Bret4207

Brad

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Just My opinion but leave the family be. This is an extremely personal time for them and as much as we care and want to show support we are all outsiders.
I can not think of anything we can do for him or his family that would mean more to him than to think of them and pray for them.
 
fiver

fiver

Well-Known Member
yeah i'm having a super hard time deciding on which card to send.
get well doesn't work the day after.
and my sympathies is a bit premature the day before.
i got a few different ones today, and can't figure out what to send or say.
 
Chris

Chris

Well-Known Member
Well for me, there were years of part time communication since he moved away and we lost touch. What I have to say is that I really appreciated knowing him, his voice and opinion mattered to me. I thought he was a standup and respectable man, a moral man, and he was lots of fun to hang out with. He worked for me occasionally and we always helped each other as neighbors. His ideas on practical matters, guns and casting and mechanics, were always worth considering seriously.

I knew his wife, our kids played together, and in every respect he was a guy I appreciated. I just liked him. He was trustworthy. I know many here just liked him as well.

I imagine you folks can find something similar to say to him.
 
R

richhodg66

Well-Known Member
I sent him a quick hand written note just to say how I felt about him. We never met, but I've read his postings for many years and it's funny how you know somebody you never met in the flesh.

I don't really want to get into this, but does pancreatic cancer seem to be on the rise? I've known or known of severalpeople in the past few years with it and don't remember it being that common before that. Cancer just scares the hell out of me. Such an awful thing.
 
L Ross

L Ross

Well-Known Member
richhodg66 said:
I sent him a quick hand written note just to say how I felt about him. We never met, but I've read his postings for many years and it's funny how you know somebody you never met in the flesh.

I don't really want to get into this, but does pancreatic cancer seem to be on the rise? I've known or known of severalpeople in the past few years with it and don't remember it being that common before that. Cancer just scares the hell out of me. Such an awful thing.
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I have already outlived my paternal grandfather by 5 years. Perhaps as we live longer we just have more opportunity to get cancer. When I was a kid, seemed like a lot of old farmers barely made it past 65, now most go 75 and beyond.
 
Missionary

Missionary

Well-Known Member
I agree. Grampa Fikes, a neighbor, was 90 some when he left. Everyone recognized him as a very long living old fruit farmer.
 
Brad

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
I get it Jeff, just thinking of what I would want in a similar situation.
Like most of you the older I get the most this stuff impacts me.

Bret and I had our differences at times but I would not wish this on anyone and certainly not his family. He was a great member here and a true lover of his family and nation.

He will be missed
 
Snakeoil

Snakeoil

Well-Known Member
It's funny how you develop friendships and relationships in places like this without ever having met the people in person. I've had internet friends offer me a place to stay if I ever visited their country, reach out to me when I mentioned a issue I was having to share their experience in hopes of helping. I suspect if we met in person, we would probably make even closer relationships because we have already cut each other tons of slack because the written conversation can always be misunderstood or misinterpreted.

I always struggle with what is the correct approach. But I have to say that regardless of the timing or the situation, I have never had anything but positive feedback from families when I reached out to them over a loss or an illness. Some people need a lot of support during the trials that life throws at them and some need zero support. I suspect most fall somewhere in between. But I also believe that no matter what their sentiments are regarding support, it's always comforting for them to hear that others are thinking of them.

Regarding pancreatic cancer. I too have noticed that there seems to be a lot of it. Same with multiple myeloma. PC took my wife's cousin at 60. She moved in with him so he would not be alone and she stayed with him for 9 months until he passed. Since then, I've heard of several more who have come down with PC. Makes you wonder if it is the food we eat, the chemicals in the air, the chemicals in our car interiors, something in the water we drink, the beverages or some combination. I doubt that we'll ever know. We know that Round Up is bad and causes Lymphoma. My best man used Round Up all the time. He was obsessed with his yard. He was diagnosed with Lymphoma about 3 years ago. Not sure we'll ever get a straight answer as to why cancer is so prevalent these days. It could simply be that they could not diagnose it years ago. All you can do is hope for the best and play the cards that you are dealt.
 
Snakeoil

Snakeoil

Well-Known Member
CZ93X62 said:
Bret spent quite some time at the World Trade Center immediately after 9/11. That experience has exposed many of the involved parties to all manner of illnesses. I refuse to write about him in the past tense. I will hold Bret and his loved ones in prayer.
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Did not know that. A NYS Trooper who was local served at ground zero after 911 and he passed away a week or so ago. Same thing, cancer from exposure down there. I hope the family is well taken care of. The families of the people who were killed that day all got large lump sums of money from the govt.. I have no issue with that. But they were simply victims. They did not choose to go there to help with recovery. So, those, like Bret, who did, should have their families treated in the same manner if not to a higher degree.
 
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