Buddy's (R.I.P.) (Almost) B&C Bear
 

This ones for Shultzy and other bear fanatics or for lost loved ones...

One of my best friends, Tim, passed away on 1/7/07 from cancer @ the age of 42.

He left two beautiful girls, Sammy (11) & Alex (13) and a very special wife named Cheryl.
He was a special man with a great following of friends and of course his wonderful family.
He grew up as small town boy (southern NH) where all knew him well,
as Tim was a great musician and the lead singer to a band called "Fine Pitch".

To me he was a fellow hunter / snowmobiler / fisherman and all-around, always there for you FRIEND!
We spent our times together in nature, along with the family birthday parties or just going for a beer too shoot the breeze.
I have known him and his family for over 25 years.
To give you an idea how this gentleman affected this small town is Tim's funeral had over 450 attendees!

The story behind this picture was inspired by Steve and one of his replies to me on a different post about 6 months back.
~ Steve mentioned that "it would be a tribute to my friend if I were to get his Bear into the book" and the first step has
been accomplished with an official P&Y score of 19 2/16. Unfortunately, it falls short for the B&C minimum of 20".

The hunt was a fluke, as Tim went to the "Big E Sportsman" show in Springfield, MA. As Tim was passing a booth for a
raffle to go on a Bear hunt, he stopped and paid his $5. A week later, he got the call from the outfitter telling Tim he had
WON the hunt! To say the least, Tim was excited, as we can all imagine. The special part about this hunt, is that Tim was
going through Chemo Therapy, in which he had to fly to Cleavland for his treatments for 6 week stretches, as this was the
only Hospital in the country with this "new" technology. He had been given a terminal death sentence with only a short
period of time to live. He proved them all wrong and he lived an extra year to go on this hunt, and more importantly, to
spend time with his family and friends. He was a tough man @ 6 feet tall and 260 pounds, in which my nick-name
for Tim was "Dozer".

Tim picked his hunt date and he told me of the "shear excitement" and the chase with the dogs. They cut a huge track in
a corn field where the Bear was eating. He said the adrenaline was intense, as he could see where the Bear devoured the
corn cobs and had saliva tossed everywhere from it's aggressive feeding. They ran the dogs for over 1 mile, until they
treed the Bear. The guide then suggested shooting him in the neck with his .35 Marlin, and then said he would be
ready if the Bear hit the ground alive for a follow up shot! I can imagine Tim's eye's where the size of grapefruits,
as Tim was a bit of a "Sheila" when it came to stuff like this. When it was all said and done, the one shot had taken this
14.5 year old Bear down. It just so happened that a NH biologist was with them and he aged the big Bear on the spot.
They all stood around this large black Bear in amazement, and I can only imagine what was going through my dieing
friends mind. To hear Tim tell the story was priceless and is forever embedded in my mind.

The world is NOT a better place without him here, I can only hope Tim is Happy,
because I can speak for many, many people, that we are not!
Such as life and this leads to the old saying "live for today but plan for tomorrow".

RE: Buddy's (R.I.P.) P&Y Bear
 

This is the place for his picture, along with the measurements of the Bear

RE: Buddy's (R.I.P.) P&Y Bear
 

Lastly, a frame I made for Tim once we got the bad news,
as a tribute to our many years of upland bird hunting at camp.
Note the lower center picture, it was Tim's first Grouse ever,
as he started hunting in his mid 20's.

RE: Buddy's (R.I.P.) P&Y Bear
 

Wow, that made the hair stand up on the back of my neck there Ed and a lump In my throat. You my friend are something special, Tim was a lucky man also to be surrounded by such good folk as yourself. I stand by what I said to you earlier when I said It, what a tribute this Is. It really shows the man you are Ed, my hats off to you.

Rest In piece Tim, you are truly missed by many and for me not knowing a thing about you, you have my utmost respect. Congratulation's to you Tim on your bear, I'm sure your looking! God bless to your family as well Tim.

Well done and said Ed.:)

RE: Buddy's (R.I.P.) P&Y Bear
 

Thanks Steve, your a man of remarkable words and wisdom for your young life. A true man!

Sorry for the extra pics, but Tim is the guy on the left, same year (2005) when he got his Bear and before he got really sick...

RE: Buddy's (R.I.P.) P&Y Bear
 

Tim's on left again, months before passing, getting skinny.
Cancer has no boundaries and is a disgusting way to die.[>:]
I also watched my Dad pass in 1993 @ the age of 51 from cancer.:(
Along with a few more aged 36, 46 and not to mention the many older folks I knew.
So please take care of yourselves one never knows.[&o]

RE: Buddy's (R.I.P.) P&Y Bear
 

UPDATE...
I presented this plaque to Tim's wife Cheryl and words can't describe the hollow feeling we all felt for a few minutes...
After the fact we all reminisced and laughed at Tim's ways of life, as he was a true character!

RE: Buddy's (R.I.P.) P&Y Bear
 

That is an incredible story Ed.

I am sorry for the loss that you, his family, and his many friends had to endure, but it seems as though you all were lucky indeed to know him. Too bad there is one less man like that blessing this world with their presence.

RE: Buddy's (R.I.P.) P&Y Bear
 

Thanks for sharing the pics. and story. It seems that we all have our close knit ring of "best" friends that we hunt with every year, and when one of those close friends leaves us, there lies a large empty spot in our hearts. The best we can do is share those memorys with others, to let them have a small glimpse of what we have lost, and you have shown us, in thispost and pics.along withthis story, that Tim was a large part of your life.Sorry to read that he has left this world so early in life, but I am glad tofeel that you are doing well in keeping his memory alive.
Good post!!

RE: Buddy's (R.I.P.) P&Y Bear
 

It's a great thing that you've done for your friend Ed. You're to be commended for that!My Mom, (God rest her soul)used to tell me that if you count on three fingers the number of "real/true friends" that you have, you're very lucky! You were the kind of friend to your buddy that my mom was referring to.:)