It is with a very heavy heart that I let you know, we've lost one of our own

[dinneR ★]

1 hour ago, Wilbur said:

Leather is supposed to be a hobby.   I am one of the only people in the area that repairs horse tack and saddles though so word gets around.  

I turned a hobby into a career. 

[Wilbur ★]

8 minutes ago, denniS said:

I turned a hobby into a career. 

I haven't ruled that out yet!   

[Zealot]

Oh wow! 😮 😢 

Deepest condolences to his family. 

I didn’t really know anything about him. He’d messaged me a few times here and the messages always seemed cryptic to me, much as his posts did. I honestly thought he was someone’s puppet for a long time.

That’s one of the downfalls of these Forum environments.  

Seems a few of you knew him personally. My condolences and prayers for you as well as you embrace this.

 

[Digital_photog ★]

He messaged me often begging me to fly the bumblebee to Greenville. He knew WoD_P's cousin worked in avionics repair at Greenville Downtown Airport.  He told me his business wasn't far from there.

@SamWithCheese Here is the plane you never got to ride in.

 

@Wilbur have you ever seen anything with so few instruments?

[Wilbur ★]

1 hour ago, Digital_photog said:

He messaged me often begging me to fly the bumblebee to Greenville. He knew WoD_P's cousin worked in avionics repair at Greenville Downtown Airport.  He told me his business wasn't far from there.

@SamWithCheese Here is the plane you never got to ride in.

 

@Wilbur have you ever seen anything with so few instruments?

Close!

[Square Wheels]

I know it's only been a day, but I am still having a hard time processing this.  It doesn't feel true.

[Wilbur ★]

5 minutes ago, Square Wheels said:

I know it's only been a day, but I am still having a hard time processing this.  It doesn't feel true.

Yeah, I am feeling the same.  Disbelief and feeling awkward on the forum is about the best way to describe it.  Sigh.

[Road Runner]

I can't stop thinking about it.  The world seems different, and not in a good way.

I wish he would just show up and post a huge, "GOTCHA!!!"   

[Ralphie ★]

I keep thinking of pig on pearls before swine.   Cheese always makes him feel better. 

[12string]

OK, wow.  Not the message I expected to be greeted with when I showed up to catch up!

I do try to keep my private life separate from my on line life, that's why I don't give up a ton of personal info.  But I considered Airwick an online friend.  So it's sad.  But it's really sad for those of you here, and those in his circle, that knew him better.  If he was anything like he was here, in real life, he's sure to be greatly missed by a lot of people.

Just sucks.

prayers for Airwick (God knows who he really is!), his family and friends, here and in 3D.

[MoseySusan]

12 minutes ago, Road Runner said:

I wish he would show up and post a huge, "GOTCHA!!!"   

For awhile after my mom died, I would dream that she would walk into the house using the front door (nobody ever used the front door). We would all feel weird about her coming back, like glad you’re home again, but weren’t you dead? I also would dream she and I were together doing stuff, like going to church or shopping, and I’d walk ahead of her or move to a different seat, and when I’d turn around, she would be gone. 
 

I’ve been feeling sad about Hank’s death. Feeling it wasn’t supposed to be like this. Maybe he could’ve…but then that’s where I stop putting myself at the center of his passing. Affirming Hank’s decisions for his life on his terms, to be his lived experience. Our relationship with him has been his gift to us, and I find peace in the ongoing memories, the “Cheese-isms”, the joy we have with each other. And I want to emphasize that the Square Wheels Cycling Forum is just a tiny corner of the internet, but the people here have a huge impact on each other’s spirit. We give the gift of life, friends.  

[Road Runner]

4 minutes ago, MoseySusan said:

Our relationship with him has been his gift to us, and I find peace in the ongoing memories, the “Cheese-isms”, the joy we have with each other. And I want to emphasize that the Square Wheels Cycling Forum is just a tiny corner of the internet, but the people here have a huge impact on each other’s spirit. We give the gift of life, friends.  

Extremely well said.  Thanks, Sue.

[groupw]

@MoseySusan my FIL died suddenly almost 29 years ago. It was such a shock to the family that when I got to the hospital, they asked if I would go identify the body because no one else in the family felt they could do it. That in itself was surreal, but as I walked back to the family the main entry opened and against the outside light was a silhouette of a man with a similar build and limp as FIL had after his artificial knee. My mind was still trying to process he was gone so I started to walk to the man expecting to say hi to FIL. My brain made a mid course correction to realize he was gone. 
Cheese gave the image of a Southern dandy. Kind of a John Waters character. Weird, but in a nice way. 

[Airehead]

1 hour ago, Square Wheels said:

I know it's only been a day, but I am still having a hard time processing this.  It doesn't feel true.

Agreed. 

[MoseySusan]

26 minutes ago, Road Runner said:

Extremely well said.  Thanks, Sue.

You give the gift of life to me, RR.  

And thank you sooo much for using the Spoiler feature in your Jeopardy threads. It airs at 6 pm MST here. 

[ChrisL]

1 hour ago, Road Runner said:

I can't stop thinking about it.  The world seems different, and not in a good way.

I wish he would just show up and post a huge, "GOTCHA!!!"   

This feeling is so common among those who lose someone.  It speaks to how much he meant to you/us.

After my dad died, although I knew it wouldn’t happen I kept thinking he was going to get up and walk off as if nothing had happened.  It took a while to come to grips he wasn’t going to come back to us.  

Unfortunately  Hank isn’t going to post here again either. 

[bikeman564™]

a (trainer) ride in his honor

[wolfpack]

2 hours ago, Square Wheels said:

I know it's only been a day, but I am still having a hard time processing this.  It doesn't feel true.

Me too.

Can't tell you how I'm feeling since I didn't contact him at Christmas & wish him well.  Our last text was 12/14.

I'll tell y'all this, after losing Hank and a friend unexpectedly losing her husband on 12/11 - Take all the chances with your person.  Tell your person you love them each and every day.  Take ALL the pictures.  Because you never know when either one of you will be gone....

[Further]

My world has changed, I can't explain it, I never spoke to Cheese (he will always be Cheese to me) but we had interactions on the forum. 

He was a presence on this forum, even when he went missing, his stamp was still here, and in the back of my mind, while composing a post, or posting a picture, I would wonder, what will Cheese think of this. 

[Longjohn ★]

7 minutes ago, wolfpack said:

Take all the chances with your person.  Tell your person you love them each and every day.  Take ALL the pictures.  Because you never know when either one of you will be gone....

That is for sure. I spent my wife’s last 15 months taking care of her and I made sure to tell her many times a day how much I loved her. She didn’t have a lot of pain but as time wore on she was losing one function after another. I would sit and reminisce with her about all the good times we had together and all the ways we were blessed over the years. There is not a day goes by that I don’t look over to her empty chair and tell her how much I miss her.

By contrast Shootingstar lost her spouse without getting to say goodbye to him. He went to bed with no health problems and he died in his sleep. It’s a nice way to check out but I think it is even harder for the one you leave behind.

[Digital_photog ★]

I never spoke to him or had his phone number to text him but we did have messages and email;   I had seen his blog and trip posts.  He seemed to understand some of my jokes that I think may have offended others. He knew my wife's cousin who is one of my best friends lived just south of Greenville. He wanted me to fly down and take him for a ride in the plane.  It was such a long trip to do in a very small. light plane that has a 75 mph cruise speed. Not comfortable to ride in more than 2 hours.  I have had too many friends who I lost in the last few years that we had dreams that will never happen.

 

[Guest]

I exchanged a few emails with the guy. Never would have guessed he was married. Condolences to his family. 

[shootingstar]

1 hour ago, Longjohn said:

That is for sure. I spent my wife’s last 15 months taking care of her and I made sure to tell her many times a day how much I loved her. She didn’t have a lot of pain but as time wore on she was losing one function after another. I would sit and reminisce with her about all the good times we had together and all the ways we were blessed over the years. There is not a day goes by that I don’t look over to her empty chair and tell her how much I miss her.

By contrast Shootingstar lost her spouse without getting to say goodbye to him. He went to bed with no health problems and he died in his sleep. It’s a nice way to check out but I think it is even harder for the one you leave behind.

 This is true, I had to call 911, 800 km. away, to get police to break down the door after 20 hrs. not hearing from him. We skyped for a few hrs. every evening during times apart.  It's been a long hard road.  So  imagine for Hank's wife right now, the shock is immense.

The plan was I wanted to retire by end of last yr. and be with him. It was not meant to be...I may as well work awhile with a pandemic still flaming on a bit.

I occasionally emjoied AirwickCheese but didn't say too much to him. He certainly was gently clever humour-wise...maybe I just couldn't sally back at the same level. I also noticed some threads including him, where I simply wasn't around on the forum when he was hanging about.  So I missed all that stuff about his farm dream.

[Wilbur ★]

9 minutes ago, shootingstar said:

maybe I just couldn't sally back at the same level.

He was a master at 4-D chess when it came to threads.  He was always two steps ahead in his conversation planning and if you knew what he was talking about, he would lead you down the path. 

[shootingstar]

3 minutes ago, Wilbur said:

He was a master at 4-D chess when it came to threads.  He was always two steps ahead in his conversation planning and if you knew what he was talking about, he would lead you down the path. 

That is clever...to him, probably 2nd nature.

[Road Runner]

2 hours ago, Further said:

He was a presence on this forum, even when he went missing, his stamp was still here, and in the back of my mind, while composing a post, or posting a picture, I would wonder, what will Cheese think of this. 

My thoughts exactly.   

[wolfpack]

how do you insert a YouTube video?

[wolfpack]

https://youtu.be/v2LixP7n_hM

[Page Turner]

3 hours ago, shootingstar said:

 This is true, I had to call 911, 800 km. away, to get police to break down the door after 20 hrs. not hearing from him. We skyped for a few hrs. every evening during times apart.  It's been a long hard road.  So  imagine for Hank's wife right now, the shock is immense.

The plan was I wanted to retire by end of last yr. and be with him. It was not meant to be...I may as well work awhile with a pandemic still flaming on a bit.

...

...I don't know if you have much time to read, yet, but this book by Joan Didion is pretty good. It's about the year following the unexpected early demise of her husband and writing partner of many years, and I have always been interested in what she had to say, as an observer of the human condition. But it might still be that you are a little raw on the nerve endings.

Personally, I tend to procrastinate dealing with emotions like grief and separation.  Work is a good distraction. 

 

Quote

This powerful book is Didion's attempt to make sense of the "weeks and then months that cut loose any fixed idea I ever had about death, about illness . . . about marriage and children and memory . . . about the shallowness of sanity, about life itself."

 

[Zealot]

5 hours ago, wolfpack said:

https://youtu.be/v2LixP7n_hM

 

[jsharr ★]

22 hours ago, denniS said:

I turned a hobby into a career. 

Printer repair?

[Kirby]

I agree that this is still hard to process.  I'll be fine, and then start crying again.  At first I almost hoped this was some giant catfish that he just decided to end, mainly because the alternative was unfathomable. And while I'll miss him terribly here, my heart breaks for his family , especially beloved MomCheese, and the pets he loved so much, including the backyard kitties that he wanted to move to the farm.

[Airehead]

12 hours ago, wolfpack said:

https://youtu.be/v2LixP7n_hM

lovely

[MoseySusan]

2 hours ago, Kirby said:

I'll be fine, and then start crying again. 

With a very heavy heart, we are. 🥺

[Parr8hed]

Well shit.

I am just now seeing this.  Kinda puts a pisser on the afternoon.  

You'll be missed buddy.  I might have an RC cola and a moonpie on the way home. 

[Ralphie ★]

8 hours ago, jsharrwick said:

Printer repair?

POTW!  

 

[Dottleshead ★]

On 1/4/2022 at 7:54 AM, Wilbur said:

Leather is supposed to be a hobby.   I am one of the only people in the area that repairs horse tack and saddles though so word gets around.  

Wilbur = Leather. 
 

Got it. 

[dinneR ★]

11 hours ago, jsharrwick said:

Printer repair?

Holy Shit. I was worried you were ill. You know me better than I know me. 

I'm the one wearing the tie.

[wolfpack]

17 hours ago, Zealot said:

 

Not just me, but pretty much everyone needs to listen to this....change your life....you can hug them or tell them you love them, till you can't.  Don't wait until you can't.

This is now my new theme song.

[Prophet Zacharia]

47 minutes ago, denniS said:

Holy Shit. I was worried you were ill. You know me better than I know me. 

I'm the one wearing the tie.

So you do fax machine repair, too?

[dinneR ★]

43 minutes ago, Prophet Zacharia said:

So you do fax machine repair, too?

Hell yes. Vacuums too. I have one tool and my only promise is your problem will be gone. Though, you will now have other shit to deal with. 

[jsharr ★]

28 minutes ago, denniS said:

Hell yes. Vacuums too. I have one tool and my only promise is your problem will be gone. Though, you will now have other shit to deal with. 

When the only tool in your box is a pedal wrench, all your problems begin to look like targets.

[dinneR ★]

26 minutes ago, jsharrwick said:

When the only tool in your box is a pedal wrench, all your problems begin to look like targets.

I guess I have better aim than I thought. My pedal wrench rarely misses.

[Rattlecan ★]

7 hours ago, denniS said:

I guess I have better aim than I thought. My pedal wrench rarely misses.

Dang! I have that exact same pedal wrench and I had no idea it was so versatile. Maybe I should try it on my dishwasher which is acting up.

[Zephyr]

He lived in Greeneville SC?

[Square Wheels]

7 minutes ago, Zephyr said:

He lived in Greeneville SC?

Yes

[Square Wheels]

Flowers, a balloon, and a teddy bear were sent to his wife on behalf of the forum.  It will arrive today.

[Rattlecan ★]

18 minutes ago, Square Wheels said:

Flowers, a balloon, and a teddy bear were sent to his wife on behalf of the forum.  It will arrive today.

How can one contribute to that. Paypal account?

[Ralphie ★]

After a few days I realize what I miss aboot Cheese.  Like all of us, he was an individual with his own quirks and idiosyncracies, although even more so. Basically a breath of fresh air, an escape from the mundane.   So now we have our Whoppers without Cheese, so they are naturally more boring.  Yet as I always said, there will always be a Cheese around here.   Like Kirby said, he will still be enjoying Heathcat every day with us.

 

 

[Ralphie ★]

3 minutes ago, Rattlecan said:

How can one contribute to that. Paypal account?

Forum memberships?