Loss, Remembrance & Perspective

[Kevin Dill]

It seems at times that we deal with one loss after another. We've all heard about several recent notable people...good people...who've left us. Bill Krenz, Chris Surtees, Glenn St Charles, and of course the list could go on on and on. Chances are YOU'VE lost someone notable and important in your life sometime in the recent past. Chances also are, you're feeling it just a bit stronger these days.

The holidays often bring these losses back into our conciousness. I know when we sit down to our dinners, there are several beloved "empty chairs" in our minds. Maybe that's one of the good things about the holidays. As we gain in maturity, we also gain in perspective. We recognize that these missing people have given us far more than we've given to them. In a way, their deaths serve to make us better men and women. They have given to us their entire lifetimes, but losing them is often the very  lens that brings this into sharp focus.

Take a minute here. Post a picture in remembrance, and tell us a brief story about someone. Try to tie it to your traditional bowhunting pursuits somehow. Let's never forget!

My father died over 2-1/2 years ago. We spent much time together, but not enough either. He is 100% the reason I love the outdoor sporting life so much. He bought and hunted with an old red-glass Bear Polar back in the 60s. I still have that bow with me. He was by my side when I bought my first real recurve bow, arrows and accessories. I was 15 and had worked all summer to earn the money. Here is a picture of him taken in Arizona circa 1959 or so. He was an accomplished horseman, and participated in many rodeos. I love you Dad!
 

[Terry Green]

[limbow]

Yes, 2010 has been difficult. One loss after another for my family and friends. My Father passed away on July 4th of this year from a sudden and rare illness. Pictured below is our last hunt together, successful in many ways but more importantly a memory of a lifetime.
 

My dad looked forward to our Bow opener here in Michigan each year as it meant we would be spending time together in a setting we both cherished. The year I was born, 1970- My Mom purchased a Bear grizzly from the Bear Shop in Grayling near our cottage for my Dad. It now hangs on my bow rack-I can assure you I will be chasing whitetails next fall with it    Thanks Dad

[Leland]

This is a great post.
Leland

[J-dog]

No pictures of me and my Dad, lost him before all the digital cams and I do not have a scanner. He turned me loose in the outdoors though he did nto care to hunt himslef (after the wars he did not care to kill anymore). He did hunt in his youth, never with a bow as he thought bows were a waste of time and opportunity! Me I was infactuated with them and while he did not understand he supported; he grew up dirt poor and had to hunt alot for food. He went in to the Marines underaged and ended up going through Korea as a machine gunner, and then Vietnam as a Lt. He was a Marine to the day he passed and a tough one at that, he taught me alot on how to take adversity how to be strong mentally as well as physically. He would always tell me when I went through some hard times - "do it or die trying" I still live by that old saying as if he himself is saying it my ear.

I asked him many times if he thought he would die in the wars. He always said that "the Lord has a time and place for me to die, that is when I will die." He passed opening day bow season 96.

So is life, at some point our times will come and we will see our loved ones again as well as have the chance to watch over our loved ones that stay behind and carry on. I wish to stay with my family as long as the Lord allows but when my time comes I look foward to sitting down with my Dad and telling old stories of times past.

J

Great post - good memories.

[Owlgrowler]

Lost my brother John, the little guy on the left, in a 1989 construction accident when he was 39. He and brother Mike, the "hero" in this shot from 1961, were my bowhunting mentors. (Yeah, that's me in the background)
 
Hardly a day goes by without thinking of him still

[creekwood]

Kevin,
Is that your Mother's shadow in the picture taking the picture with one of those old Brownie box cameras? Cool photo for sure.  

[Kevin Dill]

You are precisely correct. One of the things I love about that picture her shadow. She was always somewhere nearby it seemed, and always backing us up in most of our pursuits. Thanks for catching that!

[stik&string]

I don't have any pictures, but I lost my Father in 2001. My Father introduced me to the outdoors and we experienced many great hunts together. My father was shooting a compound when I started bowhunting so it was natural for him to purchase me a wheelie when I began hunting. I had some sucess with the bow and my dad always seemed to have a reason as to why he wasn't successful. After a few years I asked him why he never took a shot at any animals with his bow and his reply was that he wasn't confident with the compound and from that point on he always vowed to take out the recurve and get back to "real hunting". Unfortunately the cancer prevented this from happening as he never got the chance. I continued hunting with a compound and gun but after a few seasons I lost my passion to hunt, in fact I decided to hang it up once and for all. Shortly after this decision my mother passed away and when going through her personal belongings I found my Father's recurve, which I never even knew was still around. I strung it up, took a few shots and instantly the passion was back. Now everytime I hunt I feel connected with nature and with my father.

[bro-n-arrow]

Just remembering my son lost him at 16 by careless drinking driver.

[Craig Schoneberg]

Lost my dad on October 1 of this year.  He introduced me to the outdoors at a very early age.  I think it was in 1970 when he tried his hand at bowhunting.  It never became a passion for him, but he was always interested in hearing about my hunts.

[reddogge]

I lost my Dad 15 years ago.  He wasn't a hunter or outdoorsman but did teach me to fish and supported my quirky hunting and outdoors activities growing up.  Here he is during the early days before the war when he worked for Glenn L. Martin Co in Middle River, MD in the cockpit of a plane (facing front) giving a demonstration.
   

[Rooselk]

Lost my mom and son in 2009. This year I lost my 16 year old granddaughter and a close friend of nearly 40 years. The pic above is of my granddaughter Vivian taken this past May at the Western States Traditional Rendezvous, one month before she passed away.

[YORNOC]

Rooselk, I'm not usually a very emotional guy. My heart goes out to you dealing with so much in such little time. The son, and then grandaughter hit me hard. I'm thankful for every damn second with my family.  No one should see children or grandchildren go before we do, but it is what it is. I wish you and everybody here extreme strength, and reason to deal with such tough circumstances. Don't know what else to say, I can't write what I feel.

[Marty]

My Mom passed Oct 29 and one of my sons went to jail 4 days later, within a week of that my daughter had a miscarriage. Tough time in my life. God knows- I don't. Always.

[Dirtybird]

My brother had passed away in 2006.  It has been by far the most troublesome thing for me to get over.  Since we were little kids we did everything together.  Hunting and fishing was are favorite activity as kids and carried on to a passion for us as adults.  He was one of those guys that just had a knack for where to set up on deer and turkeys.  There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of him.  I miss Jay!

[Rooselk]

YORNOCK, thank you so much for the thoughts and kind words. One of the tough things for me was that Vivian was the only child of my son who passed away last year. But I am very greatful for the amount of time I was able to spend with her in the year before she passed.

[Jmatt1957]

We lost my Brother to brain cancer on May 29th 2000. My Mother had a massive stroke and passed away on May 29 of this year. Very emotional Christmas for our family. You do what you can today and then try again tomorrow.

[Jim Keller]

I lost my Dad 4 years ago. He was the one who ignited the passion for the outdoors in me and especially bowhunting. He got me into shooting a bow as a kid( he was really into it and I wanted to do everything he did). This was before compounds. I have a lot of good memories of hunting and fishing with him. Thanks for this post.

[fishone]

Lost my Dad a year ago Dec. 10th, 2009. He just turned 87 a few days before he passed. I used to beg him to take me squirrel, rabbit, pheasant hunting and fishing. He sure got me started loving the outdoors. I sure do miss him!