Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2008 22:07:45 -0400
Reply-To: Ken Wilford <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Ken Wilford <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: Re: We lost an icon last night.
In-Reply-To: <2B1CC838F9324EB88B34FCCD29AC68D7@daryl01>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Bob Donalds was a great friend to me. We met through the Vanagon list
about ten years ago when I was first starting out in business. Bob was
a mentor to me in all things Vanagon related. We found that we shared
the same birthday so we would always call each other up on that day and
wish each other a happy birthday! We usually would talk about once a
week and just share things about business, family, etc. Bob was devoted
to his family and was a very hard worker. I knew he was sick and he
didn't want anyone to know. I think he was hoping to continue to build
engines and when I spoke to his wife yesterday and she told me that he
had only a couple of days left to live she said he had been pestering
her up to the last about being sure to buy more engine parts so that
this engine or that one could be finished for a customer. He really
cared and put his heart into his engines. They were his other children
and he cared for each one and it showed. He was by far the best
waterboxer rebuilder out there because of that love that he had for what
he did. But he was also a great person who was happy to talk to others
and help them whenever they needed him. He would complain to me about
people calling him for advice when they bought an engine from another
builder and were having problems. But he would still take time and help
them if he could.
I got to visit with Bob three times over the years. He came down to
visit me twice and then another time I was up in the Boston area and we
went out to dinner together. He was a wonderful man and someone that I
was proud to call my friend. I will always remember him fondly. I woke
up at five this morning and I knew something wasn't right. Bob has left
the building... He will be sorely missed.
Ken Wilford
John 3:16
www.vanagain.com
aatransaxle wrote:
> Bob had asked me not to mention his illness, so very few were privy to
> the
> info.
> He had been fighting hard for the last few months trying to prove the
> Doc's
> wrong in his own way.
> They finally diagnosed bone cancer and started chemo.
> The last I talked to him, he pretty much said he knew " he was about
> outta
> here" and that he wanted to leave it at that. He forced me to remember
> him
> as he was a few months ago when we last met...Upbeat and caring to those
> that knew him well...Good old Bbbbob to the end.
> Now for that glass of Bourbon and a toast to those no longer here.
>
> Daryl of AA Transaxle
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David Beierl" <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Thursday, October 23, 2008 3:22 PM
> Subject: Re: We lost an icon last night.
>
>
>> At 05:02 PM 10/23/2008, aatransaxle wrote:
>>> I am truly saddened and sorry to say that Boston Bob Donalds died last
>>> night
>>> at 2am.
>>
>> Shoot! Shoot! Shoot! Shoot! I wish I had known, I could have gone to
>> say
>> Goodbye and Godspeed.
>>
>> May God look with mercy on him and grant him rest from his labors,
>> and eternal memory.
>>
>> Sigh...thanks, Daryl, for the news and for being his friend.
>>
>> David
>>
>>
>> --
>> David Beierl - Providence RI USA --
>> http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
>> '84 Westy "Dutiful Passage," '85 GL "Poor Relation"
>
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