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Posted By: AcesNeights A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
....and MY FRIEND is under hospice care at home surrounded by his family.

Please keep his family in your prayers. My friend is a God fearing, family loving, outdoorsman that is 57 years old and has battled cancer for 9 months. His 2 daughters recently blessed him with grandsons whom he’s doted on since they were born. They were the sons he never had. They moved to Bend Oregon from Kirkland a few years ago to be close to their family, he was living the dream. He and his wife skied in the winter, paddle boarded in the summer and hunted and fished in between. Our days of running 50-65 miles offshore for tuna turned evolved into him taking his grandsons trout fishing and sitting on the shoreline soaking worms. While our times together were always filled with laughter and our adventures together EPIC I know for a fact that nothing compared to the satisfaction he felt sitting on the shoreline with his grandsons.

While I cry for “my” loss I weep for his family, especially those little boys that were deprived of the experiences that were in store for them. His faithful wife and beautiful daughters are the pride of his well lived life and he will leave a void that’s too big to fill.

He was a staunch conservative and faithful man of God. He was extremely civically oriented and gave back to his community FAR more than he took. This past Easter he was hospitalized but he wasn’t going to miss Easter church service so his family and friends were packed into his hospital room celebrating our risen Christ. They sang hymns and took communion with a happiness of spirit that transformed a dreary hospital room into a “house of the Lord”. I hope to live a good life so that someday we’ll be reunited in the happy hunting grounds of eternity but until then there will be an emptiness when I’m afield or afloat. I will never fish again without remembering the epic adventures and his youthful enthusiasm nor will a successful elk hunt have that same sweetness that it once had. I’ll see his face in the colorful foliage of fall and his laughter will crash upon me with the roar of every swell that washes the beach.

He is a GOOD man that will NEVER be forgotten......he WILL BE MISSED!
Posted By: ol_mike Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
Prayers for your friend - so sad to read such a thing it is just so unfair .
Posted By: local_dirt Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
Damn, Aces. Sorry to hear you're losing a good friend, too.

Sucks.
Posted By: 4xbear Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
Sorry to hear of your friend's situation. God, I hate cancer.
Posted By: Higginez Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
So sorry man.
Posted By: DMc Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
Nice eulogy. Prayers for those who suffer loss.
Posted By: mtnsnake Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
Prayers sent.
Posted By: OMCHamlin Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
Prayers for a painless passing for him, and healing and understanding & acceptance for you all and family. From the sounds of it we are all the lesser for his passing...
Posted By: Judman Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
Lost a Good pard back in January, suddenly, heart attack on Sunday morning right in front of his son, daughter and wife.... We killed A LOT of bucks n bulls together, Montana Idaho and here together. I'll never forget a 7x8 bull he called into 15-20' to me with a hoochie momma.... I think about him everyday... Dunno if it gets better or not... Wish I coulda said bye to him..... Godspeed aces ....
Posted By: RiverRider Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
That's a tough thing, Aces. Keep your chin up and live every day to the fullest. It's a sad thing, but we are bound to lose much as we move through life because we are given so much. All we get to carry away are memories. Don't let them slip away and don't stop makin em.
Posted By: 12344mag Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
I'm sorry to hear this, good friends are no different than family.

Prayers for him and his family and you as well.

Stand strong.
Posted By: Ranger_Green Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
Requiem, by Robert Louis Stevenson

"Under the wide and starry sky,
Dig the grave and let me die.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will

This be the verse you grave for me:
Here lies where he longed to be;
Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And the hunter home from the hill."
Posted By: bluefish Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
Prayers on the way.
Posted By: RickyD Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
When good men pass, we are all the lessor for it.
Posted By: hatari Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
Best wishes at this tough time.
Posted By: g5m Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
Will do.

I know how it is. I've certainly lost a lot of friends lately-- over the last couple of years.
Posted By: gophergunner Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
Thanks for posting. Heartfelt prayers sent from MInnesota.
Posted By: hasbeen1945 Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
Aces, I’m sorry for your loss. Keep in mind the good news. He had his fire insurance paid up. Hasbeen
Posted By: WhiteFawn Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
The best of relationships are the hardest to lose. He's in God's hands no matter which side of life he's on but it hurts those of us left here the most. May the Good Lord comfort all who will miss him.
Posted By: memtb Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
Prayers for your friend and his family! It is difficult to watch someone your close to, experience these types of tragic events! The main consolation is that......he’ll soon be in a much better place! memtb
Posted By: RiverRider Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
Originally Posted by RickyD
When good men pass, we are all the lessor for it.



Not to argue, but I would point out that we are more because they lived. That's just my way of coping with mortality.
Posted By: rainshot Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
We pray for your friend. Too many people are taken by that awful disease.
Posted By: WAM Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
Blessings for him and his family. Going home to the Lord is not really a bad thing but sometimes too soon in our understanding. I have a buddy lying in hospice at the Seattle VA hospital. Saddest thing is that he is unsaved....
Posted By: APDDSN0864 Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
Prayers for him, his family, and YOU, my friend.

You and I have discussed loss before and share the grief. I'm sorry that I never got to meet the man. He sounds like one to ride the river with.
Your eulogy here speaks volumes about his and your character

If there is anything else I can do, please let me know.

Ed
Posted By: AcesNeights Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
My goodness! I couldn’t sleep and I opened this thread....I’m overcome by the heartfelt words but everyone of those words have meant the world to me. I checked in but haven’t heard if he was called home yet. I hope he has been so that his family can begin to heal. They weren’t shy about letting each other know how much they loved one another and I’m sure there’s nothing left unsaid. I told him I loved him after each phone call and my other buddy (his lifetime best friend is at his side with his family) told me that he knew how much I truly loved him and that he loved me just as much so my copious tears are for those young grandsons that will never know their awesome grandpa.

I was talking and crying with our daughter last night about Bill, cancer and death. Our daughter is 13 but she’s wise beyond her years, she is an “old soul”. I explained that if we live a good life we come into friendships that change our lives for the better and that the longer we live the more loss we must endure. The best we can do to honor those that go before us is to live a happy and full life. To continue to seize life and live deliberately, always keeping the love and lessons that we’ve learned along the way with us in our hearts.

I’ve had such an outpouring of kindness from you all that I’m once again humbled by the sincerity of the great men here. It’s a special person that we choose to spend our time outdoors with and my friend Bill was a time tested friend. He knew the woods and the water and it was always a great time with him. Those old fishing and hunting partners are not easily replaced.

Ranger Green, I love that poem and it really hit home for me. It got the tears flowing again but was a nice thing to read this morning.

Ed, I think of you often as we have shared some of our personal tribulations as it regards losing loved ones. I thank you once again for your kindness and support. I hope that someday I’ll get a chance to thank you in person.
Posted By: 1minute Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
Bummer. Blessed here at 72 with a ton of things left to do and so far perfect health. Still, if taken today, it's been a wonderful life. Sounds like your friend has a quite bundle of treasured experiences. The pain will subside, but the memories will live forever.
Posted By: AcesNeights Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
1minute, You and Cookie are an inspiration and I hope you have many many more healthy years ahead and we all get blessed by more of her beautiful photos.

I got an update from my friend. Bill had another tough night but is resting comfortably now. Everyone thinks he’s struggling to let go and knowing what a real fighter he is I have no doubt that he’s fighting to stay with his family.

I can’t thank you all enough for the kind words, thoughts, PM’s and all around support that you all have offered. It truly humbles me.
Posted By: leesway2 Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
Prayers sent for you,your friend and all his family. The last days are very tough on everyone.
Posted By: kid0917 Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
Sorry to hear, prayers for God's grace in this situation for all involved. Trusting in Jesus; you will see him again when the time is right.
Posted By: Kyhilljack Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
Do not stand at my grave and forever weep.
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn’s rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and forever cry.
I am not there. I did not die.

Author: Mary Frye
Posted By: Miss_Lynn Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
May the Lord Bless your Friend and his Family, in all the ways they need now and will need in the future. Amen
Posted By: saddlering Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
I Hate these threads, But understand them, Iv posted here about losing a buddy too! Just rember the good times with your Friend! Ill say a prayer for All of you! Take Care Brother!
Posted By: AcesNeights Re: A Great Man..... - 08/20/19
Once again I thank you all for your kind words and beautiful sentiments.

My friend is refusing to let go and continues to fight despite the “permission” to let go his family has given him. Their faith guides them and their strength of spirit is awe inspiring. Whenever someone has a weak moment and sheds any tears Bill holds his hand up signaling for them to quit crying. He didn’t want anyone to cry for him before and despite his chemically induced sedation, he still doesn’t want anyone to cry over him. We all want him to be free of his mortal chains and to quit fighting but because of his promise that he’d never quit fighting, he’s staying true to his word and as stubborn and as strong as ever. He’s not eaten since Thursday and is fading slowly.

My buddy and I will be available to his family for anything they might need in the immediate AND distant future and in the years to come for his grandsons. We don’t want to pretend to fill in or be a surrogate grandpa but we want to bring the boys to our elk camp or on some fishing trips so that we can share stories about what a wonderful man their grandpa is and how much he meant to us all.

Thanks again to everyone that has said a prayer or offered their kind thoughts for him and his family in this tough time.
Posted By: AcesNeights Re: A Great Man..... - 08/22/19
My friend departed for the Blue Water and the Happy Hunting grounds of eternity today at 11am surrounded by his loving family. His breathing has been shallow and labored for a couple days and we have expected him to pass for 2 days now but he’s a tough guy that was always a fighter and he fought a good fight until the bitter end.

This morning his daughter was sitting by his side listening to his labored breathing when she leaned over and whispered in his ear, “Dad, go find the blue water”......he took a breath and was gone.

Thank you all for the kind words, prayers, PM’s and all around kindness you’ve shown to someone you’ve never met. My friend was a great man and he’ll leave a big hole that will never be filled but those of us that have had the privilege of knowing him are better for it.

My buddy and I think that a bear hunt in a month or 2 is a great way to honor him and will give us a chance to tell stories and laugh about a life well lived.
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