Obituaries (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Butch
- Start date
mikebcurve
Nitro Member
That’s why I love it when people visit here and share stories from their life in drag racing. Priceless!
Under_Pressure
Nitro Member
Drag racing is hitting that time where this happens- the formative years of the sport were 60-70+ years ago, and the glory years were 45-55 years ago. Figure that most of the best known people involved were in their 20s and 30s back then and, well, the math catches up to us all. Suddenly people we have been used to having around as long as the sport existed are no longer there.
stitcherbob
Nitro Member
Hope the beneficial nitro fumes cancel out what the beer and cigarettes did...amazing that there are still some here that ran (allegedly....) hydrazine 
glofria
Nitro Member
From Steve Gibbs last week.
Earlier today I posted a list of only folks that passed away between the 2019 reunions and now.
Following is the updated 2019-2020 list:
COMBINED 2019-2020 TWILIGHT MEMORIAL
John Andretti; Ed Ballinger, Bill Blomgren; Jimmy Boyd; Louie Brewster; Sonny Bryant; Mel Bryson; Carol “Bunny” Burkett; Bill Carter; Terry Caulfield; Gary Clapshaw; Don Cook; Ron Craft; Jack Ditmars; Bill Doner; Jim Edmunds; Larry Fisher; Leon Fitzgerald; Bruce Flanders; Tom Frye; Ed Garlits; Woody Gilmore; Chuck Goebel; Ben Griffin; Fred Hagen; Barbara Hamilton; Tom Hanna; Jack Harris; Henry Harrison; Frank Hedge; Bonnis Herd; Phil Hobbs; Gordon Jenner; Lee Jennings; Don Johnson; John Kimble; Joe Koenig; Mike Kuhl; Eric Lane; Dan Lee; Ron Leek; Ron Logghe; Ruth McMurtry; Bobby Malone; Bill Marcel; Al “Mousie” Marcellus; Bill Middaugh; Orah Mae Millar; Billy “Bones” Miller; “Diamond” Dave Miller; Chris Nance; Ron Nunes; Ed Osepian; John Petrie; Al Provoast; Johnny Rocca; K.Y. Rogers; Barb Santucci; Bernie Schacker; Walt Schrank; Bob Shahan; H.L. Shahan; Bill Simpson; Glenn Solano; Mike Soskin; Ron Sterbenk; Eves Tall-Chief; Bobby Tapia; Jess VanDeventer; Dick Weinle; Rich Welch; Walt Weney; Johnny White; Dennis Winkel; Darrell Zimmerman.
Earlier today I posted a list of only folks that passed away between the 2019 reunions and now.
Following is the updated 2019-2020 list:
COMBINED 2019-2020 TWILIGHT MEMORIAL
John Andretti; Ed Ballinger, Bill Blomgren; Jimmy Boyd; Louie Brewster; Sonny Bryant; Mel Bryson; Carol “Bunny” Burkett; Bill Carter; Terry Caulfield; Gary Clapshaw; Don Cook; Ron Craft; Jack Ditmars; Bill Doner; Jim Edmunds; Larry Fisher; Leon Fitzgerald; Bruce Flanders; Tom Frye; Ed Garlits; Woody Gilmore; Chuck Goebel; Ben Griffin; Fred Hagen; Barbara Hamilton; Tom Hanna; Jack Harris; Henry Harrison; Frank Hedge; Bonnis Herd; Phil Hobbs; Gordon Jenner; Lee Jennings; Don Johnson; John Kimble; Joe Koenig; Mike Kuhl; Eric Lane; Dan Lee; Ron Leek; Ron Logghe; Ruth McMurtry; Bobby Malone; Bill Marcel; Al “Mousie” Marcellus; Bill Middaugh; Orah Mae Millar; Billy “Bones” Miller; “Diamond” Dave Miller; Chris Nance; Ron Nunes; Ed Osepian; John Petrie; Al Provoast; Johnny Rocca; K.Y. Rogers; Barb Santucci; Bernie Schacker; Walt Schrank; Bob Shahan; H.L. Shahan; Bill Simpson; Glenn Solano; Mike Soskin; Ron Sterbenk; Eves Tall-Chief; Bobby Tapia; Jess VanDeventer; Dick Weinle; Rich Welch; Walt Weney; Johnny White; Dennis Winkel; Darrell Zimmerman.
Add Bo Laws to the list.
I graduated from Glendale High School (Glendale, Calif) in 1964. For years we had a web site & there was a list of those who had passed. I think there were about 500 of us that graduated & now over 100 that have passed. First one was a senior who was killed on his Vespa (little motor bike) before we graduated. In our yearbook, his picture had a black box around it. First taste of death for most of us, I think. Lot of us went into the military after high school. Some went to Nam & never came back. Death is part of life but never easy to accept. I am glad that God is in my life because it gives me the strength to keep going, especially as I get older.
BJ Graham as well.
SundayNiagara
Nitro Member
Woodro Josey. 
That's quite a sobering list from Steve Gibbs, as it is every year. I did not know that Tom Hanna had died this year. Probably the greatest fabricator of dragster bodies of the 1960's and early 1970's who was largely responsible for the bitchin, classic look of those dragsters that we all love so much.
glofria
Nitro Member
Hey Gino, we lost Art Foster here in Santa Maria too. In January.
Really awesome guy.
Yes, Paul I knew that. we haven't kept up, but I have made a few trips to Santa Maria regarding our project which will be known as the California Youth Vocational Training and Recreational Center. The automotive training facility will be named after Art. This COVID stuff has caused us to move on the slow side, but we're moving forward. I'll be back up there before the end of the year for another round of meetings.
Jon, it was just last week that Tom Hanna passed away. Yes, he built some of the best bodies to grace a dragster.
BlueStangGT
Nitro Member
I just found out about this a couple of weeks ago. His youngest son and I have been friends since grade school but haven’t seen each other in a year or so. I called to catch up with him and he informed me of his father’s passing. The Boyds were always very gracious to me and were also my introduction to drag racing. They took me to the drag boat races in OKC in about ‘74 or so and I was hooked! A brilliant, self-taught machinist and engine builder for whom I’ll always be grateful to have known. RIP Louis Boyd.
Dang, Gibbs’ list is a veritable “who’s who” of drag racing. And that’s just a year’s worth of racers who have gone to glory.
It’s bad enough when it’s people who you’ve read about and followed over the years.
It really sucks to see the name, or names, of someone known to you personally.
It’s bad enough when it’s people who you’ve read about and followed over the years.
It really sucks to see the name, or names, of someone known to you personally.
Marc, When did George pass?George Etterman too
