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Sunday morning Brian passed away in Kissimmee, Florida. He was one of my closest friends, even though I have only known him since Motown Thunder in 2007. The nicest thing I can say about Brian was he reminded me in many ways of Gary Himes. Yes, that is high praise but he was a real gentleman. His wife won a 007 Thunderbird when the "Ford Museum" was running a raffle back in 2003. Brian would buy tickets regularly for Sharon and his two daughters and we laughed about how he had to pay over $18,000 extra in tax that year because the MSRP was added to his Ford income that year. Brian was my Navigator on our 2009 road trip from the east coast to the west coast. We were on the road 5 weeks from late May until early July. You get to know people well when you spend that much time traveling and since then he and his wife have been friends with Barb and me. He was an Army officer for almost 10 years before he went to work for Ford Motor Company as an Electrical Engineer. He will be buried at the Midwest Military Cemetery in Holly, Michigan. Both his Father and oldest brother were also veterans and are in Arlington National Cemetery. I will miss him very much. Brian was 74 years old.
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Knew he was a close friend Cal from reading your joint escapades over the years. Sorry for the loss.
Two high school classmates and a good friend have all passed within the last two months. The 70s are not friendly years.
Enjoy his memory and enjoy every single day!Bill Coates-Canfield, Ohio
2003 -THE GREY GHOST- MSG, Saddle with Saddle dash kit, door panels, boot and visors -
02 Nieman Marcus-SS htp-f/sil. #165 - 21 states-DC
02 TB-TB htp-p/blue acc.-Nancy Gioia-28 states-DC
03 007-Coral htp-f/white acc. #468 7 states
03 WW-WW htp-p/red 8 states
04 VMG-VMG htp-p/white - 20 states-DC
04 Merlot- Merlot htp-sand- B. Grassnig-48 states-DC
04 TR-TR htp-blk 20 states-DC
04 LIB-LIB htp-p/white 16 states-DC
05 Cashmere htp-stone #408 21 states-DC
05 Dusk Rose-DR htp-cashmere seats - 48&DC
05 IG-IG htp-p/white #82 - 48&DCComment
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Sadly, very true.Originally posted by wcoates View Post
I've lost a 1st cousin, a 2nd cousin, my wedding best man, my wedding photographer, a good friend from grammar/high school and years after, guys I played sports with, guys I worked with, an ex-boss who I greatly admired, a guy I car-pooled with for 17 years, etc. (One of my close friends just lost his 72 year old sister.)
I can't even imagine how many that have passed on that I'm not even aware of.
RIPLast edited by jerrym3; Jan 29, 2019, 10:29 AM.2010 Explorer Limited Edition, tri color white, camel interior
2003 TBird black/saddle
1964 Ford Galaxie 500XL conv't turq/black
2004 Lincoln LS 8 Sport light tundra metallic/medium stoneComment
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Cal, I'm sorry to hear of the loss of your friend. Keep the memories, I'm sure they are all good ones.
TedComment
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I'm sorry to hear this, but glad that you have such fine memories of him.Life without passion is no life at all.
Sean Combs
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Sorry for your loss, Cal.Comment
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Cal, Sorry for your loss! It's hard to lose a friend.
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Cal, I'm very sorry to hear about your loss. It is not the best of times when a friend is lost. Here is a little something that I use to help.
The Train of Life...
At birth we boarded the train and met our parents, and we believe they will always travel on our side.
However, at some station our parents will step down from the train, leaving us on this journey alone.
As time goes by, other people will board the train; and they will be significant i.e. our siblings, friends, children, and even the love of your life. Many will step down and leave a permanent vacuum. Others will go so unnoticed that we don't realize they vacated their seats.
This train ride will be full of joy, sorrow, fantasy, expectations, hellos, goodbyes, and farewells. Success consists of having a good relationship with all passengers requiring that we give the best of ourselves.
The mystery to everyone is - We do not know at which station we ourselves will step down. So, we must live in the best way, love, forgive, and offer the best of who we are. It is important to do this because when the time comes for us to step down and leave our seat empty, we should leave behind beautiful memories for those who will continue to travel on the train of life.
I wish you a joyful journey on the train of life. Reap success and give lots of love.
Lastly, I thank you for being one of the passengers on my train.
author is unknown
Mike
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Cal, so sorry to hear of your Friend's passing. Keep him alive in your heart with the great memories that you have shared.
Mike, thanks for your post. Helpful until we all meet again!
RBIRDBe just what you is, not what you is not. Folks what do this is the happiest lot.....Mr. Wizard the Lizard
The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you can never know for sure if they are genuine.....Abraham LincolnComment
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So sorry to hear about Brian. He was indeed a good guy and an extremely smart one as a fellow Taurus SHO and Tbird owner.
Ha, all of us would have loved to have a new retrobird of any color for $18K back in those days.
RIP Brian.21 years, 174K miles, 48 States X 2 & DC, 9 Canadian provinces, 8 European countries, 3 Caribbean Islands, 3 Hawaiian Islands, 100+ National Park locations, 150+ T-bird events, 190+ retrobird diecasts/models, 13 TOTM pics & some very special friends...THANKS TBN !Comment
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Thankyou Mike, if I had a Rabbi to talk with I can imagine one in you. It's an apropos analogy indeed. Just reading it brought tears to my eyes.Originally posted by steelblue5505 View PostsigpicComment
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RIP Brian, you will truly be missed by your friends here on TBN.PK- 2002 Premium Blue/Full Accent/Whisper White Top
VIN#16336
Built April 22, 2002
Purchased July 24, 2002
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My heart breaks for you, my friend. I can feel your pain in your words and understand completely. I wish I'd had the chance to meet Brian - he sounds like the sort of individual who'd make every gathering better.
I read a recent article entitled, "The Jewish Way in Saying Goodbye" ... a quote from it seems apropos here:
When we say goodbye to a person we are not wholly leaving them and they are not wholly leaving us. The experiences shared and the lessons learned together will remain with both people throughout the days of their lives. We have the opportunity to return to those experiences and lessons at any point we wish to.Comment
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RIP Brian. I remember meeting Brian here at Wisconsin Thunder. He was a great guy. I know you'll miss him a lot CalsigpicComment
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