Date: Fri, 24 Oct 2008 07:29:10 EDT
Reply-To: RAlanen@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Frank Condelli <RAlanen@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: We lost an icon last night
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
In a message dated 23/10/2008 10:07:54 P.M. Central Standard Time,
LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:
Well, that hit me like a ton of bricks this morning. Sure makes you
understand how fragile life really is. I have known Bob ever since I have
been on this List which is way back in the beginning. I eventually bought one
of his motors for my van which did end up haveing a small problem and
without hesitation it got set straight. I have been to his place a few time and
met his family. My condolences go out to them. Bob we will miss you, here and
everywhere ! May your next journey be good also !
Now, to add to this story of Lost Icons, yesterday morning I
received notice that my good friend and customer Gerry Channer had succumbed to a
long, long battle with Leukemia. He had been in the Ottawa hospital undergoing
a bone marrow transplant since early June and it was not going well lately
so I was expecting this note any day. Funny it comes on the same day as Bob's
passing. For those of you who did not know Gerry, see he & Sharon's
travelblog here > _Profile for Thymeoff - Canada_
(http://www.travelpod.com/members/thymeoff) . Gerry & Sharron who owned a very prosperous herb farm near
Almonte, sold the farm, came to me looking for Westy to take on a trip to South
America. I found one for them in North Bay, ON, through the Vanagon List,
an '87 with 15,000 km on the clock. He went and looked, bought it and
delivered it to me to prepare for the trip. Off they went in the middle of a
January snowstorm some 4 ~ 5 years ago. They spent the next three years driving
that bus all over hell's half acre, even driving it off a cliff in the Andes
mountains and when I was in Santa Cruz two years ago to deliver my CARAT to my
daughter April who moved there, we met up with Gerry & Sharon on their way
back to Ottawa to get his Leukemia looked after. We spent a few days together
there while Van Cafe installed some new tires and checked the brakes. That
was the last time I saw him. When he got back to Ottawa I was too busy or he
was busy getting ready to enter the hospital. He kept in touch with me
constantly making plans for me to service the bus so when his medical issues were
resolved he and Sharon were shipping out to Africa with that bus ! Well,
now that won't happen. So, I will make my trip to Mexico this winter and each
and every Cerveza and Tequila will be toasted to Bob and Gerry as we will all
be joining them one fine day. May they rest in peace both of them.
>>>>>Re: We lost an icon last night<<<<<<<<<
Cheers,
Frank Condelli
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
'87 Westy & Lionel Trains (_Collection for sale_
(http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/trainsal.htm) )
_Frank Condelli & Associates_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html)
- Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley
_Vanagon Stainless Steel Exhaust Systems_
(http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/exhaust.htm)
_BusFusion_ (http://members.aol.com/BusFusion/bfhome.htm) a VW Camper
camping event, Almonte, ON, June 12 ~ 15, 2008
| 
