I received word today that ewood27 died very suddenly and painlessly of a massive heart attack. He was my friend, kindly and generous. I will miss him a great deal. He was a very sincere Christian, and did not post in the religion threads because of his great respect for his faith. He looked forward to being reunited with his beloved wife who died several years ago. He is survived by his much-loved daughter. If any of you want to post here, I will direct her to these threads. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 01-22-05, 02:06 PM juanruiz Oh wow. While we did not have much contact over the years, I remember his posts very well. Please convey my deepest sympathies to his family.
01-22-05, 04:48 PM VivienneHa I am shocked and truly saddened by the news of Davids sudden death. I have always enjoyed reading his posts, he was a great asset to AnswerPool and will be hugely missed. My deepest sympathy to his family. Viv
01-22-05, 06:45 PM honilov I am very sorry to hear of his death. His family has my deepest sympathy.
01-22-05, 06:55 PM Karrow I too am deeply shocked and saddened by the news of David's sudden death. I saw him on the site only the other day and know his absence will be a great loss to all the members. His answers were always very helpful and well thought out.
I corresponded occasionally with David as he knew the area where I live from his pilot days, and found him to be a very genuine and warm person; a true gentleman.
My sincere condolences to his family.
Kath
01-22-05, 07:43 PM Tree Such shocking news. My heart goes out to his daughter. I hope she can find some peace in knowing that he will be reunited with his loving wife.
01-22-05, 07:45 PM Phaedra I'm very sorry to hear this and send my deepest sympathy to his family.
Two years ago I asked a question about tracing my family history and Ewood27 posted a very helpful answer. He also told me to e-mail him and he would help me further, which I did. He was a very kind man.
01-22-05, 08:18 PM Kelleygirl Yes, I remember many of his posts and he will be greatly missed. I am glad to have known him through AP; my thoughts are with him and his family.
01-22-05, 09:51 PM Gin I am so sadden to hear of his passing...My thoughs and prayers are with his family, especially his daughter.
01-23-05, 05:20 AM Jenny Roberts Terrible news. David corresponded quite regularly with me about various things. We had a shared interest in the 'Queen Mary' liner which David visited on holiday a couple of years ago. When I went to California last year, he gave me some great hints and tips about the weather etc and places not to be missed and sent me some digital photos of the Queen Mary.
My sincere condolences go out to his family.
01-23-05, 07:22 AM shelster My sympathy to his family. You will be in my thoughts and prayers through this awful time.
01-23-05, 08:26 AM gizmogram I was greatly saddened to learn of Davids death. Although we only corresponded for a short time in regard to a US holiday to the west coast that his daughter was taking (I believe), the email communications were obviously from a genuinely nice person, and I always looked forward to seeing his posts in Jeeves and AP.
The members of the sites he frequented are privileged to have had such a person among their ranks. He'll be sorely missed. Frown My sincere condolonces to his family.
01-23-05, 12:06 PM clarebear Your dad was a great man. He helped so many people and had a big heart. He will really be missed. Frown
My sincere condolences to his family.
01-23-05, 12:07 PM Sherasi David was a valued member of this site and good friend to many people. I will miss him very much. God Bless you David, I am sure you are in a place busily answering questions.. excellantly as per your wont.
01-23-05, 01:57 PM jusork Frown
Thanks for all your help, Ewood.
01-23-05, 07:16 PM MsSueM I didn't have any personal interaction with Ewood at AnswerPool, but I noticed his posts and thought he was a very polite, intelligent, and helpful person. His contributions will be missed. My condolences to his daughter; may you remember your father fondly and know that he was much appreciated by this Internet community.
01-24-05, 02:00 AM puppyblues Frown This is such a shock. David was a terrific man. There were a few times that I was down and he could tell by my posts...and each time, there would be an email for me from him, helping me, giving some much needed advice and just someone to talk too.
He's going to be missed so much. My deepest sympathies to his family. Frown
*save a spot for me on the deep end, David* Cool
Rest in peace, my friend.
01-24-05, 05:38 AM Dwight I will miss Ewood27 (David). We shared an interest in both aviation and computers and I enjoyed seeing his posts and felt that I knew him.
Rest in peace David.
Dwight
01-25-05, 07:58 AM Bibleman At a time when someone has passed from the scene, several feelings may hit us: Our helplessness at the situation; Our own mortality; questions about why it happened; questions about any hope for the the one who is no longer with us. The Bible offers a true hope for the future. To read some of the Bible Texts That Offer Comfort, click here.
01-28-05, 01:03 PM doñadiana I was very surprised to see the Ewood27 is online today (Jan.28, 2005). Perhaps some relative or friend will be posting a message about him under his name.
DD
01-28-05, 03:34 PM babthrower We have lost a friend I don't see a message with today's date. The last I see was posted in December. Or perhaps the search engine made an error.
01-28-05, 04:38 PM Karrow I think DD meant that she saw the name "Ewood27" in the Online Now box. I have checked, and someone did access the site using his name today but they didn't post. Perhaps his daughter was checking this thread?
01-29-05, 12:03 AM babthrower I think this is very likely the case, Karrow. Ewood's daughter did say that she was e-mailing his regualar correspondents and so forth, so it is likely she used his pen name to access this site. I had mentioned to her that some members had paid tribute to him here. I see now that this was very insensitive of me; she probably would like to know that his contibutions here were appreciated, but would not like to feel that I was intruding upon his privacy or her personal grief.
If I have offended anyone I sincerely apologize. My original post was motivated by my sense that I had lost a friend -- we all had. It was not my intention to cause anyone pain.
01-31-05, 04:43 PM Karrow Babs, I don't understand. How have you offended anyone or caused them pain? I don't think that you have been insensitive or intruded on anyone's grief!
We were grateful to you for letting us know the sad news about David. He was a well respected member as the posts in this thread have shown. I hope that it has comforted his daughter to know he was held in such high regard, and so well liked, here at AnswerPool.
01-31-05, 06:26 PM babthrower I guess I was just reacting. I've heard from his daughter since and it's okay, she wasn't upset.
It's so sad. David is being buried today and his daughter was preparing the eulogy and came online to check the posts (which I had told her about). But she had trouble finding them, and so I copied them and emailed them to her. I also asked her permission to post David's picture but she has not answered me yet. I'll wait to hear from her. She has so much on her mind right now, David's wonderful dog who was so devoted to him and never wanted to be separated from him, all the household items, etc., etc. Everything needs to be gone through. Any one who has ever been the executor of a loved one's estate knows what this is like. You know you must discard things, but you can't decide, because of the memories. And so forth.
I just thought if I had not posted in the first place there might not have been any confusion about what was going on with ewood's being online.
But as it happens no harm was done.
02-01-05, 11:42 AM babthrower David's daughter Karen has emailed us.
"WOW! I was speechless and in tears when I finally managed to read all the wonderful tributes from my father's Answerpool 'friends'. When I read his diary I find casual references to him 'surfing the Net' of an evening but it's now pretty evident that he was not just idly surfing but putting a lot of time and thought into his answers.
I did finally manage to write a tribute to him to be read at his funeral yesterday, which I think went down quite well (and apologies for not replying to your mail sooner but that had to take priority). I will try to attach a copy to this mail and hope that you will be able to read it.
Please feel free to upload his picture on Answerpool if you wish; I do not have a problem with that. Also if you can read the tribute I wrote you may want to upload that, too. In any case I have a BIG favour to ask you. Since I do not know how to use Answerpool and it would obviously be a mistake for me to log on to the site again under my father's log-on, I was wondering if you could please send a reply to all his 'friends' on my behalf. Something along the lines of “I thank them all very much for their kind thoughts and it is a source of comfort to me to know how well regarded he was by the internet community and how much he will be missed.” Do you think that will be enough or should I say more?
Well I have to go and finish my packing now as Mark (my husband) and I are moving back to our own house today. Soda went to his new home on Sunday and probably thinks he's in heaven - steak for dinner, sausages and toast for breakfast, walks on the golf course etc. Lucky hound! I will probably visit him at the weekend to make sure he's happy but it sounds like he wouldn't want to come home with me now anyway! I will be back at Dad's house tomorrow and probably quite a lot over the next 2 or 3 months as there is a lot to sort out so I will keep an eye on mails for as long as ntl allow.
Bye for now, Karen" ********************************************** Here is the URL for David’s picture, taken in Mallaig in September 2004. You see he is proudly wearing his ‘pilot’s ‘ tie. The design is little propellors. It’s the counterpart of the regimental tie, I think.
Here is the tribute Karen read before David’s burial.
"Tribute to David
David lived life to the full. He may not have given the impression of ‘living life in the fast lane’ but he had lots of passions and hobbies which filled his time. His major passion throughout his life was aircraft; at 18 he joined the RAF for 8 years and qualified as a pilot. On leaving the RAF he qualified as a civil airline pilot and spent most of his career with BEA (now British Airways) and was promoted to the rank of Captain in 1973.
During his time in the RAF he met and married his beloved wife, Freda, and a few short years later his daughter arrived on the scene.
After he retired from his flying career he had more time to pursue his other hobbies which included reading, photography and tracing his family history. He also set up his own word-processing business, working from home.
He was very loving and loyal when his wife, Freda, fell ill with a progressively degenerative disease, nursing her and caring for her at home for as long as possible, despite not being in the best of health himself. But that’s the man he was. Sadly Freda passed away almost 4 ½ years ago.
Even then, David kept himself busy. He still maintained his passion for aircraft and was a member of a local flying club. He also adopted a young puppy and spent many hours on the internet, posting answers to other people’s questions. The tributes to him from his internet ‘friends’ have been amazing; he will be sorely missed.
The qualities we will remember him by include:
· He was a very loving husband and father. · He was very kind and polite; a true gentleman. · He was modest about his achievements. · He was very well-read and knowledgeable on a lot of subjects. · He was a good friend and liked to help people. · He had a good sense of humour and knew many entertaining stories.
He will be sorely missed."
********************************************** I'm sure you'll be glad to know that your tributes gave Karen some comfort.
And the final piece of unfinished business, David’s lovely faithful dog Soda, has been very well seen to as well.
02-02-05, 06:47 AM Karrow Thanks for posting that Babs. It is nice to know that the posts here were a comfort to Karen, and that they showed her how well liked and respected David was.
And thanks for the update on Soda. As you know I was concerned about what was happening to him. David thought the world of his dog and would be happy to know that a good home has been found.
02-02-05, 01:23 PM babthrower Here's a wonderful photo of Soda.
I must share this one last thing with you. The explanation of the photo is this:
The dog would lie across this doorway and ignore David's requests, commands, etc., that he get out of the way. Then David would open the door, in the process sliding the dog across the linoleum. Of course the dog thought this was wonderful. You can see by the way the dog is staring straight ahead (but perhaps with some peripheral vision at work) that he sees David, and knows what he wants, but won't do it. He wants to be slid.
02-02-05, 03:39 PM doñadiana Thank you for sharing that with us. At the same time it is sad to think how much Soda will miss his master. Were you neighbors? Ewood always seemed so civilized and pleasant although I didn't have that much occasion to run across his posts as the areas that I post in are not noted for being civilized and pleasant. Give my condolences to his daughter.
DD 02-02-05, 10:43 PM babthrower No, David lived in a town not far from London, England, and I live on Canada's west coast. In summer 2002 I posted a question on Answerbank, a U.K. site a bit similar to Answerpool. As I recall my question had to do with my planned trip which I made in September-October of 2004.
David answered it, and offered further help, giving me his e-mail address. We began chatting, and found we had lots of common interests and a similar sense of humor. Pretty soon we were e-mailing daily, and sending pictures of our families and animals and property and special events and so forth. For example, when David and Karen and her husband went to California and Arizona, I invited them to stay here for a few days. But their schedule didn't permit. But David sent some wonderful pictures, and actually I enlarged one, and made it into a lampshade! http://home.ripway.com/2005-1/244389/lamp6.jpg
So naturally when my cousin and I finally went to the U.K., David joined us for the train trip from Glasgow to Mallaig, 'the Road to the Isles', famous for its beauty. He at first planned to spend a couple of days on Eigg with us, but he had just been to his timeshare in Torquay for a week, and had Soda in boarding; and he just couldn't bring himself to leave Soda in boarding longer. This sort of kindness was typical of him.
And in Mallaig, Rita took his picture, which I have posted above. Karen was happy about that, because it was more recent than any of hers, and showed him in his favorite 'regimental' tie, which she had already selected for his funeral.
I can cound on the fingers of one hand the friends (as opposed to acquaintances) I have had in my life. David was one of them.
02-02-05, 10:52 PM juanruiz Babs,
You have given a wonderful example of the possibilites for friendship over the internet. Thank you. It is too bad that not all relationships were of such a positive note as yours.
02-03-05, 12:35 PM babthrower Here is Karen’s picture, with Soda. Lucky dog, don’t you think, Karrow, to have seven cakes on his third birthday? He's got 'devil eyes', too, and his nickname is 'little devil'.
You’re right, JR, the internet gives us a chance to make freindships, especially those of us who, like my husband and I, live in small communities or remote areas. The people in the nearby town are exceptionally pleasant and agreeable, but it takes more than that to forge a friendship.
Another ‘typically David ‘ story:
I remember now that I had posted to Answerbank to get the address of a U.K. post office (any one would do) so I could buy some U.K. stamps so that I could send out my inquiries with s.a.s.e.’s enclosed. I hoped this would enhance my chances of getting replies.
David offered to send me some, and when I received them and asked him what I owed him, he refused payment, saying that the amount was too trivial to bother with. So I mailed him a humorous book, The Diary of a Nobody, by G. and W. Grossmith, which purports to be the diary of a Victorian gentleman named Mr. Pooter. But you can’t get ahead of David. Some months later, out of the blue, I received a book from him, Now We Are Sixty , by Christohper Matthew, which is a take-off on the writings of A.A. Milne, but for the wrinklier end of the human spectrum. As it happens, my daughter, her husband, and their children were visiting. That evening, her husband read the entire book aloud to us: he had read aloud to his children everything A.A. Milne had ever written, you see, so he was well qualified to read it with the proper interpretation. What a hilarious evening we spent!
Those memories are the kind of legacy left by someone like David.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: DorianGreyed,
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