More Bad News

What a shock! I wish this was some sort of sick joke! I have never met Mel but after I saw his webpage I had him make three custom fixed blade kits for me, and even traded bicycle parts for one of his dropped point hunters. We really had a lot in common and after the 100 or so emails exchanged in the months after our "meeting" we really began to have a nice friendship forming. This is terrible... Mel was a great human being and a fantastic knifemaker, and I will cherish these knives for many years to come. Each of his pieces in individual, and he was THE man to go to for custom work. What a crappy day. God bless and let's hope God has a kick-ass shop up there! I'll miss you, Mel, and prayers go out to your family in this difficult time.

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My Custom Kydex Sheath pagehttp://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/knifehome.html
Palmer College of Chiropractic
On Two Wheels
 
I'm very sorry to hear this, I've enjoyed corresponding with him via e-mail, and
was hoping to meet him at one of the local shows here.

My condolences go out to his family.
 
I didn't know him personally, as others here do, and I had very little online contact with him. From the words we have exchanged, though, I developed a dep respect for him. He will be missed. My best wishes and prayers go out to all whose lives he touched.

Howie
 
Well this is certainly sad indeed. I' ve never met Mel nor conversed with him but he sure did fire up some good healthy debates over on several forum sites. I liked them.
My condolences to his family.

L8r,
Nakano




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"To earn a million is easy, a real friend is not."
 
it is very sad indeed,it is a tragedy to loose freinds,and a blow to the knife family.i do not know mel,but i lost a freind
just a month ago.[eduard bradichansky].also a knifemaker and it seems extra sad to loose gifted peaple who contrebute beauty and inovation to the world.
may he rest in peace.
scorpio.
 
Mel was the first custom maker with whom I did business. I am deeply saddened by our loss of a gentleman and good friend. I visited him in July at his home and like many of you, exchanged many ideas via email- sometimes in the very wee hours of the night.
I first met Brian Turner and Mel at the same Badger Show.
I am not sure I'll ever be able to bring myself to use my cherished MadPoet Camp Set.
 
Rest in Peace Mel. Hey you guys know what? We are going to miss him, but to go to the other side while in one of your favorite spots? I hope we can all be that lucky.
 
Mel made two beautiful knives for me - one of them is on his website, I think - the kingwood drop point skinner with turquoise set in the heel. The other was desert ironwood with a piece of charoite in the butt - same handle design but a trailing point blade. He showed it off some at a recent show in Wisconsin, I think - maybe some of you saw it.

I have both of the knives in front of me now. The care he lavished on his work, the honesty of the man and the craft and the blade all come together when you hold one of his pieces. He cared about what he did, he pushed at what he perceived as the limits of his own ability; he was very interested in growing as an artisan and artist both. Mel valued long-term relationships with customers and friends, and with his family. He often wrote me about his concerns for his father's health. He could laugh at himself and loved to tell stories about mistakes in fieldcraft - things like getting hung up on a fence or forgetting his watch and having to eye a nice buck and make his best guess about if it was legal to shoot yet.

Mel was, as we would say here in Mississippi, a good ole boy. I will treasure the knives he made for me and regret that we never got to hunt together.

God bless, Mel. I'm keeping the knives for my boys like I said. I'll remind them to care about what they do, and to not forget a watch on opening day.

red beans and rice in heaven, buddy.

Billy Cochrane
 
Life is too short not to drink fine wine, not to carry a nice knife.

My prayers go to his family; they are blessed by how many lives Mel touched, how many dear friends he left behind.
 
Geez with all the bad news recently I'm starting to think the Irish are right about things coming in threes. Mel will indeed be missed. We are all diminished by this loss.

-=[Bob]=-
 
Geez with all the bad news recently I'm starting to think the Irish are right about things coming in threes. Mel will indeed be missed. We are all diminished by this loss.

-=[Bob]=-
 
For the man gone on there is only a better place, the next step in the journey. From his place he can see what this mortal coil so often clouds.

For us, those left behind, we are saddened knowing that his voice won't be heard.

Journey on Mel, some fine day we will join you.

May his family be comforted by the hours past in his company.

Marion David Poff
 
I'm stunned.
He shared his knifemaking knowledge freely, for that I and i'm sure many others are grateful.
He will be greatly missed.
Another slap in the face to remind us life is all to short.....

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~~TOM~~
 
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