Author Topic: BetterMost member LoneLeeB3 has passed away. Our grieving thread.  (Read 264330 times)

Offline Ellemeno

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Re: BetterMost member LoneLeeB3 passes away.
« Reply #380 on: August 02, 2010, 01:26:03 pm »
From the thread when Truman and Rich first met in 2007:


I wish I could convey the time we had.
For me it was like having a weekend with my long lost brother.
We had so much fun! It was like we shoved a lifetime into a few days. I got to share a glimpse of my life with someone I cared about.
This is the true legacy of the movie. Finding frendships where none were expected.
Forging bonds that time or distance can't touch.
Were it not for a weather worn old cowboy in a bar in Wyoming that got Annie thnking none of us would be here.
I shudder to think of how much less my life would be.
Thank you Annie for writing about Jack and Ennis and showing us the way home!



I agree with you whole heartedly little brother, I think that is what I keep coming back too, over and over, this whole experence, starting with Annie Proulx going to that bar on that night, is like an miricle that continues to unfold day after day, some new facet, some new story.

Thank you for a wonderful time. I look forward to getting my thoughts together about it. I am glad we posted the pics, I am glad we have all these words, all of us. They are not only important right now, but in a hundred or a thousand years, our skidmark acrost time. When a group of people finally steped out into the light.

Your Mom is right, we are lucky to be living in this time.



Offline brokeplex

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Re: BetterMost member LoneLeeB3 passes away.
« Reply #381 on: August 02, 2010, 01:28:51 pm »
Thank you, Bill.  I'm glad you are back and sorry that your trip had to end with this sad news awaiting you.  Thank you for your good wishes.  You did have quite a bit in common and I know that you will miss him greatly.

{{{{Bill}}}}
I hope the best for his little girl. She is about 13? This will be a traumatic blow to her and she will need prayer and emotional support. Losing anyone who makes the type of journey that Rich made out of confusion and frustration and into clarity and contentment is a great blow. I can not help but think of the Brokeback Mtn  character Bobby Twist losing his father at about the same age.

Offline Shakesthecoffecan

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Re: BetterMost member LoneLeeB3 passes away.
« Reply #382 on: August 02, 2010, 01:49:53 pm »
From the thread when Truman and Rich first met in 2007:




Well that was the first time I went down to Atlanta, one of two times. But the first time actually met was going to the rodeo in California on the 14th of September AD 2007, this was what I wrote at the time:

"In the days leading up to the departure I could see esseffjoe in my head, his eyes over his glasses telling me: there are no coincidences.

So I sent Lee a pm with my flight schedule and in minutes had my confirmation: we were on the same damn flight out of Atlanta. Yee-Haw! "I'll be wearing my cowboy hat" I told him.

That night before I packed my bag with stuff I would never use and at 4 am began the sickening ride to the airport, realizing I should have got up a half hour earlier, running to get to the gate, damn if I missed this flight.....there are no coincidences....I exhaled.

Gate T3, ATL, 7:30 or so in the morning, I have seen his picture, know I will recognize him, where is...there he is. "Hey Buddy!" after all these months the only question I still had was his height, which turned out to be about the same as mine, Rock Hudson with better hair. We find we can indeed change our seat assignments, are given two seats in a section of three, and the third never shows. It is the best possible way to cross the continent: with a good friend and a series of Bourbons. We laughed and cut up and told our stories and carried on like two giggling teenagers, like we had know each other since we were born. I am sure the women in the row ahead of us had an earfull.

Arriving in SFO I get the call from Judy, she is there waiting by the bagage claim, and we stop to have one more drink, so as to give our bags time to get there. Here she is, the answer lady, the one who has been on so many of the same paths I take I feel like I can ask her what to expect next. We are the happiest people in the airport that day, I am sure."

(I still have those minibottles, had an idead I would make Xmess tree decorations of them, but never did.)

After going on with several other events I catch up with him at the dance that night:

"And Lee? He had morphed into the night blooming Sirius, the plant that every Granny in Virginia used to have on her porch in the summer time, in a big pot, hauled in each winter so that once ever seven years it would bloom, for one night, at midnight, and all the grandchildren would stay up and watch. It was midnight, and he was in full bloom. He staggered over to me and put his arms around me and hollered in my ear: I am having such a good time and other endearments.

"You have a friend for life" I told him. I wasn't just speaking for me. Now, he can be a friend to himself as well."

And here it is:


"It was only you in my life, and it will always be only you, Jack, I swear."

Offline CellarDweller

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Re: BetterMost member LoneLeeB3 passes away.
« Reply #383 on: August 02, 2010, 01:55:51 pm »
I feel sad and would like to hear how you are all doing.  Since we are separated by distance, I can't just look across the room at you and sigh together.


I'm sitting in my cube and plotting going for a walk so that I can get some air.....no outright sobbing, but the eyes have filled with tears a number of times.


Tell him when l come up to him and ask to play the record, l'm gonna say: ''Voulez-vous jouer ce disque?''
'Voulez-vous, will you kiss my dick?'
Will you play my record? One-track mind!

Offline Kelda

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Re: BetterMost member LoneLeeB3 passes away.
« Reply #384 on: August 02, 2010, 02:08:01 pm »
I hope the best for his little girl. She is about 13? This will be a traumatic blow to her and she will need prayer and emotional support. Losing anyone who makes the type of journey that Rich made out of confusion and frustration and into clarity and contentment is a great blow. I can not help but think of the Brokeback Mtn  character Bobby Twist losing his father at about the same age.

She's 12.  :-\


I'm sitting in my cube and plotting going for a walk so that I can get some air.....no outright sobbing, but the eyes have filled with tears a number of times.

(((Chuck)))

Tru....another great story.. you should do professional writing.. you have a real way with words.


Clarissa - thanks for finding those quotes.  :-* And I love your quilt btw, now that I can see it at home.

Lynnie
..


Elizabeth is on my mind and won't go away.  I don't have a lot of free funds right now (family stuff), but I hope to set up a regular deposit of a small amount weekly into that account.  We're going to see that she gets the education that her father would have wanted for her.  And I also want us to try to make her graduations - high school and college and any more schooling she decides embark upon.  I really hope it's possible to stay in touch with her, keep an eye on how she is.  People drift and I don't want to let that happen.

My thoughts exactly.. I actually wrote her her own sympathy card today, along with one for Gene. I'll let Gene decide if its appropriate to give it to her, but I said the same, your Daddy treated me like family so I want to return the favour.

Also do we have more details re the fund?
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Offline Ellemeno

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Re: BetterMost member LoneLeeB3 passes away.
« Reply #385 on: August 02, 2010, 02:18:56 pm »
Well that was the first time I went down to Atlanta, one of two times. But the first time actually met was going to the rodeo in California on the 14th of September AD 2007, this was what I wrote at the time:

"In the days leading up to the departure I could see esseffjoe in my head, his eyes over his glasses telling me: there are no coincidences.

So I sent Lee a pm with my flight schedule and in minutes had my confirmation: we were on the same damn flight out of Atlanta. Yee-Haw! "I'll be wearing my cowboy hat" I told him.

That night before I packed my bag with stuff I would never use and at 4 am began the sickening ride to the airport, realizing I should have got up a half hour earlier, running to get to the gate, damn if I missed this flight.....there are no coincidences....I exhaled.

Gate T3, ATL, 7:30 or so in the morning, I have seen his picture, know I will recognize him, where is...there he is. "Hey Buddy!" after all these months the only question I still had was his height, which turned out to be about the same as mine, Rock Hudson with better hair. We find we can indeed change our seat assignments, are given two seats in a section of three, and the third never shows. It is the best possible way to cross the continent: with a good friend and a series of Bourbons. We laughed and cut up and told our stories and carried on like two giggling teenagers, like we had know each other since we were born. I am sure the women in the row ahead of us had an earfull.

Arriving in SFO I get the call from Judy, she is there waiting by the bagage claim, and we stop to have one more drink, so as to give our bags time to get there. Here she is, the answer lady, the one who has been on so many of the same paths I take I feel like I can ask her what to expect next. We are the happiest people in the airport that day, I am sure."

(I still have those minibottles, had an idead I would make Xmess tree decorations of them, but never did.)

After going on with several other events I catch up with him at the dance that night:

"And Lee? He had morphed into the night blooming Sirius, the plant that every Granny in Virginia used to have on her porch in the summer time, in a big pot, hauled in each winter so that once ever seven years it would bloom, for one night, at midnight, and all the grandchildren would stay up and watch. It was midnight, and he was in full bloom. He staggered over to me and put his arms around me and hollered in my ear: I am having such a good time and other endearments.

"You have a friend for life" I told him. I wasn't just speaking for me. Now, he can be a friend to himself as well."

And here it is:






Thank you, Tru.  :-*

Offline dontwanttosayGB

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Re: BetterMost member LoneLeeB3 passes away.
« Reply #386 on: August 02, 2010, 02:43:14 pm »
Truman...great memories, Castro and the Rodeo in SF were just great, I have such fond memories of that trip even though I think we (you and I) only spoke for like 1 minute but there is a picture with both of us in it somewhere...LOL!

Like I said before, Rich and I were not close, but after meeting him in SF I did just sense he was a really nice sincere guy...and I can't help but think what a loss, what a really sad loss...the world needs more nice sincere people, so again, what a sad loss...

Here's a *sigh* for the collective one!
...the imagined power of Brokeback Mountain...

Offline Lynne

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Re: BetterMost member LoneLeeB3 passes away.
« Reply #387 on: August 02, 2010, 02:47:25 pm »
...That's a good idea, Kelda, to send her a card too - thanks for thinking of it - I'll do the same.

Quote
Also do we have more details re the fund?

Regarding the fund, I don't know yet, but I'm sure someone will post about it as soon as they've heard.
"Laß sein. Laß sein."

Offline Lynne

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Re: BetterMost member LoneLeeB3 passes away.
« Reply #388 on: August 02, 2010, 02:52:53 pm »
Truman - thank you for sharing the details of that first meeting.  There's so much genuine feeling there.  You know, like Kelda, I've been telling you should write professionally for a long time.

Clarissa - And thank you for finding those quotes.  I love reading about the good times - it helps to alleviate the badness of this, albeit briefly.

I feel sad and would like to hear how you are all doing.  Since we are separated by distance, I can't just look across the room at you and sigh together.

I am OK for now.  I am trying to focus on work so I don't have it on my mind this weekend, but the concentration isn't coming easily.  I just want to get down there so we can be together.  I'm not usually one to yearn for Fridays, but this weekend really can't come soon enough.

Thank you for asking {{{{{Elle}}}}.
"Laß sein. Laß sein."

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: BetterMost member LoneLeeB3 passes away.
« Reply #389 on: August 02, 2010, 03:14:09 pm »
Elizabeth is on my mind and won't go away.  I don't have a lot of free funds right now (family stuff), but I hope to set up a regular deposit of a small amount weekly into that account.  We're going to see that she gets the education that her father would have wanted for her.  And I also want us to try to make her graduations - high school and college and any more schooling she decides embark upon.  I really hope it's possible to stay in touch with her, keep an eye on how she is.  People drift and I don't want to let that happen.

Tell you what. Already yesterday I started thinking that I hope her mother lets her continue to have contact with Gene and his boys, and with Rich's side of the family. I don't know anything about how her mother is now, but I remember how ... difficult ... she was about the divorce.  :-\

You have a good, caring heart, Lynne.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.