Alleged drunken driver takes life of BHS grad

By Jennifer Eisenbart

Editor

As the reports of his death at the hands of a drunken driver began to circulate over the weekend on Facebook, Aaron Davis, 31 and a 2001 Burlington High School graduate, drew praise from many.

“Great young man,” wrote Tim Gesteland, a BHS science teacher.

“This is just so sad,” wrote Susan Sheldon, a former BHS art teacher.

“He was a very nice guy,” added in Deborah Roanhouse.

Davis died in St. Petersburg, Fla., early Saturday morning, the victim of an alleged drunken driver fleeing police.

According to his stepfather, Robert Gueldenzopf, Aaron had just left The Kitchen – the restaurant where he was executive chef – and was walking toward a parking garage with a coworker.

Media from the area report that Jason Lanard Mitchell of St. Petersburg went through a red light, hitting both Davis and Brian LaFrance.

Gueldenzopf said Tuesday he was told by police that they backed off the chase when it hit the downtown area, “and this guy didn’t.”

“We were told he was going 80 mph,” Gueldenzopf said.

Davis died at the scene, while LaFrance was treated for life-threatening injuries, according to media reports.

“It’s just a terrible thing,” Gueldenzopf said from Florida.

Davis’s wife, Ana – also a chef – gave birth to a boy Monday evening, naming him Andrew Aaron Lawrence.

The couple also has a 21-month-old daughter, Audrey.

Gueldenzopf took the time to look back over his stepson’s life Tuesday evening with the funeral looming the next day. His stepson, he said, may not have gone to college or been a perfect student, but he’d managed to find himself as a chef.

In spite of not attending culinary school, Davis spent time working for restaurants – particularly in 18 months he spent in Hawaii after graduating high school.

After moving back to Burlington and working at a number of different jobs, Gueldenzopf said, Davis announced he wanted to become a chef – and moved to Florida to live with his cousin.

He happened into a cook position at a restaurant where Chef Chris Ponte worked, and never looked back. Gueldenzopf said Ponte took Davis under his wing, and made sure his stepson learned the right way of doing things.

“Aaron just stumbled into the right place,” Gueldenzopf said. “The guy taught Aaron everything.”

After moving on from that restaurant to 400 Beach in St. Petersburg, Davis worked under another chef. Her name was Ana, and she would later become his wife.

When the romance became serious, Gueldenzopf said, Davis left and found a job at The Kitchen. Davis had spent the last two and a half to three years there, working his way up to executive chef.

Gueldenzopf said the restaurant community in St. Petersburg has stepped up so far. A memorial for Davis Sunday night drew more than 200 people, many of whom sang Davis’s praises at an open mic for guests.

On Monday night, Karen Gueldenzopf – Robert’s wife – helped deliver their grandson.

Gueldenzopf said the family is focusing now on helping Ana and her two children, with a benefit event planned for Burlington sometime in the next few weeks.

“We’ve got a lot more to do,” Gueldenzopf said. “We’ve got to take care of Ana, we’ve got to take care of the kids.”