- Joined
- Jan 28, 2002
- Messages
- 790
I can't believe it . . . we've truly lost a giant in the industry, and it will never be the same without Rob.
-
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Rob Simonich was a great man.
- Thread starter Spark
- Start date
We had only known Rob for a short time and enjoyed that association.
As a fellow cowboy, shooter and knife enthusiast, all these areas will have lost a friend. Our sympathies and well wishes and prayers to the Simonich family.
Jerry Croopnick and Bob DiNunzio (Liquidmetal)
As a fellow cowboy, shooter and knife enthusiast, all these areas will have lost a friend. Our sympathies and well wishes and prayers to the Simonich family.
Jerry Croopnick and Bob DiNunzio (Liquidmetal)
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2001
- Messages
- 546
I've met Rob on a few occasions. The last time I saw him was at Blade 03 and relating to what everyone else says and feels, Rob is one of the nicest guys anyone can ever meet. I had the oppurtunity to speak with him on the phone earlier this year and it felt as though I've known him for ages. He was a man of integrity and I sure will miss him. One day we'll all see him again. There is a saying: "He is like a fountain of gladness, making everyone around him freshen into smiles."
Shelby Chan
Shelby Chan
Simonich Stories
This hurts a lot. Rob was a lot of fun and I learned a great deal from him about the really important things in life. For example, he never truly understood why he was lucky enough to be married to woman as wonderful as Christine. What follows are some stories. I hope they sound o.k. I am at the point where any medication strong enough to help also has some serious side effects. Sometimes things dont come out sounding the way I mean them to.
Last time I talked to Rob was last Wednesday.
I called to congratulate him on the winning another award in Knives Illustrated best knife listing. He didnt know about it. I suggested that since was getting so many awards he might start a second business selling awards. Rob laughed and said he had some shooting trophies. We talked about pistol shooting and how we were now of an age where our eyes werent as good as they had been. We did agree that we had each been a heck of a good shot when we were younger. We also agreed that it was nice to be able to talk about how good we had been without having to prove it anymore. Lots of laughing as usual.
I told him we had something new in the lab and did he have a couple pieces of metal for testing. As always Rob was very interested in anything that would help him make a knife better. Rob was always a gentleman and it was fun for me to hear him explain to me why one of my ideas wasnt such a good one. He would start talking and show a lot of respect for the concept then he would gently point out things I might have missed. The way he explained it the idea became so obvious that I was laughing over the fact that I had thought of it in the first place.
Rob always wanted to make the best knives he could. When we started the Talonite project we agreed that the only test of a good knife was how well it worked for the person using it. If we made a knife that the user loved and the rest of the world hated then it was a good knife. Rob made knives that worked. He admired the really fancy knives but that just wasnt him.
Rob and I had an offer from Will Fennell to make a line of production knives out of Talonite. Will is from back east and Rob was an ex-cowboy from Montana while I was an ex-logger from Washington. We knew there were people out there that you couldn't trust and we didnt know if Will was one of them. Rob and I kicked it around at dinner and we stood in his driveway scuffing gravel and talking about it the next morning. We didnt know what to do so we asked Christine and she said to do it. Rob and I agreed that it didnt seem fair that Christine, who was far and away better looking than either one of us, was also so much smarter. The deal with Will Fennel and Camillus has worked out awfully well and Will has been a pleasure to work with. .
My favorite story is about Rob not making me a knife. Rob figured out how to use Talonite and I always wanted him to make me a knife. He made many of them that we gave away in contests. Every time I would ask him to make one for me to keep he would drawl out O.K., Tom, but I am so far behind that it would mean setting a real customer back farther. I couldnt ask him to do that, of course so I never got knife I could keep.
Famous Rob contest. Rob won a big award or had a magazine cover or something a couple years ago and I called to tease him about being famous. He thought the fact that he was famous was hilarious. We ran a contest to give away a knife from the famous knife maker and nobody laughed more about it than Rob.
I learned a lot from Rob. He was a classy guy and brought out the best in people.
It was the Eugene, Oregon show, Saturday morning, maybe 2001. Rob was having a really good show as usual. He had maybe three knives left and that wasnt enough. He never liked disappointing people by running out of knives. As soon as the doors opened a young man came hurrying up to the table where Rob and I are standing. He had tried to buy a knife the year before and Rob had sold out. Rob sold him one of his three remaining knives then took $50 off the price. I was standing there and thought that was a classy thing to do so I threw $50 in the pot as well. I left to go home early. Rob called me later to tell me that the young man had left the show entirely then had come back just to make a special point of thanking us for the deal we made. He was so thrilled that he just forgot to say thank you the first time.
And on and on and on. The world is a better place because he was in it.
Tom
This hurts a lot. Rob was a lot of fun and I learned a great deal from him about the really important things in life. For example, he never truly understood why he was lucky enough to be married to woman as wonderful as Christine. What follows are some stories. I hope they sound o.k. I am at the point where any medication strong enough to help also has some serious side effects. Sometimes things dont come out sounding the way I mean them to.
Last time I talked to Rob was last Wednesday.
I called to congratulate him on the winning another award in Knives Illustrated best knife listing. He didnt know about it. I suggested that since was getting so many awards he might start a second business selling awards. Rob laughed and said he had some shooting trophies. We talked about pistol shooting and how we were now of an age where our eyes werent as good as they had been. We did agree that we had each been a heck of a good shot when we were younger. We also agreed that it was nice to be able to talk about how good we had been without having to prove it anymore. Lots of laughing as usual.
I told him we had something new in the lab and did he have a couple pieces of metal for testing. As always Rob was very interested in anything that would help him make a knife better. Rob was always a gentleman and it was fun for me to hear him explain to me why one of my ideas wasnt such a good one. He would start talking and show a lot of respect for the concept then he would gently point out things I might have missed. The way he explained it the idea became so obvious that I was laughing over the fact that I had thought of it in the first place.
Rob always wanted to make the best knives he could. When we started the Talonite project we agreed that the only test of a good knife was how well it worked for the person using it. If we made a knife that the user loved and the rest of the world hated then it was a good knife. Rob made knives that worked. He admired the really fancy knives but that just wasnt him.
Rob and I had an offer from Will Fennell to make a line of production knives out of Talonite. Will is from back east and Rob was an ex-cowboy from Montana while I was an ex-logger from Washington. We knew there were people out there that you couldn't trust and we didnt know if Will was one of them. Rob and I kicked it around at dinner and we stood in his driveway scuffing gravel and talking about it the next morning. We didnt know what to do so we asked Christine and she said to do it. Rob and I agreed that it didnt seem fair that Christine, who was far and away better looking than either one of us, was also so much smarter. The deal with Will Fennel and Camillus has worked out awfully well and Will has been a pleasure to work with. .
My favorite story is about Rob not making me a knife. Rob figured out how to use Talonite and I always wanted him to make me a knife. He made many of them that we gave away in contests. Every time I would ask him to make one for me to keep he would drawl out O.K., Tom, but I am so far behind that it would mean setting a real customer back farther. I couldnt ask him to do that, of course so I never got knife I could keep.
Famous Rob contest. Rob won a big award or had a magazine cover or something a couple years ago and I called to tease him about being famous. He thought the fact that he was famous was hilarious. We ran a contest to give away a knife from the famous knife maker and nobody laughed more about it than Rob.
I learned a lot from Rob. He was a classy guy and brought out the best in people.
It was the Eugene, Oregon show, Saturday morning, maybe 2001. Rob was having a really good show as usual. He had maybe three knives left and that wasnt enough. He never liked disappointing people by running out of knives. As soon as the doors opened a young man came hurrying up to the table where Rob and I are standing. He had tried to buy a knife the year before and Rob had sold out. Rob sold him one of his three remaining knives then took $50 off the price. I was standing there and thought that was a classy thing to do so I threw $50 in the pot as well. I left to go home early. Rob called me later to tell me that the young man had left the show entirely then had come back just to make a special point of thanking us for the deal we made. He was so thrilled that he just forgot to say thank you the first time.
And on and on and on. The world is a better place because he was in it.
Tom
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2003
- Messages
- 244
aint meet Rob, not in chat nor in email, but i have one of his smallest knives and i always tought "i'll hold this one for my son" .
i always tought to write a short email to him just to thank him for his work...now it's too late.
i feel very sorry, a real sad hug from italy to Christine and relatives.
with respect from mare Mediterraneo, vecchia Italia,
Gian Nicola Maestro
i always tought to write a short email to him just to thank him for his work...now it's too late.
i feel very sorry, a real sad hug from italy to Christine and relatives.
with respect from mare Mediterraneo, vecchia Italia,
Gian Nicola Maestro
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2002
- Messages
- 590
Rob's death invokes so many thoughts it is overwhelming.
In discussion today with a friend whose husband recently overcame throat cancer, we both agreed it is times like these that give pause for thought, and then introspection.
There is so much around us that distracts...that pushes itself to the forefront of our daily lives...that takes on meaning where perhaps there is none.
Rob's passing provides a significant message for all of us.
And it is how important we must live each day with a clear vision of who and what is truly important. In a moment's span we can be taken from this Life, or one close to us - as Rob was to so many - can be taken from us.
So much "stuff" that seems so important until that call, or email, or letter arrives with such sad news evaporates as the impact of Loss makes itself felt in our lives.
Rob Simonich was a giver in this life. In passing I believe it is fair to say he gave one last gift to us. It is a word of caution, a heartbreaking reminder, a gentle and kindly nudge that reminds us each day is precious, each moment is fleeting, and each decision we make may be our last and so it ought to be a right one.
A good and gentle Man has left us. A good and gentle man.
Thanks, Rob - thanks.
In discussion today with a friend whose husband recently overcame throat cancer, we both agreed it is times like these that give pause for thought, and then introspection.
There is so much around us that distracts...that pushes itself to the forefront of our daily lives...that takes on meaning where perhaps there is none.
Rob's passing provides a significant message for all of us.
And it is how important we must live each day with a clear vision of who and what is truly important. In a moment's span we can be taken from this Life, or one close to us - as Rob was to so many - can be taken from us.
So much "stuff" that seems so important until that call, or email, or letter arrives with such sad news evaporates as the impact of Loss makes itself felt in our lives.
Rob Simonich was a giver in this life. In passing I believe it is fair to say he gave one last gift to us. It is a word of caution, a heartbreaking reminder, a gentle and kindly nudge that reminds us each day is precious, each moment is fleeting, and each decision we make may be our last and so it ought to be a right one.
A good and gentle Man has left us. A good and gentle man.
Thanks, Rob - thanks.
Double Edge Dave
Moderator and Gold Member
- Joined
- Mar 27, 1999
- Messages
- 1,379
I just heard about Rob's death. All the air has disappeared from the room. It is hard to take a breath. I met Rob early on in my knife journey through a mutual friend, Dexter Ewing. Now lots of us know that Dex is a master at picking out great knives and knife trends. He also is excellent at discerning the truly special people who inhabit our avocation. He told me in advance of our introduction that Rob was one of the nicest knifemakers around. He certainly was right about Rob. You didn't have to be ordering a knife from Rob to have his full attention. He was as entheusiastic about the work of others as his own. He simply had a friendly nature and a wonderful sense of humor. After the five minutes of your first conversation with him you just knew that Rob was a man of great character. He knew he was a great maker but didn't feel the need to trumpet the fact when he walked into a room. He had a quiet
confidence that I could not help but admire.
I can't claim to be a close friend, but he always made me feel like one every year when we met at the Blade show and in our phone conversations. We were in the middle of setting up a Raven line distributorship for the knife store that employs me. I was so much looking forward to expanding our friendship into a business relationship. It would have been a proud moment, but now it is not meant to be.
I will always smile when I remember the last time I saw Rob. It was just after the awards banquet at the Blade show this June. He had been a big winner. We were in the "Pit" at the Waverly, near where the banquet was held. He was coming from the bar. He walked past us, with a waitress in tow right behind him. The waitress was carrying a huge serving tray with at least 25 pint glasses of Guinness Stout on it, heading back to where the Badlands group was located. He saw us, slowed down, gave us a big grin and a thumbs up, then moved on with his waitress right behind. We watched as they made their way,knowing the group was in for a great night. The thought of sharing that moment makes me smile, even though the tears have been falling for some time now. We are so lucky to have known him.
God bless Rob Simonich. May God's Grace be upon his family.
Dave
confidence that I could not help but admire.
I can't claim to be a close friend, but he always made me feel like one every year when we met at the Blade show and in our phone conversations. We were in the middle of setting up a Raven line distributorship for the knife store that employs me. I was so much looking forward to expanding our friendship into a business relationship. It would have been a proud moment, but now it is not meant to be.
I will always smile when I remember the last time I saw Rob. It was just after the awards banquet at the Blade show this June. He had been a big winner. We were in the "Pit" at the Waverly, near where the banquet was held. He was coming from the bar. He walked past us, with a waitress in tow right behind him. The waitress was carrying a huge serving tray with at least 25 pint glasses of Guinness Stout on it, heading back to where the Badlands group was located. He saw us, slowed down, gave us a big grin and a thumbs up, then moved on with his waitress right behind. We watched as they made their way,knowing the group was in for a great night. The thought of sharing that moment makes me smile, even though the tears have been falling for some time now. We are so lucky to have known him.
God bless Rob Simonich. May God's Grace be upon his family.
Dave
- Joined
- Apr 19, 1999
- Messages
- 2,259
I just found out about Rob's passing away from the Busse forum...i'm shocked non the less. It saddens me to know another talented maker had passed away, i mean..come on! i haven't even get to meet the man in blade show!
I am still trying to save up enough money to travel to US for the all mighty blade show and we are loosing knife makers faster than i can save! Sigh! My prayers to his family and friends, may he look down on us from haven and smile while we greet him, "happy trails, cowboy!".
Eric.
I am still trying to save up enough money to travel to US for the all mighty blade show and we are loosing knife makers faster than i can save! Sigh! My prayers to his family and friends, may he look down on us from haven and smile while we greet him, "happy trails, cowboy!".Eric.
- Joined
- Oct 3, 1998
- Messages
- 1,774
They dont make em any better than that guy... We are at a complete and utter loss... I just dont have the words....
Anybody need a ride to the funeral?
I am leaving Friday from Tacoma, WA. If I go by myself I will leave in the morning. If I have someone who wants to go and share the driving we can leave later.
If you are flying in we could ride from Helena to the service. It looks like about a 2 hour drive.
Tom Walz
800 346-8274
I am leaving Friday from Tacoma, WA. If I go by myself I will leave in the morning. If I have someone who wants to go and share the driving we can leave later.
If you are flying in we could ride from Helena to the service. It looks like about a 2 hour drive.
Tom Walz
800 346-8274
- Joined
- May 16, 2002
- Messages
- 4,437
Some words from the Havamal:
Cattle die, kinsmen die,
and one day so shall we all.
But the thing that never dies,
Is memory of good deeds done.
He will be immortalized in all our memories.
Keith
Cattle die, kinsmen die,
and one day so shall we all.
But the thing that never dies,
Is memory of good deeds done.
He will be immortalized in all our memories.
Keith
- Joined
- Dec 25, 1998
- Messages
- 7,394
I still feel like I've been punched in the gut. I don't think the reality has sank in with me yet. Rob was a very special person. He touched many lives.
Here is a link to his obituary for those who may want to read it:
http://www.helenair.com/articles/2003/12/02/obits/simonich120203.txt
Here is a link to his obituary for those who may want to read it:
http://www.helenair.com/articles/2003/12/02/obits/simonich120203.txt
Taking a que from Tom Walz -
, I'll be leaving Rapid City, SD very early Friday morning for Helena-Clancy MT. Anyone in this area or en route who needs a ride let me know.
Late edit: finishing packing and getting ready to turn in early for tommorrow's drive... not really surprised that no one has responded as I do live out in the middle of nowhere -
, I'll be leaving Rapid City, SD very early Friday morning for Helena-Clancy MT. Anyone in this area or en route who needs a ride let me know.Late edit: finishing packing and getting ready to turn in early for tommorrow's drive... not really surprised that no one has responded as I do live out in the middle of nowhere -
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2001
- Messages
- 2,491
All of us can hope we are as well-loved and remembered when we pass off the scene...a great man has gone on to his reward.
Gary W. Graley
“Imagination is more important than knowledge"
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Mar 2, 1999
- Messages
- 27,504
I held off posting as I really didn't know how to respond, it struck me pretty hard but then I realized that we only have a few moments on earth, friends are some times hard to come by, I've spoken with Rob on several occasions, missed him at Blade the one time I went, but a real down to earth person as we all know and those that don't will get a glimpse of him through all the threads posted on his passing.
The one time I talked with him, he had just come back from shooting some HIGH caliper machine gun and said they had been flown over by a helicopter and taking a look at what was going on out in the desert, said it was great fun!
Christine and family need our prayers now and sending one up again, the other was when I heard the news...
Stay strong through this time, easy words, not so easy to live I know.
G2
The one time I talked with him, he had just come back from shooting some HIGH caliper machine gun and said they had been flown over by a helicopter and taking a look at what was going on out in the desert, said it was great fun!
Christine and family need our prayers now and sending one up again, the other was when I heard the news...
Stay strong through this time, easy words, not so easy to live I know.
G2
- Joined
- Aug 8, 1999
- Messages
- 5,094
I would like to send my prayers and condlences to the Simonich family. I am not much a fixed blade collector but one of the few fixed blades I have owned was made by the late Mr. Simonich. It was clear why he was so admired. Rest in peace.
