Dave Silverbrand, newsman and cat lover

(AUDIO) Dave Silverbrand is Holding Up

If you’ve been near a television in Humboldt County anytime in the past few decades, there’s a good chance you’ve seen Dave Silverbrand peering back at you at one point or another. Over his lengthy career, Dave has carved out a niche locally as a trusted voice, a beloved personality and a collector of everyday peoples’ stories.

Last year though, Dave decided to share some of his own story with the release of his book Dave’s House: Love, Loss and Life in Redwoods. In it, he discusses how he overcame the loss of his longtime wife Nina, who was struck by a vehicle while walking in the crosswalk in front of their house.

“If you fill your soul and your mind with happiness and joy [they don’t] really have as much room for bad feelings to get in there,” Silverbrand told the Outpost. “I actually learned that overnight after my wife passed away in 2013. Obviously it was a very sad time, — I still feel sad about it — but I also say that life is short and I have the resources to be joyful, no matter what. I know it sounds cliche but it has worked for me. And it’ll work for me today — I’ll probably get in the car and go down to the fair because there will probably be some person down there that I’ll want to meet and I don’t even know who it is! And I’ll probably have a heckuva time!” 

Click the audio player above to hear Silverbrand’s chat with LoCO’s Stephanie McGeary and Andrew Goff. Topics include:

  • What motivated his decision to offer his services as a wedding officiant (either in English or in Spanish)  
  • Pursuing untraditional stories and the importance of listening to people
  • Forgiving the young man who stole his car
  • His view on the state of the world and what he learned during multiple visits to Cuba
  • Choosing joy
  • More!

Spend some time with Dave and also consider scrolling our list of past Humboldt Holding Up guests below.

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