Rich B... RIP

“Rich B died today (12/18/10) c. 1 PM in the Hospice Unit at Mercy Hospital, Scranton, PA after a heroic 12-year battle with Franconi Anemia. At Rich�s request there will be no funeral; his remains will be cremated. Before he died, Rich told me it would okay to post the news of his passing to his friends here on TrailTalk. If/when an obituary appears in the local newspaper I�ll post it.”

“And for those of that are as ignorant about this as I am here is a wikipedia link...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanconi_anemia

RIP...”

“Thanks MSilver.

RIP Rich. I will miss you.”

“May you rest in peace, my friend.”

“I regret never having the chance to meet you. RIP Rich.”

“Sad news, thanks for posting M Silver.”

“NO! Not Rich!”

“Damn....May your spirit forever be with us out there.”

“...sad news...I never met him...but we chatted...and I thought he was awesome...he was so brave and fought hard!...now his battle is over...he is in a place with no more pain...peace at last...RichB...you will be missed...”

“RIP Rich :(”

“RIP Rich B”

“Never met him but he seemed like a good guy from his posts. Thanks for the update Marion.”

“Rich was a good man and one tough SOB. He hiked me into the dirt on the Pinchot Trail this spring, the weekend before his surgery.

I'll miss him.”

“i didnt know him and i cant even say i remember talking to him on tt.......but it still sucks when one of our family passes

RIP”

“This makes my heart very heavy tonight. Thanks for being a friend, RichB. May you be resting peacefully now.”

“My Hero is gone but I know he is going to be riding the roads & fishing the streams in heaven! Thanks Rich for the lessons you taught me about living & in dying.

I miss you so much already.”

“Rich was a good man and one tough SOB. He hiked me into the dirt on the Pinchot Trail this spring, the weekend before his surgery.

I'll miss him.”

I remember him talking about how much he enjoyed that hike.”

“This is sad news.”

“One of my few heroes of this world.

We sent some emails back and forth, and he was always positive, even in a horrific physical state of being.

He was a better person than most.

Rest in peace, Rich B.”

“He was a positive, kind person. I am glad I had the opportunity to meet him.”

“Rest peacefully, my courageous friend.

You will be very missed.

I'm so glad to have met you and hiked with you.”

“RIP, RichB. You are truly an inspiration.”

“He always had nice things to say to me and others. I'm sorry that he had to suffer so much. Like the others I'll miss you Rich B.

RIP.”

“Keep on keepinin' on Rich B. Mebbe see you on the other side one day.”

“Although I only met him a couple of times, he was one amazing tough person, when I think of his handcrafted gear, better than anything you could buy, it makes me smile...
RIP Rich”

“Sad news.”

“RIP Rich, I pray for your family. Great meeting you. You were one of the "Gentlemen" of TT.”

“I loved his updates on the getup thread. As HPD said, he was always so positive. The updates were often something like, "trach giving me trouble, hard to talk, part of my tongue was removed, biked 12 miles in the morning before the procedure." Amazing. I wish I'd gotten to meet him, but am very thankfully to have known him "virtually."”

“I have been searching quite a while for a particulare post RichB wrote. One day he had been writing about some particulare crueling days, when he had been strugeling with infections, pain, feeding tube and what not. Upon reading it I thought to myself: why would one keep fighting, why not just lie down and wait for it all to end, why bother with fighting? I had been thinking about it for a while and then I dared to ask him.
RichB took no offence upon my straight question. This is what he wrote. I often thought about his words. Not sure if I could deal with it as he did. I consider his words a bit of a legacy, that will stay with me.

Euro, I think the better question is why not bother? If the doctors say they can fix it, then I'll let them go ahead and fix it. It's pointless to quit now especially for a tongue base lesion.
I look at some cancers like any other chronic disease. It's really not much different than managing diabetes, chronic heart disease, strokes or whatever other diseases are potentially lethal or disabling, but yet can be managed.
Nobody is going to live forever and I think everyone should be prepared for a bad diagnosis at some point in life. It just to me sooner. Even so it's no reason to give up. Most things seems worse than they really are and you can find ways to get around problems.�
Richb3
10:16:03 AM
3/30/10”

“Yes Euro, Rich spoke like that several times. He was a tough guy who tried to enjoy the journey. Wish I could have met him.”

“Through it all he enjoyed life and made the most of it...without complaint.

Rest in peace my friend...I'll see you on the other side.”

“

Rest in peace, RichieB. You are an inspiration to anyone who thinks about giving up. You were a true survivor, living life to the fullest while you were here. It is an honor to call you friend.”

“Euro...that sums him up so well.”

“Great guy. He was the first TTer I met, we hiked the Loyalsock Trail. Over the years, he gave me a few gifts, things he made, like a pouch to hold a camera.

I remember hiking the MST through the Pine Creek Gorge, despite his illness, he kicked my a$$ on those big climbs.

He never lectured or judged, he taught by example.

I was thinking about him recently and wanted to invite him on a hike on the Pinchot Trail. I'm sorry I missed that chance, but also happy I was able to meet and hike with him so many times before.”

“I'd like to propose an idea. How about we schedule a hike on one of Rich's favorite trails to celebrate his life. I can't think of a better reason for everyone to get together again.

Maybe MSilver can suggest a trail?”

“Jmitch...I think that is quite appropriate :-) I so wish I could join you.”

“Rich loved us all and we are better for him having been a part of our lives.

Thanks for that post, Euro.”

“RichB was there for my first step onto the AT. it was an honor to hike beside him.
he was the only person I knew that made his own hiking gear. i will miss talking to him about that. I will forever keep his christmas ornament he gave me and think of him each and every time I put it up.

RIP my friend...I guess god needed another hiking partner...”

“jmitch, et. al.,

A Rich B Memorial Hike sounds great! Count me in!

He always liked the Pinchot Trail, but there were countless unmarked routes he led us on throughout Spring Brook area and Lackawanna State Forest over the years... one of his favorites was from near Nesbitt Reservoir up Painter Creek to meet the Pinchot Trail at its northernmost section. Man! there were so many places that guy knew there ...he'd been hiking since he was a kid.

Rich's obituary will be published early this coming week ...I'll post a link to it when it comes through.”

“RIP my friend...I guess god needed another hiking partner...”
mapleleaf

He has some good ones doesn't he??”

“While I knew this day would come, and lately feared it was approaching more quickly, it still seems a shock. There isn't always one more hike. :(”

“A class act all the way. Here's to RichB.”

“How old was Rich? Did he have a family, with kids?”

“Rich was the best person I ever met. I'd love to see him now - disease free, eating, talking, laughing...”

“RIP Rich B”

“Unless others have a better idea- I propose the Pinchot Trail.

It was RichB's stomping grounds, easy to shorten the hike for those who don't want to do the whole thing, and it is a fairly easy, enjoyable trek.

Maybe MSilver can lead us on a RichB bushwhack!

How does late April/ early May sound?”

“I may also lead a bushwhack to Choke Creek Falls, I hear it is beautiful, on newly acquired land now part of Lackawanna State Forest.”

“Very, very sad.

RIP, RichB.”

“This man was the real deal. Heartfelt. Courageous. Knowledgeable. Friendly. An adventurer. An athlete in the truest sense of the word. I never read him complaining and was always surprised, even aften the seemingless limitless setbacks he had, with his candor and acceptance. He was completely in tune and comfortable with his situation: what we can all only hope to be when the time comes to leave our earthly bounds. Peace RichB.”

“Had the honor to meet Rich at my one and only Masten trip and got to spend a little trail time with him. Very sorry to hear this news. He'll be missed by many, which is as much as anyone can hope will be said about them.”