beautiful life he lived.”

Details of the location of the planted tree will be shared soon to offer a place where “friends and family can visit, reflect, and stay connected with his spirit,” Martinez states. 

In D.C. a celebration of life for Shaw is scheduled to be held Saturday, May 3, from 2-5 p.m. at JR.’s bar at 1519 17th Street, N.W. Martinez points out that the tribute will be held during JR.’s weekly Saturday “Showtunes” event, in which sing-along performances of famous Broadway musicals are shown on video screens.   

“JR.’s Saturday Showtunes were one of Patrick’s absolute favorite traditions, and gathering in that spirit feels like the perfect way to honor him,” Martinez said. 

“Many have asked how they can help,” Martinez concludes in his statement. “In response we’ve created a GoFundMe page to support funeral expenses, help find a loving home for Patrick’s beloved dog, Birdie, and assist with other needs during this difficult time.”

Any remaining funds, according to Martinez, will be donated to a charity “that reflects Patrick’s passions and values.”

The GoFundMe page can be accessed at: gofundme.com/f/honoring-patrick-shaws-vibrant-legacy.

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