Bob Andrews - Old Hundred Collectibles passed away

[neal70]

Smoke and prayers for his family. I'm so sorry to read this
Neal

 

[CUTS LIKE A KRIS]

Definitely a name to be noticed and missed. Thoughts honour to the family. I'm another who only dealt with him on threads here, sad to hear of an empty chair on the couch.

 

[jlhoffman74]

Prayers for his family ,and many friends. I bought several knives from him, and I just received on Monday a sfo#35 ebony HJ10. Bob Andrews - Old Hundred Collectibles will be missed.

 

[Old Hunter]

Hate to hear this, Bob was a very good guy as well as a straight up dealer. OH

 

[Jonny D]

So sad to hear prayers go out to him and his family!

 

[kysteve]

rest in peace bob

 

[skyhorse]

Smoke & Prayers sent high for Bob Andrews and Family.

 

[StoneBeard]

I was very sad to hear that Bob had passed. I made multiple Purchases from Bob and he was always awesome both on the phone and through emails. It always felt as if I were talking to a friend when we interacted. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

 

[pertinux]

I first encountered Bob here on Bladeforums, where his words and approach to various topics were often, shall we say, less than nuanced. ;-)

I am so glad I was able to meet Bob at GEC's annual Rendezvous, and that we both made it back a few years in a row.

I'd gained a sense of his passion for the hobby and high standards of customer care through interactions surrounding orders, but his good heart was immediately obvious in person.

Bob loved GEC's Rendezvous, and I am grateful to have been with him for those get-togethers, where he was in his element-- talking, sharing, showing, learning, soaking it all in and being a part of the good company that makes the event so special. I loved how happy he was, there.

When Bob didn't make it to this year's Rendezvous, I knew that whatever was meant by "sick" had to be very, very bad, and he quickly confirmed this to be true.



In early September, I received a surprise package from Old Hundred Collectibles:

... my last knife from Bob.

The cut-up note is my doing; I tend to try out new knives on whatever paper is at hand. I've since laminated the note with tape, and it will aways, always, stay with this knfe-- I keep it rolled up with the wax paper in the tube.


Bob was a good man and kind, and I am staggered by his loss.


My time at GEC was not the same this year without him, and it will never be the same for me again.


When we were there together (the uncropped image from the top of this post):

When Perdikkas asked him at what times he wished to have the divine honors paid him,
he answered that he wished it done when they themselves were happy.
These were the last words of the King.
​

- Quintus Curtius​

​

~ Sarah

 

[Bob W]

Bob was a straight-up fair dealer who always treated me right. And I enjoyed the many times interacting with him in the Traditional forum. I'm saddened to hear of his passing and I will miss him.

 

[MJ71]

Sorry. The original message did not include the photo of knife from Bob in question.

 

[MJ71]

I never met Bob. But my one dealing with him (just a few months ago) was absolutely consistent with all the sentiments in this thread. I emailed Bob to ask if he had a "sundry" 14 rotten banana boy's knife (I missed the initial notice of the run / stock). To my surprise, he responded that he did. I bought the banana and a gabon ebony - shipped to Australia promptly without fanfare. I will treasure them both. From this part of the world, I offer my sincere condolences to his family. R.I.P. Bob.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[chisumr]

I am saddened to hear the passing of Bob Andrews....may you rest in peace my friend and condolences to your family......

 

[5K Qs]

I offer my sincere sympathy to Bob Andrews' family, friends, and many satisfied customers here. I never had any personal interactions with rma100, but from his posts, I formed the impression that he was feisty, opinionated, and kind of curmudgeonly. I liked that! I wouldn't want everyone on The Porch to be a curmudgeon, but I'm glad there are a few of them around, and I'm sad that there is now one fewer.

- GT

 

[joeradza]

Sarah, Those words resonate with me because as I wrote earlier "just because" was Bob's humble, friendly way of doing things. Will never forget that phrase.

 

[Duper]

My condolences to Bob's family. I spoke to Bob a few times on the phone when I was first getting interested in traditional knives. He was very nice in explaining some of the things I did not understand about the GEC product lines. I appreciated his time and advice.

,,,Mike in Canada

 

[Pjake]

So sad to hear this. I've bought several knives from Bob. Always top tier interactions. Great tribute post Sarah!

Peter

 

[Relee1]

I first encountered Bob here on Bladeforums, where his words and approach to various topics were often, shall we say, less than nuanced. ;-)

I am so glad I was able to meet Bob at GEC's annual Rendezvous, and that we both made it back a few years in a row.

I'd gained a sense of his passion for the hobby and high standards of customer care through interactions surrounding orders, but his good heart was immediately obvious in person.

Bob loved GEC's Rendezvous, and I am grateful to have been with him for those get-togethers, where he was in his element-- talking, sharing, showing, learning, soaking it all in and being a part of the good company that makes the event so special. I loved how happy he was, there.

When Bob didn't make it to this year's Rendezvous, I knew that whatever was meant by "sick" had to be very, very bad, and he quickly confirmed this to be true.



In early September, I received a surprise package from Old Hundred Collectibles:

... my last knife from Bob.

The cut-up note is my doing; I tend to try out new knives on whatever paper is at hand. I've since laminated the note with tape, and it will aways, always, stay with this knfe-- I keep it rolled up with the wax paper in the tube.


Bob was a good man and kind, and I am staggered by his loss.


My time at GEC was not the same this year without him, and it will never be the same for me again.


When we were there together (the uncropped image from the top of this post):

When Perdikkas asked him at what times he wished to have the divine honors paid him,
he answered that he wished it done when they themselves were happy.
These were the last words of the King.
​

- Quintus Curtius​

​

~ Sarah

Sarah, I'm sure that RBB Bob gave you was the one he kept for himself, and the best of the litter. I talked with him often, and in our latter talks, he shared with me that he was "an unrepentant sinner, " which did not mean that he didn't believe in God, but he did not believe God would forgive "an unrepentant sinner." He did not know whether the cancer would kill him or not, but he said that he appreciated my prayers on his behalf. He was a great guy, and really loved to talk about knives. He will certainly be missed.

 

[toppygray82]

Sad to hear!!!

RIP.

Bob.

my heart and prayers go to his family.

 

[pertinux]

I was just asked to describe GEC's Rendezvous, so looked up what I've previous written.

This is from two years' back, but it's All True.

... except for the second-to-last sentence (which I of course wrote to make him laugh), and now I'm crying again.

I was almost taken aback by how laid back this "event" is, the first time I went. There is no show, no pretense, no gimmick, just straightforward people making straightforward knives.

So in essence, yes, it's simply a set of circled dates on the calendar when one can not only meet the GEC folks and watch their work in progress (Thursday and Friday-- although GEC gives tours year 'round on every working day, except maybe Fridays?), but have a great(er) chance to interact with others who are drawn to the knives and the people.

The last two years, one Big Draw (beyond GEC Proper) has been Charlie Campagna himself, the man, the legend, the knives. He has debuted some of his TC barlow releases at this event, as well as displayed his collection of barlows and other knives and just generally been Charlie. There are fewer exclamation marks in person, but the interactions are no less rewarding. No idea what his plans are this year, other than I know he'll be there.

... I'm not sure it is possible to quantify the bounty that is ours, as knife knuts, that is due to the productive partnership of Charlie and Bill Howard. Me, I just like listening to them talk knives.

Charlie will be there again this year. Don't miss him, if only to say, "Thank you."

My second year, I met Lyle (wlfryjr), who gave me an education that has transformed my appreciation for knives. I will never recover from being in the presence of Lyle, loving his (Farmer Jack) knives.

[An amazing opportunity, to talk knives with those who love and study and carry them in their hearts.... I'm sure it happens in other venues and via other orchestrated gatherings; for me, it has happened at GEC.]

Last year, GEC added a picnic to the proceedings (instead of just an endless supply of hot dogs and popcorn, and a gradual fading away toward the end, burping), providing a means for all of us-- GEC employees and visitors alike-- to eat and play together. Grand fellowship, and a lot of fun.


Translation: it is possible to attend GEC's "Rendezvous" and be very, very bored. For hours.

Or maybe intrigued for 45 minutes, and then Done.



Me, I rejoice in the opportunity to (re)connect with friends old and new over a shared passion-- the knives-- and marvel at the risks taken and excellence pursued, day by day, by the people who labor in what looks to be a knife factory museum, but is an actual working knife factory(!).

Last year, on short time, I made people a(n unregretted) priority and missed more time looking at the knives: right there in person, the displays of the knives produced in GEC's history, the array of available knives in GEC's "store" (which consists of three or more display cases and Chris Tucker riffling through stapled-together printouts of current inventory). This year, I'm aiming to be there a little longer.

So:

Good people making good knives, and inviting us to come see, and share, and play.


There is also Bob.




... It's a highlight of my year.

Bob and wlfryjr (Lyle), 2015, no doubt pawing through the treasure trove [inventory] in the back of Bob's SUV.
- photo credit Primble


~ P.