Originally Posted by Phaedrus

Hello, my nic is Phaedrus. If you look at my statistics you'll see I've been a long time member (registered in '03) but mostly a lurker. I love the site but my wilderness focus is more on minimalism, hiking, bushcraft and survival, and I don't get the chance to hunt as much as I would like.

A day ago my father passed away; he passed quietly, surrounded by his entire family. His health problems were legion, and over the last couple years he couldn't really get out to shoot and hunt as he did most of his life. The forums became a refuge; if he couldn't "do" he could still share a lifetime of skills and experiences. That sustained him in those dark times.

He was a titan to me, and he cast a long shadow on all that loved him. His loss will be felt as long as I draw breath. No man ever had a better friend and no child ever had a better father. He leaves the world darker and colder for his absence.

Dad was fixture here- I think he has in excess of 10k posts. But as I have 9 posts I don't even know his nic. My brother & I (both IT guys) have been combing his laptop for clues but there are no cookies for this site.

To know my dad was to love him. Everyone thinks their dad rocks, but luckily mine did! He has so many friends, and many here too if someone can help me.

I will go out on a very big limb and post a lot of private information. I must do this because his friends here must know he's gone. On many forums he went by utdjim. His Christian name was Jim Bab****. I am his son. My name is Robert Bab****.

When I post this, I hope you will recognize him and let me know. He has so many friends here, and they deserve to know of his passing . His last months were marked by infirmity and frustration, but his online friends gave him strength.

He lived in the Great Plains, hunted deer & antelope, was a crack marksmen as a wizard at the reloading bench. He forgot more about most things than I'll ever know. But that dwarfs his skills as a father.

A thousand of you must know my dad- please put a "nic" to his name so I can let his friends know of his passing.

Thank you for helping me put Dad's affairs in order.

Edit: Sadly, my Christian name is flagged as inappropriate/obscene. There's no work-around. My name is my name. I'll say it's Bab and a rooster (****). I hope this gets around the censors.

Double edit: WTF? Some pretty serious pron/spam filtering. Okay, our Christian last name is B a b c o c k. Sheesh...

Until someone can help me, I can only post this to my Dad. I hope I can live up to your expectations and make you proud. And I will not stand by your grave and weep- you're not in there. You're in my heart. You will live on in me so long as I draw breath.

I love you, Dad.



IMAGE#1 Do not stand by my grave and weep
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Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I do not die



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