I Cried Today

Blessings to Johns family and to you Bigkidz, you obviously feel loss and a hole that you can fill with the memories of the time that John and you shared. It’s refreshing to see a post of this nature and I thank you for providing an opportunity to take pause and realize that our lives a brief moment on this earth. But eternity awaits us that choose to embrace it.

Thank you for sharing these kind words and emotions!!!

Thank you for taking the time to write and post that.

Good reminder for us not to be so selfish and to do something for someone else.

Thanks

Growing up, my uncle played jazz on the stereo in his workshop and in the car on trips to New England.

It’s a driver of my life-long love for music. A step on the journey to so many hours learning from you all about how to get better sound. Thank you for that.

My uncle died in 2015.

His dad taught woodworking to high schoolers. Supposedly the Adirondack Chair is his design, but that’s not confirmed. We have furniture he built all over the house. A bedroom set made of Wormy Chestnut that’s now extinct. I imagine him shaping the wood with his hand tools that are up in the attic now. Granddad died a year before I was born.

My dad died a few years ago. He always wanted to make things perfect. He got the best score in the country on the “hands” part of the entry exam to dental school. Such careful attention to the details. Rest in peace.

Lots of great thoughts from you all about what it all means. The quality of experience resonates with me. For my family too, I think. Being fully present with well reproduced music is part of that for me. Appreciate you all being a part, too.

My father just died yesterday at the age of 92. I grew up listening to his 78’s and I still love old jazz to this day.

Thank you.

@qjm101

my condolescences for your loss

we should all strive for a well lived life of 92 years

listening to music can bring back to us such fond memories and thoughts of loved ones, family, friends, great performers

it is truly the magic of what results from this little hobby of ours done right... frank sinatra or tony bennett, young, vigorous, so full of life, performing right in front of us...

be well

I’m coming in late on this thread, having read the Op’s message on the digest. I hope bigkidz sees this, since it’s a bit closer to what happened in his life.

My friend Dave lived in PA very close to the Mason-Dixon Line. An eclectic dude, one of his interests in life was music, including playing trumpet in a local band in the mid-sixties. During that period, still in high school, he built both the Dynaco PAS pre-amp and Stereo 70 amp kits. A few years later, we all danced in front of them in the early 70’s.

Fast forward to half a dozen years back. Advanced prostate cancer and fast weakening of his body. The Dynaco stuff sat on a shelf in his house, not having been powered on for 30 years. He had a “better” setup in the room, decent 2010’s mainline items. While helping to care for him at intervals, I convinced him to let me see if I could if I could get this important part of our earlier lives functioning again. I wanted most of all for him to hear the tunes close to the way we heard them in our twenties.

I sent the Dynaco items to Joe Curcio “The Dynaco Doctor “, out in Washington state. Joe made them better than they were in the first place. However,  I wasn’t quick enough. My friend Dave died before he could hear the sublime 60’s tube sound available to anyone with a soldering iron, the ability to follow directions, and the willingness to try something they’d never done.

I miss my friend, but I can still connect the Dynaco pair from time to time. They still sound great, and every track has just a little more feeling, if you know what I mean.

Beautiful moving story too .... Thanks to you and to the OP  ...

bigkidz

A nice tribute to John (R.I.P.). We all lose some one close to us from Cancer.

Happy Listening!

God be with you thanks for shering your story.

Thanks for sharing.

Thank you for the beautiful story and stirring tribute to a life well lived.  There are several things I love about being in the audio business.  The first, is that I am helping people bring music into their lives and into their homes.  Music is one of the most beautiful of God's gifts to us as humans.  Music has the power to heal, to lift, and to bring joy.  And the machines we purvey enrich our lives as a result.  Second, are the wonderful people I have met along the way.  Whether it's industry colleagues or customers, I have met folks who will forever be friends.  These individuals have been and will continue to be sources of inspiration and goodness.

Sure, high end audio products can cost a lot of money and could be considered as excess by some.  But if a person has the means, the passion, or the priority to obtain these technological marvels it can be a worthy place to put your hard-earned resources.  There are a lot worse things you could spend your money on!  I'm grateful every day for the blessing of music in my life.  And grateful for the machines that allow me to experience it.      

Thanks for sharing. Very moving and refreshing to the heart.

Yes, God is very good. 

Lovely post, may John's memory be a blessing to his family and friends, and thanks to you to everyone here as well :)

Beautiful story. Bless you so for sharing this.

It is good to share such thoughts/feelings. It gives more value and sense to our life. 

@bigkidz 

First class post. Thank you for sharing. 

Other responders, first class too for staying on the main topic of the sentiment expressed. Very refreshing. God bless to all. 

That gift will carry memories that his son will surely treasure for the rest of his life. 

Thanks for sharing that touching story.

What an amazing tribute. Thank you very much for sharing.

Finished cancer treatment in September. It's difficult to face. I can tell you first hand your care and compassion was appreciated facing the uncertainty.

I hope his son appreciates the pre amp

Thank you for sharing such a heartfelt story. 

Thank for sharing.

God Bless

Wow! What a great post.

I come on all these forums and read. I always feel like there is so much hatred towards each other and our differences. I just wanted to say it is very refreshing to read something like this. It takes away just a little of my anger towards humanity. We need a lot more like this.

May God rest his soul. And may the family have piece and lots of great memories. 

I wish this forum allowed 'likes' or 'thumbs-up'. This thread would get as many as I was allowed to give.

Thanks for a letting me share in your sadness, your joy and your love of music.

This is great! With all of the political and other divisions between us we are reminded that are all just trying to live the best life that we can. We are all part of the human family upon this iron rock hurtling through the universe. Godspeed John!

@bigkidz Thanks, I needed that.

Tuches me, personally ... because my plan is to leave my system to my two adult daughters when I say Sayanara!  

That's also the reason I've had to work so hard to aquire two of everything in my system. 

Ha ha ha ha 

What a cool experience, that you got to connect with that guy like that. That kind of stuff is what makes the world go around.

@qjm101 +1 on your great memories with your old man. Mine died two days before Thanksgiving last year at 86. He had such a good life, but boy was he ready to go.

I’m so grateful for the great memories.

Thank you for posting this, and caring. It says a lot about the the person you are.  God bless you both.

Lost my audio buddy 6 years ago.  Big loss I definitely understand. 

I’ve known bigkidz over 22 years, he called me and mentioned his post here.

I told him the biggest part of audio is "humanity and good memories"

He emphatically agreed amongst others here also.

Things in life can get taken for granted, not realizing when one day a person is gone, it’s forever 💔

His memory will be a blessing.