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RIP John from Riverside/Hemet/VA


SDS

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That is a great eulogy @SDS. Thanks.  I can tell you put a lot into it.

 

I am so sorry to hear this news.  My deepest regards to his family.

 

Seemed like a good dude. I had many football/politics discussions with him.  Have a lot of respect for him for all he did for his family and his USAF service over seas.

 

Go BILLS

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The worst part of life is having to say goodbye to friends, loved ones,and those we have encountered along the way who brought some measure of happiness to our lives, even if fleeting. Losing a fellow Bills fan and longtime member of the community is never easy. It's a sobering reminder of our own mortality.

 

Thoughts and prayers to John's family.

 

A final farewell...RIP, John. And...'Go Bills!'

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Hello Everyone

My name is John. I love the Bills. I have been following the board (pretty much daily) since 1998 -- even in the offseason.  Through the lows and (more recent) highs, TSW has been my source for "ghost" camaraderie with you all.  And, although I feel somewhat guilty for never having posted these two decades and a half, I wanted to send a quick note to thank you for sharing your passion for the one team that brings joy to us all. The last three or four years we have lost some of our old-time posters that kept me informed, entertained and hopeful (and frequently laughing) all this time. Thank you Scott for the moving tribute to John from Hemet, who represented each of you, each of us, and our team. Everyone says they have the best fans in all of sports, and I think it's okay for them to say that. But you, sirs (and gals), are truly the best. 

Go Bills !!    

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On 10/30/2024 at 3:10 PM, SDS said:

Today I got confirmation from John's son that @John from Riverside (formerly from Hemet and VA) passed away in August from an unexpected heart attack. John was a daily mainstay in our lives here for over two decades. 47,292 posts and that's just from when we started counting in 2006 or so. He was getting ready to pack his bags and move to live with son in Oregon when he passed. Mysteriously, he last logged in March 8th. I had tried to connect with him several times per month since his disappearance, as there wasn't any public reason why he hadn't logged in. Unfortunately, we could not make contact with him or his family until the note I received today.

 

John was a fiercely loyal Bills fan, despite never making it to Orchard Park. We had tentative plans to get him out for this year's tailgate, when he started mentioning health issues. We never got a chance to meet.

 

John was an interesting guy. His deep love for the team made for some emotionally charged discussions. He never met a UDFA he didn't love, nor a ref he didn't hate and rage against their bias. His most well known story goes back to very early days of the community. The community troll (we had no moderating tools back then) liked to have fun with John given John's proclivity to emotional outbursts. This culminated in "Hogboy" challenging John to a helmet-spearing contest in a parking lot. John took this seriously and was ready to strap it on! 😂

 

John frequently told us about his interesting life. He was in the air force in Iraq where he often told us about his high-level security clearance and attending intelligence briefs. He was a roadie for the Scorpions. He loved his kids and always had dreams of his son making the NFL and his daughter becoming an actress/singer. We would hear about the constant shuttling of his daughter to auditions where he would name drop with best of them. IIRC, he had plenty of stories about Katy Perry, Madonna, Celine Dion, etc... 

 

He was a great sport in the shoutbox as the guys there enjoyed ribbing on some of the peculiarities. Topics on conversation included his frequent visits to Subway on campus where he was a grad student advisor, his love of Latina women, and a rotting toe that he proclaimed grew back after disregarding his doctor's advice and he just starting running on it. 😂

 

Ultimately, John was a great guy who absolutely loved his kids, loved the Bills, and loved the community here. I regret we didn't make plans to meet a year earlier.

 

We are fortunate he decided to make his home here and he will be missed.

 

Go Bills!

 

 

Sad News. So Sad.  Amazing write up.

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RIP John From Hemet my Bills brother.  
 

You ready to fly to Buffalo, to meet Combo for a spearing contest in Hammers Lot is one of greatest things I have read on TBD.

 

I wish you got to see our Bills win a Super Bowl.

 

Now you get to watch with Rusert, BiB, Jim Braxton, and tons more mafia.

 

I wish your family peace 

 

 

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