Date: Fri, 16 May 2014 23:51:17 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Tuovinen <aksyncronaut@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mark Tuovinen <aksyncronaut@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: A belated tribute to Daryl
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Though not the bard that some current and former list members have shown
themselves to be I offer the following in memory of of Daryl and the
celebration of his life which I was fortunate enough to be able to attend
April 26, 2014.
We came from near and far to celebrate the life of a man who touched us
all. The license plates and name tags identified our origins; Washington,
Oregon, British Columbia, California, Utah, Colorado, Maine, and Alaska.
My apologies to those from other regions not listed, for these are the ones
I know for sure.
Many in attendance knew Daryl well. Others met him only once or knew him
just by phone, email, or reputation. No matter how they knew him, no one
knew him long enough – for people like Daryl are few and far between, and
he left us too soon.
Those able to attend represented a miniscule percentage of the total number
of people Daryl touched in his life. One person counted 35 Vanagons there,
and many people came by car or plane because their beloved Vanagon was
under the weather, or, like Tom Buese and I, were from too far away to get
there and back in the time available. At one point I counted at least one
hundred people – all brought together for a common purpose, to pause and
celebrate the man who was.
Some came the day before and stayed until the day after. Others came for a
few hours. Many could not make it at all, but we knew they were there in
spirit. It did not matter their length of stay, their feelings were the
same - happy to see old friends and make new acquaintances, yet sad that
Daryl was not there to share.
I suspect that if he were alive, he would be humbled by such a party in
his honor, and would probably be found out amongst the vans fixing this
problem or that.
In keeping with the spirit that binds our Vanagon Community together, one
moment some were strangers, and the next, friends and camping neighbors.
Needing a place to stay I inquired of a member who seemed to know about
tent camping, as bringing a van was not an option for me and there were no
nearby hotels. “No worries”, he responded, “we have you covered”. Andrew
and Amanda – strangers only moments before - brought an extra van, bedding,
food and supplies for a person they knew only through an email or two.
Of all the words shared by those who wrote or spoke, I will always feel
that the last words Daryl spoke to me in person said it best – “You are
always welcome here”.
Mark in AK - or to quote one certain list member; Mark in Aack!
The author claims no responsibility for any errors, omissions, slanderous
statements, misspellings, etc, as this was originally typed on an iphone
while sitting in an airport bar and between the tiny screen and keyboard,
fat fingers, tequila, and auto-correct anything can happen.
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