Russ's condition getting worse. The family has decided to bring him home under hospice care. Will keep everyone update as I talk to Mrs. Ruppel. GW

Bleak news at my favorite time of the year. I miss sparring with the old guy, and his depth of knowledge on the American klunk, er, I mean, classics.
Get well soon seems a bit out of the loop today, but, I mean it, all the same.
Best,
Ted

Russ, may His face shine on you.

That's sad to hear. At least he will be more comfortable in the surroundings of his home and with his family.

Mike Doerner

Russ is a Class Gentleman who has shared much knowlege with character to this board. We miss you. As Jerry says may God indeed shine his light upon you at this difficult time.

Not many folks can leave a legacy like der Klunk's. Godspeed, Russ.

I have really missed Russ! May God Bless Him. Bobby

May God surround Russ and his familly with His love.

At least two Americanisms that came into the English language apply here.
Don't give up the ship!
It ain't over..'til it's over.
Hang in there, Russ. You have many friends known to you and unknown to you who are are ALL pulling for you.

Very sad news. Hope he is comfortable and has his family around him to comfort each other. God speed Russ and good luck. Jon

Keep fighting Russ.

Godspeed, Russ. You deserve the best now and forever.

Jim

Sad news as the hunting season starts. Russ has lots of cyberfriends here pulling for him.

My wife did research on MD - PhD teams at teaching hospitals for 15 years. I've seen the "best" docs -- generally known specialists at teaching hospitals -- pull miracles other docs hadn't, couldn't or wouldn't, many times.

I don't know Russ' underlying condition, but if hope is waning as fast as it seems, I pray it's for a truly definitive reason that a real expert couldn't possibly improve.

I saddens me greatly to learn that Russ's condition is not improving, not that I'll take the news in any negative sense. Being at home is a plus; hospitals are places to go to catch something you don't want, IMHO. At least from home there is a good chance he will rejoin us yet .. such is the nature of curmudgeons.

And too, there is this Irish poem that never quite made it to the public's fore or the recording stage that comes to mind .. for our friends and those special to us ..

May the longtime
sun
shine on you

all love
surround you

And
the clearlight
within you

guide your way on

We're not throwing in the towel yet. Miracles do happen.

God bless Russ, Family and Friends.

Best wishes Russ, please hang in there. Russ wouldn't know me if I slapped him on the back, but he never failed to reply to any pm I sent him within a day. More than I can say about friends that I see every day. Always helpful, generous, straight forward, forgiving, and quite humorous on the board. The board will be less without him. I'm not giving up on the old guy who has been so decent to me. Just had to say something. As always...Thanks Russ.

Russ,
You are in my thoughts and prayers, and I'm petitioning for divine intervention for your recovery and restoration to good health. As has been said many time, this board is definitely lacking without your participation. Your input and knowledge was always appreciated by those who know you. May the peace of God and His mercy be with you and your family.
With warmest regards,
Tarheel

I'm sorry to hear Russ has not made the turn for the better. I will remember Russ and family in prayer.

hello all, this is Ed Ruppel one of Russ' boys. i have been posting semi regular updates on dad's condition over at redpowermagazine.com's forum since some of you may know that dad's other great love was big tractors! as pipeliner mentioned he will be in hospice care here at home in a few days. knowing how much dad has affected so many people far and wide really touches all of us and makes us proud to have had such a cool guy for a father. we will keep you posted as thins continue.

this is what i posted over on redpower

"super bad news.

r-cubed is coming home this week to hospice care. he was told wednesday that on top of all the crap he has been dealing with that he also has bone cancer( not sure what type). the number 32% was tossed out there by one of the doc's on wedensday and i'm not for certain what it pertains to. unfortunately the doc's have been doing all their talking to my mom who in her current mind frame is in no way able to let us know what was said exactly and dad who can't talk. her terrible grasp of the english language ( transplanted from mexico thanks to r-cubed ) isn't helping matters either . she's fluent but her way of retelling that type of information would be pretty bad. when we tried to talk to the doc yesterday he was being an A-hole. he kept saying he had already explained everything to my mom and dad.

regardless, that particular doc has given pop's about a week. he feels that since dad wants to be freed of any tube feedings and anti-biotics and blood transfusions that he doesn't have long. we ( the four local sons) convinced dad to stay on the tube feeding until he is discharged from the hospital so that his chances of having a few good days at home increase. it took another call to A-hole Doctor to reverse dad's hasty decision which dad agreed to on his own. he'd already had that stuff pulled when we got there in the afternoon to talk to the hospice lady. so as of right now they are testing him all weekend to see if he can handle breathing with nothing more than a CPAP. if he requires a ventilator to go home, the home will have to be inspected to meet criteria required for such a device, #1 being a back up generator. which he already has.

this same type of cancer took dad's mom 3 years ago and it did her in pretty fast. about 2 1/2 months and it was ****. it looks like dad won't have to suffer for long from the bone cancer once he gets to the comforts of home which i guess at this point is good since he suffered for the last months already with mind intact. he was waving good-bye to us all and it got us all choked up. he gave youngest son Bob now 32 the 'ol pistol finger. is was a tear jerker. it's hard to even type this.

so this is what it has come down to.

i know that dad has appreciated hearing all of your words of encouragement as he tried to battle through this illness and as an individual i have come to really respect the old man for being such a hoot to have around and see the friends he made everywhere ...even on the internet.

i'll also be poking my head in here on occasion as now we sons will have to be the ones to fix dad's big yellow elephant and carry on the yellow tradition and build the pond he always wanted to out at our farm.

thanks so much for all your prayers and your concern through this difficult time.


Ed"

thanks for taking the time to read this and for all your prayers
Ed

Ed,
I'm so very sorry. I never met your dad, but, we enjoyed sparring with one another on this board, and had a pretty good internet friendship.

He will be missed very much in this part of cyberspace.

Goood Luck, and best wishes to you and family. I know it must be difficult.
Best,
Ted

Sometimes one does meet a "real" person in this all too virtual world we have created. Ed, your dad is as real as they come, and you and your brothers should be truly proud of that blood coursing through your veins. Your father is a gift to all of us who have "known" him over the web. He spoke his mind with confidence and flair. He reminded me of the best of men I have known over the years in my own unique profession.

I wish you and your family all God's strength in the coming days, and I count myself so fortunate to have "known" and corresponded with him here. All good, Joe Taylor

Russ at various times made us all laugh, cringe and jump up and down, sometimes all at once! We've had some good times together here, that's for sure. Thanks Russ!

I never met Russ in person, but always enjoyed his posts here--even the few times he chastised me. He even had a way of showing a guy the error of his ways that most enjoyed. I have missed Russ' posts since this started, now it seems we are to continue missing him. May the Lord comfort him and all his family and friends, and keep him with us for all his alotted days.
Curtis

Ed,

Met your father once on a long trip there from out east. He made me feel at home. He was always full of unique, no-nonsense ideas and thoughts on a multitude of subjects. You and your family are fortunate to have such a good father, who was so giving to you all and this community too.

I too have never met Russ, just through the LCSCA and here, gave me some tips on putting together my elsie. Have read a lot of his posts here and there and his answers were a no nonsense, right to the point on a lot of matters.
My prayers are with Russ and his entire family, and knowing the way he wrote about things, I know he is not a quitter. May God bless.

Ed, give your dad best wishes from Erik Koik. Tell him thanks for all the things he did for people on this board and thanks for his humor. He touched a lot of lives.

Ed - Thanks for telling us the sad news. Your dad brought a unique perspective to this board that I will miss.

It was several years ago that Russ and I were on the phone dickering over something. I used a Spanish term and he told me that I had not understood the nuances of the words. Of course I challenged (two old farts at logerheads, after all) and he responded that he had to know more Spanish than I, as he had,"Married the prettiest little Wetback that I would ever see".
This quote is pure Russ. Rough on the exterior but filled with meaning and feeling on the inside. I treasure it and will think on it often.
As I would pray for a Pope's last days, I pray for my friend. May God have mercy and grant him a speedy and peaceful end of earthy life. I celebrate the full life that my friend has lived and pray for peace in the hearts of those that knew, loved and respected him. They are legion!!!.|
God Bless you, my friend.
John

I also have never met Russ, but enjoyed & respected his straight forward and honest words. I will miss him. Best Wishes to Russ and Family!

-brian

Godspeed Russ

May we live to his example of true generosity.

Best wishes and comfort to you Russ.

Ed, I wish I had met your dad but have the utmost respect for his knowledge, willingness to share it, itegrity, humor and more. I have been praying for him regularly since this illness began, and am very, very sad to hear the news.

I lost my own dad early this year, at age 96, after almost two months in the hospital (no cancer but unable to recover from more general things). I now offer the same prayer I said for him, for your dad -- "Lord, when you're ready to take him please do so swiftly and without pain." And I will add "Please comfort and bless the family."

If you can, please tell him that Fred (Hazard) says "a Dios," in the true meaning, with moist eyes and thanks for his ongoing help.

Oh, Russ. It seems so long ago that I called you a curmudgeon. I now realize that I forgot to tell you how much I LIKE curmudgeons!~) Say, before you head to a better place, I got this here shotgun with a wooden stock and two metal barrels. Can you tell me what it's worth?~)

You, your words and wisdom will be missed, Russ. I wish you and your family peace and joy.

I remeber Russ from the old BBS, and when Dave starded this one i was looking for a butt stock
for my Parker. I asked in the Double gans for sale
that i needed to find a butt stock and Russ send
me PM that He had what i was looking for.He also
said That He was forced to registad on this site
to get the PM to me
Russ thank You again for your help, and God Bless.
Casey

Russ .... God bless you. Hail and farewell

Al

I'm still another guy who never had a chance to meet Russ face to face but it would have been an honor.
He had a great deal of knowledge and was gentleman enough to share it "newbies" like myself.
His presence on this board will be missed.

Dan

Having delt with Russ he is a true gentleman, rest comfortably my friend. Godspeed

It seems just like yesterday that the old board was at post 500 and I showed up reading about Russ complaining about the looks of Ithicas. I knew I was going to like the guy.

I am guessing we have had a quarter million posts since then and some of the most valuable insights have been from Russ. I am not giving up on our ol Curmudeon yet. I am holding him to his promise of a new LC book in 2036.

Russ, best to you and yours.

Pete

This is sad news. I have watched Russ post here for the last ten years or so and I still have not forgotton the very long strings on "round actions" and Damascus bbl construction that he argued for and against from so many years ago! He adds greatly to this forum. God bless you Russ. You are in my thoughts and prayers. Jeff

I hesitated to join in this discussion – mostly because of a conversation I had with Russ when Oscar Gaddy died. Russ was friends with Oscar & I had talked to him on the phone a few times. I noticed that Russ had not posted on the thread about Oscar’s passing, so I called him. He said that Oscar was his friend, but he was gone & nothing he said would really matter anyway – he just wanted to let him rest. Well, Russ isn’t gone so I’ll post. Maybe he’s still getting a few of these messages.

Many of the posts state that they never got the opportunity to meet Russ. Well, I was lucky enough to get to. It was April ’04 and I needed a set of barrels for a Smith. Russ sent me his list of barrel inventory and we found a match. I drove over and knocked on his door and when he opened it he said “Mr. Steele, I presume?” but there was a long pause between my name and the rest. I think he was expecting someone a little older – you could just tell from the look on his face. I was 29 at the time and we had talked a lot via email and over the phone a few times, but we had never discussed age. It was funny, maybe you had to be there – but let me tell you it WAS funny. We spent the day talking guns. Russ’ collection, at the time, was extensive. He had a 20 ga Smith that he had sleeved the chambers and made into a 28, a Syracuse Quality 3 he had found at a show with no lockplates that he added later Grade 4 locks and called it his Quality/Grade 3 ½, a Smith Hammer gun that he had sleeved with 50cal machine gun barrels to make a double rifle – the list goes on. I mention these items because I think it’s an example of the kind of guy he is. He doesn’t just like Clunkers – he IS a Clunker, no, he is THE Clunker!

Russ is a friend – everyone feels like Russ’ friend.

Best wishes Friend!

I too have met Russ. We traded on a gun, I had a Ithaca Flues 20 ga. He had a Manufrance Ideal 16 ga. For the life of me I still can't figure why he wanted that old Flues. Anyway when I showed up at his door from visiting with the in-laws in Evansville, In. He really wasn't what I expected. Little bitty man with thick glasses. Well that first impression changed quickly. He was as gracious as any double gun person I know, now. He took me to the basement to show me his collection. The man did have some clunckers, but he also had some very nice stuff. He amassed some very rare guns also, strange type actions. Anyway after that first meeting, we've had numerious conversations about double guns. If I ever asked a silly question, you can bet he would set me straight. That was just his way and I never took any personal. Because in the end I know he didn't either!
God bless........Russ

I never met Russ in person, but I spoke with him over the phone one time. It was right after Dave had switched from the old anonymous board to this one, which required an identity to log on.

On the old board, Russ had offered several of his somewhat caustic replies regarding the oft-asked question, “What is my gun worth? It has two barrels connected together beside each other and a wood stock.” Russ had received some inflammatory responses for his replies (unwarranted) and when the new board opened, he didn’t join for quite some time.

So I tracked his phone number down and called him out of the blue to urge him to participate. From what he said, I could tell that he had been deeply hurt by some of the replies. We talked for a while and soon after, he joined. I’d like to think there was a connection between our conversation and his reunion with us.

As John Mann said, “Rough on the exterior but filled with meaning and feeling on the inside.” John is very perceptive.

I pray for Russ’ recovery and his return to this venue. His knowledge and willingness to share it is what we are all about. His absence would leave a huge void.

I think I found this site in '97 or early '98.

I lurked for a while and posted a few simplistic questions. Russ was among the folks who quickly taught me to come to the table with every bit of information I could. I even learned how to post pictures to provide the mostinformation possible.

Then I posted my first "What is it worth, should I buy it question." Russ and Bill Wise (who is fighting his own health battles) were among the first to say YES!! I had learned by then that Russ knew what he was talking about. So I bought my first quality double, a W&C Scott Premier with a second set of barrels by Lindner. I hold these gentleman responsible for the unconciounable amount of money I have spent since.

A couple of years later I posted a similiar question about an Ithaca Flues and Russ instantly said NO to buying it. I didn't listen, but Russ found and sold me the parts to make it whole again.

This board is populated by good folks, but some such as Russ rise above the others.

Godspeed Russ.

Someone once said it was not for the faint of heart to ask advice from Russ. Being new to this I reluctantly summoned the courage and was very pleasantly surprised.

Over the years I have enjoyed his posts. Even though I am Parker fan I fondly remember him saying something like, "what's all the fuss about, they're just box locks!"

Godspeed Russ.

Dear Russ:

You are the reason I became a collector and enquirer into things double gun, rather than merely repeating old saws that everyone knew were true. You got me started on the Flues failure project. You sold me elephant ivory slabs at give away prices , telling me you didnt want to charge more because you got it so cheap. You had a firing pin for a 00 Grade Elsie. You had a spring for a tired Fluzie. You had an entire set of 32" barrels for a Grade 2 NID.

All of this came with a good dose of "Der Klunkermeister", comments, e-mails, and wry humor.

I pray for your peace.

Regards

Greg

Russ is a good man and he has always been my first choice for advice on American doubles. His asessments of value were always realistic and he always had an objective eye and never fell for the current hype.
He was always willing to help. I'm sure any curmudgeonliness on Russ' part was well deserved by the recipient. I don't know what else to say.

Russ coming home today,GW

Godspeed Russmeister.

Craig

Russ,
I only know "of you" rather than actually knowing you, but from what I know of you and your character from this forum, I would have been honored to have met and known you as a friend. I always appreciated your honesty and what I took as good natured banter about "Klunkers." I have read about your present condition and I will only say this: if it is God's will, I sincerely hope that you will recover from this. If it is not to be, I pray that you will reside with him forever and ever. Thank you Russ, for having been a part of this great board. May God Bless you and your family.

Ed or Pipeliner, whomever reads this first .. please let Russ know that we are glad he is returned home and that had it been his wish [we know it was not] we'd of had some sort of double miscreant welcoming comittee waiting in the driveway, in at least the figurative sense. As it is, I'd say get the hospice folks to help you get him on one those tractors and drive it out in the field and help him shoot something. And why not!? At least fire one of those tractors up for him, if there is one around.

.. And for Russ, "A heart felt toast to you, my friend, for the person you are and the fun that we've had over these past few years because of just that! Glad you're home."

Russ be like Winston...your presence here and at every other board you frequent is in demand.

Godspeed...you and your family are in my prayers.

J L Dunn

I am also one of the many that Russ helped via email with over the years. I always marvelled at his knowledge and enjoyed his insight. I have to admit enjoying (more than I should) when another, "how much is my Belgian clunker worth" question appeared on the board. I knew that more often than not Russ would be there shortly to break it to them in his special way that their gun was not to be the next featured item on the Antiques Roadshow.

We will miss you Russ. The knowledge you shared will live on long after all of us are gone. Godspeed.

Ken

I've been reading this topic for a day or two, and was too shocked and saddened to know what to say. Russ' posts were the first things I read on many of the boards he frequented. As so many others have wished - Godspeed r-cubed.

I think that some of Russ's best "it just a belgian klunker" answers should be canned and used for years to come. Why deprive future questioners of his clear "answers"? Researcher has several canned answers that are really great to see and give out a lot of real good information. So why not pick the best five Klunkermeisters answers and use them again and again?

Just as some of us have saved Oscars posts and articles, Russ's "Klunerism" should be kept as part of the bbs. Just my two cents worth and before you ask, no, no one really asked for my opinion. But I did love those It worth a hundred dollars or use it for tomatoe stake type answers.

Russ I have miss your post and wish you and your family the very best. God Bless.

I am sorry to hear about Russ's condition. I am mostly just a lurker here and rarely post but when I decided that my first double should be a NID and inquired here if anyone had one for sale Russ answered me and since he was only about a 100 miles away I went and checked it out. Like a previous poster said I think he was expecting someone a little older and I had also made a little better time getting there than I had anticipated so I was about twenty minutes early in arriving. When he answered the door he almost grouchily informed me that I was early but to come on in anyway. Webster's definition of curmudgeon for sure! Anyway after I picked out a Ithaca that I liked and handed him some cash we talked for a while and two hours later after he got done showing me his most amazing collection (he has stuff that I never even dreamed existed) I thanked him profusely and was on my way home. I think he made the comment "I have to start selling some of this stuff now or else after I kick the bucket my wife will have a garage sale and sell em' all for $5 apiece".

Those of you that never met him in person have truely missed out on something. God be with you.

It's easy to see, from the above, how many people Russ has touched--even though in most cases (mine included) it was through cyberspace. I've learned a bunch on this website, and much of that came from the Old Clunker himself--some of which I've doubtless passed on in articles I've written, which further broadened Russ' touch.

Russ is one gunshop regular who will indeed be missed. My deepest sympathies to his family.

Jon, I have many of his words of wisdom archived in MS Word. (Just one that's notable is his method for assembling the LCS bottom, top lever screw.) They are available for a good purpose.

btt