Legendary Humboldt Journalist Dave Silverbrand Passes Away

By: Nazy Javid
VP Smaller Markets

The North Coast community has lost a broadcast television icon. 

Legendary Humboldt County reporter, Dave Silverbrand, died Friday morning, January 6, in Eureka.

“Dave passed away peacefully at 8:55 a.m. at St. Joseph Hospital with his lovely wife by his side,” Jone Kosack, a very close friend of Silverbrand’s said.

Silverbrand’s wife, Maria Medina, said she was holding Dave when he took his last breath after spending 16 days in the hospital.

 

Dave Silverbrand passed away Jan. 6, 2023 in Eureka. (Photo by Ben Anderson)
Dave Silverbrand and his wife, Maria Medina.

“He left very calmly. I was holding him in my arms when he stopped breathing. He knew I was there with him; I was talking to him and holding his hand. He went peacefully,” a heartbroken Medina said in tears.

Medina was with Silverbrand in the hospital where he spent Christmas and New Year before passing of congestive heart failure, a condition he suffered with for several years, Kosack said.

“I was very lucky to have Dave as a very close friend,” Kosack said. “Lots of laughs and lots of loves. He was a guy that I couldn’t miss a conversation with. We spoke every single day.”

Close friends Eddie Wilson and Nazy Javid spent time with Silverbrand and Medina on New Year’s Eve, capturing the final photo taken of Silverbrand on Dec. 31 before his passing on Jan, 6. He was 76.

Close friends Eddie Wilson and Nazy Javid visited Dave Silverbrand and his wife, Maria Medina, in the hospital, five days prior to his passing on Dec. 31, 2022.

“My husband and I just visited him five days ago in the hospital, and he was excited to start the new year and get back to reporting… and now he’s left this earth. We didn’t expect this. We were there when the father came to pray. It was shocking and raw when we realized he may not bounce back this time. Today hurts,” Javid said.

A funeral mass will be held Friday, Jan. 13  at 1 p.m. at St. Bernard Catholic Church, located at 615 H Street in Eureka.

Loved ones are also planning a celebration of life service that will be announced in the coming days. 

Dave Silverbrand shooting the cover of his book, Dave’s House II. (Photo by Ben Anderson)

News Director Nazy Javid was thrilled when Silverbrand joined KAEF ABC 23 in 2019 following a long career as a journalist for other radio and TV stations, including KIEM News Channel 3.

His former KIEM News Director, Manny Machado called Dave “a gentle giant.”

“His passion wasn’t to be first to a story, but to tell the full story,” Machado said. “Dave had a unique way of reporting. Each story was different, and you didn’t know what you were going to get until airing. Dave will be certainly missed. A true television icon. This is a sad day for the North Coast.”

 Throughout his career Silverbrand was also a local freelance columnist, college instructor and author.

“He was so much fun to be around,” Javid said. “We even spent time on the weekends together just enjoying life. He had a way of seeing the good in everything. He was so grateful for the small things. He believed in God and that nothing in life happens by accident. I just learned so much from him.”

“Dave worked harder than everyone; he never took no for an answer; and he always had a smile on his face. His storytelling style was so unique,” Javid said. “He could get anyone to talk to him. That was one of his many skills.”

Dave Silverbrand shooting a video for the Lost Coast Outpost with Nazy Javid in Eureka in 2021. (Photo by Matt Filar)

“Before he worked at KAEF, I used to watch him on the competition, and I ran into him at the mall once. I had a total ‘fan girl’ moment and asked if I could take a photo with him. He was so kind to me, even though we worked at competing TV stations. So, as you can imagine, I was thrilled when he chose to come work with us at North Coast News TV. He taught me a lot. We went through so much together. After his brother passed away he had no living blood relatives left, and we became family,” Javid said.

“Reporting was Silverbrand’s passion, and he was so grateful to continue living his dream until the end of his life,” Javid added. “He was the best storyteller. People trusted him. They loved him. Our team loved him. Our family loved him. I loved him. So much. There is an empty space in the newsroom with him gone. He will never be forgotten.”

Dave Silverbrand shooting the cover of his book, Dave’s House II. (Photo by Ben Anderson)

The North Coast News team mourned the news of Silverbrand’s passing as they prepared a special broadcast for the 6 p.m. newscast Friday, on the day he passed.

“Dave was a fearless storyteller in every sense of the word. He loved meeting new people regardless of their background, and sharing their stories with the world,” KAEF News Manager Michael Patterson said. Now his stories will live on with all of us that knew him.”

Click on the video below to watch the news clip.