MEMORIALS
Thoughts and memories of fellow members
121 topics in this forum
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RIP GARY HAMMER, Founder, Worldwide Exotics
by DoomsDave- 3 replies
- 3.9k views
Today the Los Angeles Times announced the passing of Gary Hammer, 57, who was, among much else, the founder of the esteemed plant nursery, Worldwide Exotics in Lakeview Terrace, California, in the San Fernando Valley. Mr. Hammer was a very widely-traveled plant explorer, who made many trips to Mexico, Australia and South Africa and found many species of drought-tolerant plants that we enjoy today. On August 7, 2011, Mr. Hammer was struck and killed by a car as he crossed a dark street in Tempe, Arizona. He was born in Glendale, California, obtained an Ornamental Horticulture degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 1976, and, after a brief career in banking (!) em…
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Fare Well, Lois Rossten
by DoomsDave- 4 replies
- 3k views
Howdyall: Went to Lois Rossten's memorial service in Huntington Beach today. It was held at a Lutheran church, of which she had been a member for many years, possibly soon after it was founded. The chapel was filled to capacity with friends, including many PSSC members of which I was probably the youngest. Lois and her husband had been married less than a month short of 65 years. She was 85. I met her numerous times, and the light of her smile outshone the sun . . .
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Widow of Doctor U.A. Young RIP
by Palmateer- 16 replies
- 5.4k views
Many of us still remember the hospitality and friendship of Ben Young (November 7, 1922 - July 9, 2011), wife of the late U. A. Young, MD. She died in Tampa. U.A. Young was President of the Palm Society in the mid-1970s.
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Lois Rossten
by JEFF from Trabuco Canyon CA- 10 replies
- 4k views
I was very sad to hear this! Lois’s Memorial Service will be at Faith Lutheran Church located at 8200 Ellis Ave, Huntington Beach, Ca. 92646 at 1:00 PM. on Saturday 7/16/2011.
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Rich Trapnell
by Pedro 65- 28 replies
- 8.6k views
Rich Trapnell sadly passsed away yesterday June 6th. Rich was born April 23 1950 in Wilmington Delaware USA. He attended Westminster boarding school in Conneticut then studied at Harvard University. Rich moved to Australia in 1971 to pursue his passion in nature by growing and selling tropical exotic fruit trees and rare palms, by the mid to late 80's Rich and Rosebud farms business comprised mainly of selling rare palm seedlings and plants. Rich prided himself in selling the highest quality palm seedlings and plants available to the public. Rich died exactly 40 years to the day he moved to 'Rosebud Farm' Karanda far north Queensland and will be sadly missed by all,H…
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Gordon Smith has passed away
by Eric in Orlando- 0 replies
- 2.5k views
I just read this article in the local news site. Gordon Smith, a longtime CFPACS member passed away last Wed. after a fall at his home. He was 87. he had a large garden at his home in Maitland that CFPACS visited several times in recent years RIP http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/os-obituary-smith-20110304,0,2469762.story
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Memorial Service for Mike Burnett
by Scott McDonald- 0 replies
- 2.7k views
Saturday, January 8th, we will have an informal memorial for Mike at his home, 5701 Carew, Houston 77074 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Please be there to share memories, photos, stories or just love for Mike. Come and go any time you please, but there will be a short 'service' around 2:00 pm by Rev. Pamela Taylor. Reply for any questions and I will be glad to answer all. Email me Thanks Steve Burnett
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Mike Burnett
by Scott McDonald- 1 follower
- 6 replies
- 3.4k views
I just received an email from Mike's brother Steve Burnett, and it's not good: Hello Mike's Friends This is Mike's brother Steve. After over 8 months with his battle with cancer Mike has passed away into peace. He has been really suffering for some time now. Up until his last final words, if he was asked how he was doing he would say "fine thank you". He never complained and the worst he ever had to say about his illness was 'this is so sad'. He made so many friends at the VA hospital. Everyone loved his attitude and warmth toward all. His two sisters, his niece Tammy and I were with him as he passed as was Pat Speck, his long time friend. He will surely be ve…
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Ray Baker
by Morabeza- 3 replies
- 4.3k views
Yesterday Ray Baker died after a tough battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Lyon Arboretum would not be what it is today without his decades of intense dedication to its collections. He was passionate about palms. His illness forced him to retire from the arboretum in September. He had been fighting a very tough battle against the illness, especially in the past year, but we all hoped he would get to live longer. The legacy that Ray left is immense. He poured the last 38 years of his life into the Arboretum. His passing is a huge loss for Lyon and the botanical community in Hawai'i and around the world. In September he created a foundation to support the…
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my brother
by kelleyslawn- 1 follower
- 8 replies
- 3.7k views
well last night if found out my baby brother Marcus kelley only 23 was killed by drunk driver. and yes they have them in jail and the best of all it was his wife. they were only togther 3 months i warned him almost every day about drinking. so you see to all the young and old people it does not pay to drink and drive because you never know were or when it is your time. i was starting to get him into cycads but he loved plants almost as much as me almost. sincerly David kelley
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Ken Hill
by Cycadcenter- 6 replies
- 4.4k views
Ken Hill, cycad botanist from Sydney Botanical Gardens passed away this morning following a long illness. Ken was undoubtably the leading cycad botanist in the world with his expertise being cycas and macrozamia where he described about 50 species. He also described the Wollemi pine and was responsible for the reclassification of eucalypts in Australia. Bye friend.
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Black Olive Nursery
by Jeff Searle- 6 replies
- 5.2k views
Mark was found yesterday in his home with no heartbeat. Unfortunately, Mark just could not fight off his need for painkillers and drugs. Very sad. Mark had one of the nicest retail and wholesale nurseries in all of south Florida. He was known to many and will be missed.
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Tony (COACH) Quinones
by bayside mike- 1 reply
- 3.4k views
Tony Quinones was a Physical Education teacher at Redland Elementary School in South Dade county in Florida. He was the true definition of a good teacher. He made P.E. fun. He taught a lot of us self respect,and to respect others around us. He not only was a good coach, he also was a great friend, and made students feel almost like colleagues. If every teacher put as much heart into what they were doing, the world would be a better place. Tony was a great teacher away from school too. Always trying to pass along information to help out in whatever way he could. Never one to refuse to take me fishing or spearfishing unless it was blowing 40 knots. He also taught…
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PSST loss
by iamjv- 2 replies
- 3k views
For anyone that has ever attended our Palm Society of South Texas (PSST) Christmas meetings, you'll fondly remember Mrs. Santa Claus, aka Ruth Merrill. For many many years, Ruth graciously hosted the PSST Christmas party at her beautiful Bay View home. Without a doubt, this is our biggest society meeting of the year and it always took a lot to host 70-90 guests. Ruth loved having everyone over as she truly enjoyed the Christmas season and this meeting in particular where she could see so many beloved friends. Ruth last hosted our society in Dec 2008. She had plans for hosting the 2009 meeting but took ill and just couldn't manage such an undertaking. All of us in PS…
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Dave Lewis 1966-2009
by JD in the OC- 5 replies
- 3.9k views
One of our good friends Dave Lewis died today. He was electrocuted when a Ficus limb he was cutting fell on a power wire on Sanibel Island. He took pride in his "Lewis Cut", a method he used to trim coconuts, queens, and cabbage palms. He truly enjoyed working with and learning about palms. Dave always put his friends above himself. We will miss you Dave. God bless!
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Mrs. Dent Smith, 1927-2009
by Bob Johnson- 8 replies
- 5.1k views
Doris Smith, wife of Palm Society founder Dent Smith, passed away on May 10th. She was 82 years old. A memorial service for Doris will be held at 11 am on Tuesday, June 30th at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 216 Ridgewood Ave., Daytona Beach, FL. In Lieu of flowers, the family has asked that memorial contributions be made to: Hospice of Volusia /Flagler, 3800 Woodbriar Trail, Port Orange FL 32127 or The Tribute Program, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables, FL 33156 Doris’ son Rick shares the following about his mother: “Her best friend and traveling companion was Dent. They met while on a tour of Europe. They conti…
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Don Worth, 1925-2009
by Darold Petty- 1 reply
- 3.4k views
I was privileged to know Don, if only on a casual basis. We had a great meeting at his garden to honor his memory. http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=18081 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...NWORTHDON50.DTL
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Koichi Inoue
by eastern.nurseries- 0 replies
- 3.1k views
Koichi Inoue passed away on the fourteenth of March 2009. He will be remembered as the man that brought variegated Rhapis palms to the west. Leland Hollenberg was inspired by Koichi to produce ''The Miniature Palms of Japan'' and all of the pictures and cultural details came from him. He produced many plants during his lifetime the most famous being ''Eizannishiki''.
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My palm buddy is gone
by rozpalm- 24 replies
- 7.7k views
Sadly we had to put down our 1.5yo dog yesterday. He started having seizures in November and no amount of medicine was able to control them. We tried everything we could to save him but he still would have up to 6 seizures a day. We finally went to a dog neurologist that gave us the bad news that he had all the signs of cranial distemper, something he must have picked up in the Bahamas as a stray. After suffering two back to back debilitating seizures, we decided it was time. This was probably one of the hardest thing I have ever had to do. His name was Abaco and we got him from a shelter in the Bahamas. From the time he was a puppy and right up to he end, he lo…
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I Miss my Mom
by Jeff Searle- 11 replies
- 5.7k views
Wal came up with an excellent suggestion. So, I would like to say that my mother passed away eleven years ago and I still miss her so much. My parents were married for 47 years and and had got married after only meeting and getting to know each other for 3 months. My dad still gets choked up if she comes into conversations. We all do for that matter. She was a great mom, well loved by many,many friends and volunteered thousands of hours with her church. She worked in the hospital for over 35 years as a register nurse, she had a big heart and loved to help others. To this day, she comes up in our thoughts quite often. Jeff Searle
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I miss my Dad
by calyptrocalyx&licuala freck- 33 replies
- 10.7k views
This is one part of the year I really am not looking forward to, Esp Christmas Day after losing a great man (My Dad March 08) I'm finding things alot harder than ever So Dad this one's for you......... Love you and really miss you soo so much. thanks to a special crowd of people from the board that contacted me to let me know that I was in there thoughts...You guys rock. R.I.P Mike Edwards (SNR)...... Love always Mike(Jnr)
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Alaric Prince
by palmazon- 5 replies
- 5.4k views
Last Saturday, I was both surprised and saddened to hear Al Prince passed on. For those who don't know, he donated his time as Back Issues chairman for the Southern California Palm Society - he was the white guy with dreadlocks attending most meetings; he also shared a booth at the Fullerton Arboretum Show & Sale. He ran a nursery called Suburban Paradise - the impression he gave me was a modest hobbyist operation in Anaheim. Through an associate, I learned he was growing some unusual palms - Irving Cantor's Chamaedorea hybrid, Trachycarpus takil, and some germination attempts with 'mule' Butiagrus seed. We only became acquainted when I contacted him regarding a form…
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Doug Eiss
by bgl- 0 replies
- 5.3k views
I just found out a little while ago that Doug Eiss died on May 1st, 2008. Doug was a good friend, and we always had great conversations about palms and numerous other topics. He lived off the road to Opihikao, just a few miles from Leilani Estates, and he worked at Kapoho Palms for many years, so if any of you bought palms from Kapoho Palms, chances are that Doug was involved. Doug was extremely knowledgeable about all sorts of palms, and he did a great job of growing some real "tough ones" (like Licuala orbicularis and mapu) at Kapoho Palms. Unfortunately, Doug had some serious medical issues the last few years, but - as always - he had a great attitude. Last time I saw …
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Lise Rasmussen-Wright
by Phil- 8 replies
- 8.9k views
It is with great sadness that I announce the loss of a sincere friend of palms and the Palm Society. This past Friday, May 16th, Lise passed away at her home in San Diego. Her family was at her side. For years she had been fighting a chronic illness. Many of you know Lise from previous IPS Biennials or local meetings of the PSSC. She and her husband, Jim Wright, have offered their garden for tour on many occasions. Jim grew the palms but Lise added the aesthetics, design and charm to the garden. Always hospitable and gracious to plant enthusiasts, Lise had a multitude of friends who will forever miss her. Our deepest sympathy goes out to Jim and his family. Phi…
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Jimmy Mintken
by garrin- 2 replies
- 4.4k views
I know a lot of us old-timers and especially palm afficionados in Northern California will remember our colorful and good natured friend Jim Mintken who moved away to Costa Rica nearly twenty years ago. Word came to me recently that Jim passed away in Costa Rica in December, and most of his old friends did not know until recently. He had contacted me last fall about getting together during the C.R. Biennial, and then I could no longer reach him. I have spread the word of his passing by phone to a few of the old gang in CA. I am sure there a lot of us who can share some fun and zany memories of Jim and his parties in his beautiful garden in the Russian River area of no…
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