lwalden
Member
Update....A sad note- lost one of our own.
John Driscoll, who went by jdwhip96 on the forums, passed away yesterday. This was very sudden and absolutely unexpected. John (along with his wife, Sherry- y'all keep her in your thoughts and prayers, please) was a very active member of the North Texas penturners group. John hosted a number of Bubbasville meetings at his shop, as well as North Texas Regional gatherings. In addition to being active in the pen turning community, John and Sherry had a laser engraving business and were used widely by the local penturners. John was also very active in the last year with casting and stabilizing experiments.
John will be sorely missed by the many friends he leaves behind. I mentioned John and Sherry had a laser engraving business- what I didn't mention is that they had very few customers. I say this not because they did not do much business- they did. I say this because invariably, their customers became their friends. You couldn't help but feel welcome, especially if you've been to their shop on a cold (for us Texans, at any rate) day and had Sherry trying to get you set up with coffee, hot chocolate, or my favorite-the spiced tea. There were several times I was at John and Sherry's on Christmas eve, getting last minute things done- and I do mean eve, 5:00 or 6:00! All John's friends knew if the side gate was open, go on in, because the shop was open and there would be something going on.
John was one of those folks who always made you welcome, was always ready to experiment and take on a challenge, was an eternal optimist, and always encouraging folks to push themselves to the next level. I personally learned a lot of things related to penturning, working on a trial and error basis, with John and Sherry. Just good folks, all the way to the bone, if you know what I mean. Again, John will be sorely missed.
Sherry is still working out the details for services. There should be more information later today. There has been tentative discussion regarding a traditional Irish wake, to be held in the shop of course, Sunday afternoon/evening. Rudy (rlofton) and I will be updating with more details as they become available. In the meantime, please keep Sherry and their family in your thoughts and prayers.
Rest in Peace, my friend.
UPDATE...Those of you who knew John don't really need to be told that he was happiest when he was out playing in his shop. The family will be scheduling a memorial service, to be followed by an Irish wake, at John and Sherry's House/Deck/Shop. This will be a week from this coming Saturday, so if you plan to attend go ahead and mark Saturday afternoon/evening of May 30th on your calendar to keep it open. Parking at the house is limited, so options for off-site parking and shuttle service are being reviewed. Please e-mail (not pm) me if you wish to be kept updated with more detail as the arrangements are finalized.
John Driscoll, who went by jdwhip96 on the forums, passed away yesterday. This was very sudden and absolutely unexpected. John (along with his wife, Sherry- y'all keep her in your thoughts and prayers, please) was a very active member of the North Texas penturners group. John hosted a number of Bubbasville meetings at his shop, as well as North Texas Regional gatherings. In addition to being active in the pen turning community, John and Sherry had a laser engraving business and were used widely by the local penturners. John was also very active in the last year with casting and stabilizing experiments.
John will be sorely missed by the many friends he leaves behind. I mentioned John and Sherry had a laser engraving business- what I didn't mention is that they had very few customers. I say this not because they did not do much business- they did. I say this because invariably, their customers became their friends. You couldn't help but feel welcome, especially if you've been to their shop on a cold (for us Texans, at any rate) day and had Sherry trying to get you set up with coffee, hot chocolate, or my favorite-the spiced tea. There were several times I was at John and Sherry's on Christmas eve, getting last minute things done- and I do mean eve, 5:00 or 6:00! All John's friends knew if the side gate was open, go on in, because the shop was open and there would be something going on.
John was one of those folks who always made you welcome, was always ready to experiment and take on a challenge, was an eternal optimist, and always encouraging folks to push themselves to the next level. I personally learned a lot of things related to penturning, working on a trial and error basis, with John and Sherry. Just good folks, all the way to the bone, if you know what I mean. Again, John will be sorely missed.
Sherry is still working out the details for services. There should be more information later today. There has been tentative discussion regarding a traditional Irish wake, to be held in the shop of course, Sunday afternoon/evening. Rudy (rlofton) and I will be updating with more details as they become available. In the meantime, please keep Sherry and their family in your thoughts and prayers.
Rest in Peace, my friend.
UPDATE...Those of you who knew John don't really need to be told that he was happiest when he was out playing in his shop. The family will be scheduling a memorial service, to be followed by an Irish wake, at John and Sherry's House/Deck/Shop. This will be a week from this coming Saturday, so if you plan to attend go ahead and mark Saturday afternoon/evening of May 30th on your calendar to keep it open. Parking at the house is limited, so options for off-site parking and shuttle service are being reviewed. Please e-mail (not pm) me if you wish to be kept updated with more detail as the arrangements are finalized.
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