Candlelight vigil for Techman.

I’ve interacted with the guy for years now on tbbs and wf and for long periods I thought he was a stubborn, stupid, pain in the arse. However, over the last year or so our relationship had changed and there was a new respect building. Not only that, but I started to really enjoy his blunt points of view. I think it’s a sad day for WF loosing one of it’s old guard, and techman, I’ll miss your posts and opinions.





:bigstall:

We didn't see eye to eye very often but... damn

RIP Tom. You were always there and yes, even though we never met in person, this feels like losing a real life friend.

You guys are making me cry all over again.

Fair winds and following seas, Tom.

The smiley was the first to be named after a poster btw. He always used it when WF started out and that was the basis for the idea of user-named smileys

Honor it.

God bless your memory and your family, Techman. We'll miss you.

Damn, I'm actually going to miss him

Techman could be curmudgeonly, but he was well-liked by all. He knew how to disagree without being disagreeable. He could be taciturn, but his views were always solid, sure, and well-taken. The world was better because of his presence. But for all that he told us, we still had more to learn, and we come to the sad realization that he left us much too soon.

He will be greatly missed.

Pardon me for speaking for Techman but Ex knows an awful lot about him for a newbie...

I just can't believe it. Oh man.

Gobsmacked at this news. Can hardly believe we've lost a member of the WF (and TBBS prior to coming here) family.

God, this is depressing. R.I.P Techy.

Take it to Baba's Enterpriser thread if you must. Let's not cause a bullshit storm in this thread.

Well, I'm feeling very saddened by this, in a way I wasn't quite expecting. I saw this thread earlier in the morning, but had to get ready for work and didn't really look at it. I knew what it meant, I'm sure we all had our suspicions. I thought about it some in the shower, and concluded that none of us know each other so well that this should affect us.

However, it very much does, doesn't it? Reading this thread, I was moved to tears several times, and have had to close my door. We know each other through words, and perhaps that makes us closer than other casual acquaintances. I think I very much would have enjoyed spending a few hours sitting on a bench with Techman, going through the same old conversations we've always had, bickering over the flashpoints, occasionally agreeing on something, and laughing at each other's jokes. You can only do that with a familiar person. And when that person passes, a void is left.

Thank you, Tom, for all you have done. You served your country, and you gave us all a lot of good times, playful banter, thought provoking ideas, and maybe once in a while, we changed each other for the better. You are missed, and will continue to be missed.

Heartfelt condolences to your daughter, Miss Manners, and any other friends and family.

Words completely fail me at this news. He was one of a kind, THE BEST KIND. RIP soldier/sailor, you have earned the rest, too early though it is.

One other thought for this thread:

Very early in Wordforge history, perhaps the first great "teh drama" session involved some pictures that a member had shared of his girlfriend. They generated a not so kind response from a few folks. Much shitstorm ensued, and Techman defused the situation in the simplest, most elegant fashion available. He put up a picture of himself, and said, "here's something better for you all to laugh at."

It says a lot about a man's character when he can protect somebody by putting himself in the line of fire. Techman of course did that many times during his military career, but he extended that philosophy to the rest of his life, even to Wordforge.

Damn, i liked him...

I'll keep a lightbulb in the window for him.

So long, Techie. You were one of the gooduns.

Rest in peace.

Techman was a good guy and fun to chat with. He was in my "top ten" of WFers I would like to meet. Best wishes Tom---you'll be missed.

Same here.

How did he die?

I'm stunned and sickened right now. I talked to him about things on serveral occasions and agreed with him on lots of things. This seems unreal. Hey Techman, I think its ok to go ahead and have that one drink of scotch you were always afraid of........shit. Been a while since I cried...

Heart attack. If one good thing comes of this it will hopefully be persuading others here that symptoms like chest pain are nothing to be messed around with and to get to a doctor.

Just found out. So sad. I really don't know what to say I'm sort of shocked. Rest in peace, Techman. I will light a candle for you.

I know he had been looking forward to giving NAPA the boot in a couple years and retiring. Life is fucked sometimes.

Very sorry to hear this. I don't think I agreed with Tech on much, but it was still fun interacting with him. Hard to believe that he's gone. My heart goes out to all his friends and family.

For a vocal atheist, he sure seemed to soak up a lot of my positive reps . . .

My prayers are with him and his family and mm.

Don't really have a lot to add. Techman was a fun character to have around, at times refreshing for being more of a genuine character and less of an internet persona than most of us. I definitely got the impression that the Techman we saw wasn't particularly different than the real life Techman was. He may have been a stubborn jackass on various matters, but he was honest and never angry and will be missed.

If this place was "Cheers", then Techman was most definitely Norm.