Nellysford
Nelson County, Virginia
By Tommy Stafford
If you’ve been reading our site over the last 21 years (Tomorrow April 1, 2026 marks that occasion) you have probably noticed that I occasionally write about people that have left us.
I almost always write these in first person. I usually know the person and have some sort of relationship. Not that the countless others don’t matter, they definitely do. I just don’t feel justice can be done on this sort of a personal piece if I didn’t cross paths with them somehow. And, admittedly I sometimes miss someone.
I first crossed paths with David Drumheller way back in 2004. We’d just just moved to Greenfield. (Afton) The home we bought didn’t have a kitchen. We were in the middle of a major renovation project that Yvette and I were doing ourselves. If it couldn’t be microwaved or cooked in a toaster oven we couldn’t fix it there. Thank you old Ashley’s Market for all of the pizza and BBQ in those days!
But we’d discovered another sit down place over the past couple of years as we were preparing to move here permanently. It was D’Ambolas Italian restaurant. Lots of you that have been around a long time know it well. If you don’t, that’s where Brewing Tree is now on 151 in Afton.
There was a small bar in there just before you’d head into the dining room. Phil (the owner) was usually behind it or in the kitchen whipping out what had to be some of the best Italian meals I’ve ever had.
We’d go there twice a week or more in the evenings after knocking off work from the renovation of our early 1900s home. We didn’t have kids yet back then either.
We’s usually grab a glass of wine at the bar before heading to the dining room to eat. (Thank you Phil for the generous pours 😉
And at that very bar one evening walks in this couple, David and his wife Ginger Drumheller. They sat down beside us and the conversations never stopped for the next two decades.
We found out quickly that David and Ginger would become as permanent a fixture at D’Ambolas as we did. At least two to three times a week we’d see them there. When our son Adam was born a few years later, David and Ginger were some of the first to ever meet him, plopped right up on the bar at D’Ambolas in his car seat.
David and Ginger were some of the kindest people we’d ever met. David would often bring us the latest fruits in season. Apples. Peaches. Pears. Cherries. He was a long time packing manager in the Covesville transportation warehouse for Crowne Orchard.
Those were some of our fondest memories from back then.
Nelson still wasn’t quite as discovered in those days. There were no breweries yet. No distilleries. No cider places. Just a few wineries. But things were changing pretty fast and eventually our favorite Italian restaurant closed for good. Phil had been at it a long, long time and was ready to take a rest.
We all drifted apart for several years. Other than running into Ginger at the local Wachovia bank in Nellysford now and then we didn’t cross paths as much anymore. Until ..
In 2014 Margaritas Restaurant opened in Nellysford. (Where Don Lupe is now). For 10 years G served up drinks and food. We had lunch there almost everyday. So did the kids. We were in the process of moving from Greenfield to a farm we’d bought out in Roseland.
And who did we start seeing several days a week at Margaritas? Yup, David and Ginger. When it worked out and David wasn’t in Covesville on the job he’d be there. At night he and Ginger often had dinner there.
So, for the next 10 years we all started crossing paths again. Regulars. Along with dentists, contractors, doctors, and more. And there was David bringing in his peaches, apples, pears, and cherries. It was like the old days, but new.
David and I would reminisce often about the old Truslow’s Auto Repair and Restaurant right across the road. He told me that he and Ginger went there lots. We did too. Even before moving here permanently it was our go to place for breakfast or a hamburger anytime. And they were fantastic! IYKYK
And then the unthinkable happened. Margaratis closed after a decade, October 2023 We didn’t have our meeting spot anymore.
Then just a few months later more unthinkable things happened. David’s wife Ginger passed away in January 2024.
We’d still see David now and then after that but it became more rare. And, as time passed we lost touch other than a message through mutual friends and such. But we kept hearing David was pushing through life without Ginger. Still going into his job of over four decades at the transportation packing warehouse in Covesville.
Then more unthinkable. Yvette texted me last Saturday morning. She’d just been told David passed away at home. Almost exactly two years later after Ginger passed.
What made me even sadder was the fact I hadn’t visited David in awhile. He was on our list for a big annual summer party, but that’s not until August. Kids, college, driving, any parent knows the drill. But, David passed before I got to see him again.
David joins the long list of notables you’ve seen me write about here. A worthy list of people that mattered in someway, somehow during our time here.
Thanks for the peaches, and the apples, and the cherries. And the pears, David. But most of all the memories.
There’s a memorial service for David this weekend in Lovingston. Here’s his official obituary information.
