bad, bad news about flaptale

[JohnR]

Cara, what Bruce and Ross have said.

Your father was extremely proud of you all and spoke admirably of you all the time. Thank you for sharing him with us.

[Backbeach Jake]

Know always that he loved his Family dearly, that he always included you in his conversations with me and spoke of you glowingly. He was so very proud of you.

[islander]

I didn't get on here yesterday, I'm in shock, Flap helped me so many times, with questions about plug building when I was starting out. We both shared a passion for a certain rock down along the islands. His post always made me smile. Thought and prayers for his entire family.

[BS4Shore]

I miss you Steve...Please Rest In Peace

Thank You for everything that I never had the chance to Thank You for.

[justplugit]

Cara and Deborah,
I am so sorry for your loss.
While this quote may not penetrate at this time, i have found it to be the truth with the passing of my Dad and other loved ones over the years:

"Those whom we love we remember; and those whom we remember are
always with us. The ties are never broken; the fellowship is
never ended.Those whom we love we cherish.They go with
us wherever we are. They live within our souls.
They follow us through the years, and they are never forgotten.
They are our constant companions: they strengthen us,guide us, correct us and inspire us.
They are invisible to our eyes, but they are with us, for the fellowship of the spirit depends not on our physical presence.
The spirit joins us across the miles, across the years, and across the chasm which separates life from death.
They are even CLOSER to us in death than in life- in a unity of spirit which is the essence of the completeness we call love. "

Sumner H. Gill 1979

May God bless you and your family and give you
the peace and strength to go through this.

[BasicPatrick]

I was in NC at a gathering of beach buggy organizations and while having morning coffee I got the call. Since that moment I have felt as if I got punched in the gut and can't catch my breath.

My condolences to the Steve's wife, daughters and the F-mob, the rest of us can only imagine the pain you are going through and please know our community is here for you in any way we can be.

Steve was truely one of the more honest amongst us, and that is a ver rare quality. I will miss him for a very long time.

[johnny ducketts]

I just found this out yesterday what a terrible shock, I really enjoyed my chats with Steve at plugfests, learning the history of surf fishing and about the plug builders here on the cape.
Rest in peace Steve, and my deepest condolences to the family.

[stiff tip]

This is Dave jr. This is gotta be the worst news eva I misss him very much myself, watching my father fall apart it sucks. My father an steve were very close My condolense to his family an friends.

[BassyiusMaximus]

Stifftip,

If this post helps, good, if it doesn't, I"ll absolutely have it deleted.

I had lost my BFF/Best Fishing Friend just last October. He was 36 and passed from a sudden stroke while he was playing hockey late last September. He was my roomate all through college and my absolute go-to buddy when it came to fishing. Sounds to me like Flaptail was your BFF.

My buddy was the first one, and oftentimes, the only one I'd call when it was time to go fish. He liked all kinds of fishing, like me, and he liked going out in any kind of weather, and I mean any kind of weather. The first winter of 2007/2008, when my boat was new, we went out fishing on the ocean once every month even when the highs were only in the upper 30's. Rain was nothing. Like you, I don't have anyone to replace him with, guys like that are irreplaceable. Irreplaceable.

I'm lucky in that earlier that summer, when I could not get us out fishing for most of the season, I shared with him in an email that I was glad he was my friend and how much I thought of him and valued his friendship, and he replied by thanking me and letting me know that it meant a lot to him. I'm fortunate because so, so many others, they did NOT get to mention this to him before he left. It is like when the question is asked, "What would you say to a loved one who has passed away if you could say anything?" It was about the only thing that helped me deal with the loss, it helped a little.

It is tough when all the stories, experiences and things that we shared together, and all the little details that he'd remember and that I've forgotten, that when he would bring them up, we'd get a tremendous laugh over them, for me, that is only some of the hardest part of him being gone since I forget so many things but it is the others who remember and help us fill in the blanks and oftentimes, the best parts of the story.

Pictures help too and I'm lucky that over the years I had taken pictures here and there and now they are about all I have that mean anything. Pictures sure are valuable. One of the most precious things I have from him is the RSVP for my wedding where he wrote his name. Odd how someones handwriting means more than anything else but that's the way it is for me. He passed away just 3 weeks before the wedding that I know he was looking forward to attending, he just missed it.

Please, I didn't/don't want this thread to be about me because it surely isn't or should not be. If you want it gone, please, anyone who has the power, please delete it. I just know that whenever I have read stories from others who have gone through the same thing, it has helped me and I just want to pass it on. Please forgive me if it is off-base as it was/is not my intention.

[Dad 818]

Originally Posted by Flaptail

Reading all of these posts has made me realize who my father was to the fishing community. It boggles my mind to see how much influence he had on so many people.He was such a great man who had such a deep passion , and the one thing that is consoling me right now is that I know fishing for my father was his outlet and how much he enjoyed sharing his knowlegde with everyone.He was such a great guy I LOVE AND MISS him to death. Reading these posts helps so much because it reinforces to me how kind and generous my father was to not only our family but everyone.I'm lost right now without him he knew the answer to everything ... I'd never thought I'd be writing this but to all that are effected by our loss keep on fishing.. keep my father's passion alive .. even if you don't catch anything the thrill and chase is the best part. One Father's day I sat down as a young girl while he was at work in the cellar.. trying to tie line around a hook with a piece of bucktail fur . The final result was horrible and bound to fall apart but there it still sits in his "office" in Cara's lure box. He was so happy that he had two daughters who could out fish any of the boys. Thank you all so much !! Miss you Dad - Cara Lauren and Deborah Shiraka

Thank you very much. I just kissed my kids as they lay sleeping in their beds one more time before I go to bed.

T&P's for your friends and family.