Pylesville shooting victims recalled as 'heroes' by family at memorial service

Jul. 13—While a Pennsylvania man was being extradited to Harford County and charged in the shooting deaths of two Pylesville men, family of the victims were recalling them as "heroes" at a memorial service.

On 8:49 p.m. on July 1., patrol deputies assigned to the Northern Precinct of the Harford County Sheriff's Office responded to the 1700 block of Scott Road in Pylesville. Upon arrival, deputies located David Joseph Oktavec, 70, and Timothy Wayne Witherite, 62, who were suffering from gunshot wounds to the upper body. Both men were pronounced dead at the scene. A family dog was also shot and killed.

The man charged in the double murder, Steven Nolan, 53, was captured by Pennsylvania State Police about two hours later at his home in Airville, Pa., where he had fled. He was returned Monday to Harford County and is being held without bond at the Harford County Detention Center. His next scheduled court appearance is Aug. 11.

The shooting is still under investigation, but the sheriff's office said in a statement that initial information indicates Nolan shot Witherite inside his home and Oktavec outside of the house before fleeing the scene. According to family members who spoke at the memorial service, Witherite and Oktavec were brothers-in-law; their wives, Debbie and Darla, are sisters.

They were also neighbors since 1992.

"If they weren't close enough, my parents built a house next door," said Witherite's daughter, Olivia. She described her mom and aunt as best friends and "a package deal," and said their homes were so close that their families could hear each other talking in their respective back yards.

While the motive for the shooting remains unclear, the grieving adult children of both of the deceased men credited their fathers for defending their families, during their remarks at the memorial service on July 8 at Grace Fellowship Church in Shrewsbury, Pa.

"Heroes — men who guarded their homes and families," said Sarah Oktavec, one of three daughters of David and Darla Oktavec.

"Both my dad and uncle were good men and died heroes," said Elizabeth Walker, the youngest of the Oktavecs' daughters.

"My dad and Uncle Tim could not have been more different," said oldest daughter Lauren Umstead. "But in the end, they were brothers. They stepped up for each other time and time again. And even in their deaths, they made us so proud."

Oktavec, who friends called Dave, was the grandson of William Oktavec, who immigrated from the Czech Republic to Baltimore and is credited with beginning the folk art of painted screens in the city in the early 1900s. A retired UPS driver, Oktavec was described as deeply passionate about the things that interested him most, including gardening, good food, faith and family.

"My dad's personality was larger than life he was passionate about everything," Sarah Oktavec said. "He soaked up every ounce of joy. The lens in which he saw the world was beauty."

They recalled his love of national parks. He had visited 42 of them, mostly in the west, and some he'd been to more than once, Sarah Oktavec said.

"When he was told almost 20 years ago that he would die of an aggressive, nontreatable cancer," she said, "he retired at 51 years old. He started building gardens and traveling. The cancer disappeared and never came back."

Married 50 years, David and Darla Oktavec had eight grandchildren. They were active in a small group ministry with other couples, including Tim and Debbie Witherite. One of the members of the group, Steve McCarty, described the Oktavecs as "a great couple with a profound impact."

"My parents lived out what commitment looks like and were such examples to us," Lauren Umstead said.

McCarty said Tim Witherite, the owner of Precision Plumbing and Heating, was looking forward to retirement.

His nieces described him as a gentle, funny man who loved having fun with their kids.

Speaking on behalf of her and her brother, Nathan, Olivia Witherite said that her father was shy, introverted and "fiercely, fiercely loyal."

At the end of her remarks, Olivia Witherite said that her father died defending his family, and her uncle died protecting them.

"My dad and uncle died in a manner that I know they [felt] strongly about, which is defending each other's honor and families," Olivia Witherite said. Her father, she said, "died in the most heroic way that I can even fathom."

The families also acknowleged a neighbor, Tom Clark, "who, in the face of danger, without regard to his own safety, came to the aid of Dave and Tim," McCarty said.

"You are our hero," Sarah Oktavec said. "We love you and you will be forever part of our family."

A GoFundMe page has been set up to assist Debbie Witherite and Darla Oktavec. According to the page, the widows relied on their husbands' income and benefits. The funds also will assist Debbie Witherite with temporary housing. Because the shooting took place at her home, she is unable to return at this time and is living with Darla, the page says. As of Thursday, the fundraiser is about $3,000 short of its $50,000 goal.