Gollnick
Musical Director
- Joined
- Mar 22, 1999
- Messages
- 29,258
Yesterday, we received the tragic news that noted knifemaker -- and friend to many of us -- Rob Simonich has been killed in a sudden car accident. One minute, probably joking and celebrating a successful day hunting with his brother as they drove back to show off their bounty... the next minute he's gone.
When I heard the horrible news, I pulled out several disks and looked back at the many pictures I have of him taken at various shows over the last few years. The one I choose to post was this one:
Just the hat.
That hat iconified Rob for many of us. To begin with, the guy was so thin that if he turned sideways, all you could see was the hat. But, beyond that, if you came into a room and saw that hat, you knew that was Simonich or there. Rob wasn't a very tall fellow either, so finding him in a crowd basically consisted of finding the hat.
That hat will always be a memory that lingers. But other memories linger too. So many of us have remembered Rob in this thread. Read them and you can see some theme's:
Rob was one of the nicest guys... a great guy... a great camp buddy... friend... overall good guy... a great person... a pleasure... a real good man ... one of the great ones... He was such a great guy... kind in speech... a real nice guy... a good friend...
Unassuming way... genuine humility... considerate of others... humble in the face of praises...
Generous... generous man... was always willing to share his knowledge... kindness... always quick to help with knifemaking problems... the biggest of heart... a hell of a nice guy... Rob was always generous... Rob treated us all with respect and kindness...
A gentleman... conducted his affairs with the highest integrity... a gentleman of the first order... Rob walked the walk and was the real deal... integrity through and through... straight-up good guy... quality of character... Rob set the standard high... a fine man...
Innovative... a talented maker... he was a star... friend to the industry... a sharp mind... awesome knife designs... a maker of wonderful knives... one of my inspirations... a great knifemaker... brilliant light... extremely talented... rare craftsmen...
Fun to be with... a character... humorous... Rob could just make you feel better... We laughed and laughed!... he always had smile and a handshake for anyone... a great sense of humor... laughter... he was one who you liked immediately upon meeting... welcoming... what a joker he was... always a gentle smile...
And,
I don't know much about Rob, and I never purchaced any of his knives yet, but I do know one thing. He sure had a lot of people who respected him in this forum and others.... and... I never knew Rob but I've never heard someone spoken about so well.
What an incredible tribute to a great man, eh?
It got me thinking: there's an old saying about death and taxes. If someone as full of life and energy as Rob Simonich could be snuffed out in a moment, who will be next?
And when your turn comes, when all that's left is your hat, what will people say about you?
Will you be described as, "one of the nicest guys," or will people remember you for your bitter arguements, callous comments, and put-downs?
Will they remember your, "genuine humility," or your ego?
Will people speak of you as, "always generous," or will they remember you as selfish and intollerant?
Will you be described as, "A gentleman [who] conducted his affairs with the highest integrity," or as a scoundrel and cheat... or even just one of dubious character?
Will you be considered "Innovative" or "talented," maybe not as a knifemaker, but in any capacity, a contributer, or will you be remembered one who just sort of hung around?
Will people remember you as "humorous," and "Fun to be with," as viscous and hurtful?
Rob left us his hat... he left us a heapload of memories, memories of a great man, a friend, of good times, and great knives. To Rob, I believe these traits came naturally. Rob also left us a great example of what we should all stive to be.
It's something to think about anyway.
When I heard the horrible news, I pulled out several disks and looked back at the many pictures I have of him taken at various shows over the last few years. The one I choose to post was this one:
Just the hat.
That hat iconified Rob for many of us. To begin with, the guy was so thin that if he turned sideways, all you could see was the hat. But, beyond that, if you came into a room and saw that hat, you knew that was Simonich or there. Rob wasn't a very tall fellow either, so finding him in a crowd basically consisted of finding the hat.
That hat will always be a memory that lingers. But other memories linger too. So many of us have remembered Rob in this thread. Read them and you can see some theme's:
Rob was one of the nicest guys... a great guy... a great camp buddy... friend... overall good guy... a great person... a pleasure... a real good man ... one of the great ones... He was such a great guy... kind in speech... a real nice guy... a good friend...
Unassuming way... genuine humility... considerate of others... humble in the face of praises...
Generous... generous man... was always willing to share his knowledge... kindness... always quick to help with knifemaking problems... the biggest of heart... a hell of a nice guy... Rob was always generous... Rob treated us all with respect and kindness...
A gentleman... conducted his affairs with the highest integrity... a gentleman of the first order... Rob walked the walk and was the real deal... integrity through and through... straight-up good guy... quality of character... Rob set the standard high... a fine man...
Innovative... a talented maker... he was a star... friend to the industry... a sharp mind... awesome knife designs... a maker of wonderful knives... one of my inspirations... a great knifemaker... brilliant light... extremely talented... rare craftsmen...
Fun to be with... a character... humorous... Rob could just make you feel better... We laughed and laughed!... he always had smile and a handshake for anyone... a great sense of humor... laughter... he was one who you liked immediately upon meeting... welcoming... what a joker he was... always a gentle smile...
And,
I don't know much about Rob, and I never purchaced any of his knives yet, but I do know one thing. He sure had a lot of people who respected him in this forum and others.... and... I never knew Rob but I've never heard someone spoken about so well.
What an incredible tribute to a great man, eh?
It got me thinking: there's an old saying about death and taxes. If someone as full of life and energy as Rob Simonich could be snuffed out in a moment, who will be next?
And when your turn comes, when all that's left is your hat, what will people say about you?
Will you be described as, "one of the nicest guys," or will people remember you for your bitter arguements, callous comments, and put-downs?
Will they remember your, "genuine humility," or your ego?
Will people speak of you as, "always generous," or will they remember you as selfish and intollerant?
Will you be described as, "A gentleman [who] conducted his affairs with the highest integrity," or as a scoundrel and cheat... or even just one of dubious character?
Will you be considered "Innovative" or "talented," maybe not as a knifemaker, but in any capacity, a contributer, or will you be remembered one who just sort of hung around?
Will people remember you as "humorous," and "Fun to be with," as viscous and hurtful?
Rob left us his hat... he left us a heapload of memories, memories of a great man, a friend, of good times, and great knives. To Rob, I believe these traits came naturally. Rob also left us a great example of what we should all stive to be.
It's something to think about anyway.
