David and McKenzie Siau

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." - John 15:13

David Paul Siau - June 25, 1983 - July 17, 2022

McKenzie Joy Siau - December 30, 2020 - July 17, 2022

On the evening of July 17, 2022, my oldest son David Paul Siau gave the ultimate sacrifice of love when he knowingly gave his life to save those he loved. He took three shots from a 12 gauge shotgun so that his wife, children and sister could be spared.

David is survived by his wife Christy Siau and their two oldest children, ages 6 and 3. His 18-month old daughter McKenzie was killed within moments of David. I have no doubt that David and McKenzie entered into God’s glory hand in hand.

My daughter-in-law Christy Siau was shot and nearly killed in the incident. We are grateful that she is now out of the hospital making a full recovery.

In the end, my daughter Christina Siau fought the attacker with a knife and prevailed. She sustained many knife injuries and it is a miracle that she lived. She is now out of the hospital and making a full recovery.

We ask your prayers for the healing of physical and emotional scars. We have been overwhelmed by the love people have shown to our family during this difficult time.

My son David began working at Benchmark Media Systems, Inc. when he was just 16. He continued part time while attending college, and later returned to full-time employment. David has been Benchmark's Production Manager since 2008. Recently David completed 24 years of service at the age of just 39. Over the years many of his coworkers have told me how impressed they were with David as a person and as a manager. As his father, I often found myself admiring the love that he showed to his wife Christy and their three young children. Christy and David would text several short "I Love You" messages back and forth on any given day. I would see him glance at his smart watch, smile, and then say it's Christy! He loved God, his family and his country. He was a shining example to all of us.

On July 9, 2022, David and his family set out on what was to be a two week camping trip from Syracuse to Glacier National Park and back. We watched with great joy as they sent photos of visits to many of our national parks and landmarks along the way. This was shaping up to be the trip of a lifetime.

We have an abundance of photos, like the one below, showing David and McKenzie enjoying each other and enjoying life.

Although David was an example to all of us, he would have told you that he was a sinner saved by God's grace and not by works. David's exemplary life was the result of his love for his Savior Jesus Christ.

We all have some lessons to learn from David's example and our hearts are torn with sadness. We are never told how many days we will share on this earth and this experience has been a sobering reminder that we must spend our time bringing joy to others.

My natural inclination would be to harbor anger against the man who intended to kill six members of my family with his truck. Instead, my daughter-in-law Christy and I are not experiencing anger. Neither of us understand this absence of anger other that the fact that it is a gift from God.

When we received news of these unthinkable events, God immediate brought the words of the Lord's Prayer to my mind. Three familiar phrases stood out:

"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name"

"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us"

and

"For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen"

Forgiveness brings freedom and joy. Anger brings acts of evil. Anger festered in one man's mind, leading to this act of premeditated murder.

My charge to you is this: Choose one person each day and then intentionally be a blessing to that person. Create happy and lasting memories while thanking God for the time he has given you together.

Let our response to "premeditated murder" be "premeditated kindness".

Make things right with your family, your friends and with God. We never know which day will be our last.

David and McKenzie spent the entire last full week of their lives enjoying each other and enjoying the life that God gave them. I thank God for the joyous memories they gave us.

As David's earthly father and boss at Benchmark, I speak the following words:

"Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!" - Matthew 25:23

I have no doubt that David heard these same words from his heavenly Father as he and McKenzie arrived to share in God's glory.