This is difficult to write.
Scary has passed away.
Perhaps it’s not totally surprising since he has been in such bad health for some time now. He has been hospitalized on a number of occasions recently, disappearing for small stretches from the RR3 radar screen, including on Saturday and Sunday.
And every time he went away, a bit of the fire went away as well.
But he always come back with a vengeance. And brought his inexhaustible well of passion with him.
Scary was a guy with deep-rooted opinions about baseball, music, religion, politics, football, war, drinking, society, government, movies, culture, food, cars, relationships, and everything else including the unu that has the best stats in the country right now. It would be a shame if they went to waste with no one to ride and explore the world with them. And he wasn’t afraid to share his opinions.
I have said on more than one occasion that a site like this is amazing because none of us knows one another, yet every day we come together to spend time talking. It’s trite to say, but true; we are a village. This thing we call the internet, and blogging, and posting, is anonymous. We don’t know one another at all, and never really will, other than through thoughts and conversations we post and share.
Yet when someone like Scary dies, it affects us deeply. This news has affected me deeply. I can say that in the year and I half I have been helming this site, he has become someone I truly looked forward to speaking with. He became a friend.
He spoke with us all day. Every day. Late into the night. Not everyone agreed with his opinions but you can never argue the guy didn’t have passion and wasn’t firmly anchored to his convictions.
A few months ago, after his stroke, and before he left the site briefly to fulfill some personal things, he wrote this to me in a Private Message:
“This site is big for people Kevin. Especially the older ones that are at home all day. It’s something to do…wet’s packing stories, Ruff’s music, Rowdy’s traveling, elk’s vision. Go Rangers daily things…..ladies like Flap, TD, BBf, Sandy….they can talk BB with anyone else…I would ask one thing of you if I could if it ever becomes too much please try and hand it off to someone who cares…..if I never say it again Thanks.”
And if I never said this to you, Scary: I loved you, man.
If there was one guy I would want in a foxhole with me, it would have been you. It would have, ironically, never been scary.
Wet will post more details as they become available from the family.
Ironically, this was his last post on this site:
“RIP Rusty Rose….Ranger pioneer. Thanks for the service to the Country and the Rangers.”
For now, rest in peace, Scary. Thanks for the service to the country and to RangersRouding3rd.
There goes half the posts on RR3.