Just joined? Please introduce yourself.
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 14

Thread: Losing a good friend..

  1. #1
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011

    Member #:115
    Location
    Fort Collins, CO
    Posts
    10,835

    Losing a good friend..

    Some of you may recall a post I made last year about my friend Dale, and his 55 Chevy sedan. I have known Dale since junior high, and he's had his 55 since that time. We were pretty good friends in high school, and were both interested in cars. At the time his car was a gasser, with a 36 plymouth straight axle. I loved the look.

    We lost contact with each other for years after graduating, and I would see him every reunion and chat a little. Two years ago we talked again at our class reunion and Dale seemed to be doing well. A few months later, somehow we contacted each other again and began discussing my new shop addition. Dale is a contractor, so he offered to help me. He came by with his 55 one day, and opened the hood for me....under it sat a Duramax diesel and Allison transmission out of a Silverado truck. He had it tuned to some ungodly torque and took me for a ride in it. It has a C3 Corvette rear that held up fine, and he said I was all smiles riding in it.

    I found out when he came over that Dale just completed surgery and chemotherapy for throat cancer. He was still weak, but he worked hard helping me build the shop. It seemed like he was recovering well last summer, but I just learned this spring that the cancer came back. It went into his bones, and they gave him 3-6 months. I went to see him a couple weeks ago, and he was really weak, and depressed.

    Here's a video of his "last ride" in his '55. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foOLcD9v3zM

    I don't know how long Dale has left, but it really makes you think about your life and how fast things can change.

    Dale always said "we all end up in the same place", so it kinda hits home. I just lost my Dad in February of this year due to dumbass doctors bungling his medical care, so it was a double shock for me. Neither of these two guys was ready to go yet.

    Here's Dale's car...also see the video above.


    20110808_0227.jpg 20110808_0228.jpg
    56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension


    Other vehicles:

    56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
    56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    1962 327/340HP Corvette
    1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
    2001 Porsche Boxster S
    2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
    2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax

  2. #2
    Registered Member BAM55's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2012

    Member #:524
    Location
    Inglewood, CA
    Posts
    658
    Sorry to hear about your buddy. The hardest thing in life is dealing with the lost of a loved one. Its great that you went to visit him I lost a buddy a couple of years ago and I put off going to see him and by the time I was ready he was gone. Its one of my biggest regrets. Its great that you went to see him.

  3. #3
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011

    Member #:115
    Location
    Fort Collins, CO
    Posts
    10,835
    Yeah Bam, I was afraid I missed him too. I didn't know he was so bad after the last time I talked to him early in the year. I got a message from his mom in May telling me they were having a "celebrate Dale" party on June 2, but she didn't tell me what was going on. I replied and asked about it and she said that in March his hip started hurting, so he went to see the doctor. That's when they discovered the cancer went into his bones...she told me they gave him 3-6 months. I wasn't able to go to the party because I was out of town, and I thought she meant that 3-6 months was from when she contacted me, so I figured I had plenty of time to go see him. When I told her I wanted to come over, I found out how bad he really was. He was in bed at home under hospice care. That was a couple weeks ago, and I believe the video was from June 2nd....that's why they called it his "last ride" in the 55. He was a lot worse than in the video when I saw him. I told him "see you later" when I left because he always told me "we all end up in the same place".
    56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension


    Other vehicles:

    56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
    56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    1962 327/340HP Corvette
    1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
    2001 Porsche Boxster S
    2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
    2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax

  4. #4
    Registered Member BAM55's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2012

    Member #:524
    Location
    Inglewood, CA
    Posts
    658
    Man there are no words. I hate to see or even hear about people suffering. Every time I pass by my buddys house or even the hospital he was in I feel guilty and selfish taking too long to visit him. All I can tell you is, that you will always be grateful that you took the time to see him and I'm sure it meant the world to him.
    Last edited by BAM55; 07-11-2013 at 08:40 PM.

  5. #5
    Registered Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2012

    Member #:571
    Posts
    4,671
    I don't know how old most of the guys on this board are, but most 55-57 guys aren't young, typically in our late 50s or somewhere in our 60s.

    What that means is that we're losing our parents and other relatives, as well as our friends, coworkers, and acquaintances far more frequently than in our past years.

    That's a tough deal, and each of us should appreciate and spend quality time with our relatives and friends while they are still well, as well as when they are ill. Things can change quickly.

  6. #6
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011

    Member #:115
    Location
    Fort Collins, CO
    Posts
    10,835
    Just found out that Dale passed on July 1, five days after I went to see him. Sure glad I got to talk to him one more time. RIP.
    56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension


    Other vehicles:

    56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
    56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    1962 327/340HP Corvette
    1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
    2001 Porsche Boxster S
    2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
    2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax

  7. #7
    Registered Member carls 56 (RIP 11/24/2021)'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2011

    Member #:33
    Location
    Culpeper, Va.
    Posts
    1,857
    sorry about dale, prayers sent. my sig says the way I feel.
    ARMY NAM VET, very proud!

    56 210 4dr

    drive and enjoy them while you work on them, life is to short.

  8. #8
    Registered Member NickP's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2012

    Member #:1653
    Location
    De Queen, AR
    Posts
    4,157
    "A loved one is a treasure of the heart and to lose a loved one is like losing a piece of yourself.But the love that this person brought you...did not leave, for the essence of the soul lingers.It cannot escape your heart, for it has been there forever. Cling to the memories and let them find their way to heal you.The love and laughter, the joy in the togetherness you shared...will make you strong.You'll come to realize that your time together, no matter how long, was meant to be,and that you were blessed to have such a precious gift of love in your life. Keep your heart beating with the loving memories and trust in your faith to guide you through. Know that though life moves on...the beauty of love stays behind to surround and embrace you.Your loved one has left you that...to hold in your heart forever." ~ Debbie Burton-Peddle

  9. #9
    Registered Member Run-em's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2012

    Member #:226
    Location
    Dallas, TEXAS
    Posts
    652
    Nick, just beautiful. We need to remember that. And Laszlo, sorry about your buddy. We all need to take time to care for our friends.

  10. #10
    Administrator 567chevys's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010

    Member #:3
    Location
    Woodland Washington
    Posts
    2,413
    Very Nice Nick ,

    Sorry for you buddy , Life goes by so fast !!
    My daughter is just 22 and her and her boyfreind just drove from Kelso,Wa to Fort Lauderdale to get my Race car I bought ,
    Her saying is live today like there is no tomarrow and sometimes I belive that !!

    1955 2 DR Post
    1937 Chevy Coupe
    2023 Ford Super Duty F350 TREMOR
    2019 Corvette Z06
    1955 Chevy Nomad
    1935 Ford 2dr Slant back I have 4

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •