By Gail Wood
Dave Wilson was just like the name of his restaurant, a little different.
Long-time friend, Jerry Farmer, wonders not only who would name their restaurant “Dirty Dave’s” but what type of person could then get away with it.
“I asked him if he was sure he wanted to put a restaurant out there with the name ‘dirty’ in it?” Farmer recalls with a chuckle.
Of course, Wilson did. It fit. Never one to worry about being politically correct, Wilson, with his thick red hair and bushy red beard, was more into cracking jokes and having fun.
“There was a good natured swagger about him,” Farmer said. “Everyone loved him.”
Wilson moved to Lacey with his wife and three children and opened his family restaurant, Dirty Dave’s Pizza Parlor, in March 1972. On September 13, 2013, the town lost a good friend when he died of a heart attack at age 75.
Friends and family will tell you that to know Dave Wilson was to love him. Friends aren’t sure how he got the nickname “Dirty Dave,” but for 40 years people speculated that it had a little to do with his sense of humor. And then there was his uncanny knack of winning at cards.
“Some said it was because he’d mysteriously win at poker a lot,” Farmer said with a laugh. “But his nickname wasn’t from being dirty, like soil dirty. And certainly not dirt in the terms of vulgarity. But he was irreverent.”
Wilson certainly loved to laugh and have a good time. He was never the kind of restaurant owner who sat in his office, doing business. Every customer who walked through the door was treated as his best friend. At 6’4″ and 225 pounds, Farmer said Wilson was “larger than life.” He had a big, outgoing personality to go along with his large frame.
“He was always out from behind the bar, shaking hands, meeting people,” Farmer said. “Talking with them. Getting to know them. He invented that whole networking thing. Dirty Dave’s was Dirty Dave’s because of him.”
Wilson didn’t just serve pizza and sandwiches. He served friendship.
“He was a big-hearted, mountain of a man,” Farmer said. “He had a constant smile, a glitter in his eyes. You just kind of knew he was up to mischief some way or the other.”
Farmer met Wilson in 1971 when he was a student at the University of Redlands. Farmer ate at the Gay 90s, Wilson’s restaurant in Redlands, Calif.
“He was kind of a redneck and I was kind of a hippy,” Wilson said. “He stuck out his big paw and we shook hands and we’ve been friends ever since.”
Wilson moved his family briefly to Vernon, B.C., and opened a restaurant. In January 1972, Wilson moved his family and business again. Farmer drove a rented trailer filled with restaurant equipment. Wilson followed in his Cadillac filled with his family. The caravan moved to Lacey. The Gay 90s Pizza Parlor opened in March 1972 and Farmer was Wilson’s first hire.
“You couldn’t help but like or love him,” Farmer said.
In 1979, Wilson moved his restaurant to its present site on Martin Way. Wilson’s three children, Tommy, the oldest, Toni, the only daughter, and Greg, the youngest, all worked in the restaurant while growing up. Now, Tom and Greg are co-owners and continue to serve the good tasting food their father made popular.
Greg Wilson said he and his siblings started off washing dishes and cooking. The only thing he didn’t do was roll dough. Their mother, Lorna, who was married to Dave for 55 years, was also part of the business, doing the books early on. But her focus was always on family life.
Dave Wilson had a kind hearted side to him. As a landlord, he often gave his tenants some leeway in monthly rent.
“He would want and expect people to follow through with their obligations,” Farmer said. “But he could also cut them some slack.”
Wilson often supported local fundraisers, giving to the Thurston County Food Bank and instigating the Homeless Backpacks program which feeds hungry high school students on the weekends. He’d often buy items at Chamber auctions, bidding and giving away money.
“He was very generous,” Farmer said. “He was also great with his family. Even if they weren’t family, they considered him a brother or a father or a friend. He’s going to be missed.”
A memorial service for Dave Wilson is planned for Monday, September 23 at 3 p.m. at the Washington Land Yacht Harbor located at 9101 Steilacoom Road in Lacey. The family asked that donations, in Dave’s honor, be made to the Thurston County Food Bank or Homeless Backpack programs.
