When I had a white GT he made nothing, but good comments about it when I had it up for sale. That's good enough for me as a car fanatic. He good in my book. I've had some friends die last year too. Not a good year for sure........R.I.P.
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06:51 PM
4BanGinFun Member
Posts: 1321 From: keswick Ontario Canada Registered: Oct 2001
I personally think it was sleep apnea as he snored like a buzz saw and has had a heart murmer all his life.
This is the second suspected sleep apnea death I've learned of this week. In memory of Phil, if you snore, see a sleep specialist and have a study done. I did and found I was having 35 episodes an hour. This is VERY hard on your heart and it can be helped.
Do it for Phil . . .
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07:40 PM
pokeyfiero Member
Posts: 16203 From: Free America! Registered: Dec 2003
May he be in a place where all the roads are mountainous and the fuel gauge is forever on full.
RIP
Thats nice Anthony I concur.
I'd like to add that at some point in time we will all be there so I'd like to invite all of you to a few etheral Fiero races. Maybe phil will read this and get the ball rolling on what will be the biggest fiero event ever and this one we all will make.
Exact time of race and location not yet determined as some will be arriving later than others and Phil will have to scout out some great locations for us all.... I know I'll be there.
[This message has been edited by pokeyfiero (edited 01-13-2005).]
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07:58 PM
Cheever3000 Member
Posts: 12400 From: The Man from Tallahassee Registered: Aug 2001
This is the second suspected sleep apnea death I've learned of this week. In memory of Phil, if you snore, see a sleep specialist and have a study done. I did and found I was having 35 episodes an hour. This is VERY hard on your heart and it can be helped.
Do it for Phil . . .
Even worse, it can cause brain damage (just look at me!). In early 1999 when my wife told me I stopped breathing in my sleep, I had a sleep test done and discovered I stopped breathing 27 times an hour on average and had a low oxygen count in my blood. Went to a doctor, thinking I would get the new laser surgery, but he said my situation was too serious for that. They knocked me out and cut out excess soft tissue in my upper palate and the back of my throat. Took a VERY long time to heal, and I lost the gag reflex that keeps you from choking on food that goes down too soon. But I have a lot more energy because I get better sleep. And now I can drive long distances without endangering everybody. And no more brain damage!
So yes, if you snore, see a doctor!
[This message has been edited by Cheever3000 (edited 01-13-2005).]
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08:23 PM
AusFiero Member
Posts: 11513 From: Dapto NSW Australia Registered: Feb 2001
I never talked to GTdude, but I did see his posts here, and he seemed like your run of the mill Fiero guy (which is a good thing.) RIP, Dude, I hope your loved ones can be comforted during this time.
- Flamberge
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10:29 PM
PFF
System Bot
Jan 14th, 2005
Gokart Member
Posts: 4635 From: Mashpee, Ma. USA Registered: May 99
I didn't know GT Dude but when I came back to PFF in October and I remember how impressed I was seeing someone dedicating their signature to helping others! Anytime the world loses a caring person like that it hurts Your in a good place GT Dude!
Phil was a great person, I visited him months ago to pick up some parts and he was as hospitable as you can get. He even goofed around with my kids. Rest in peace sir.
GT Dude was OK and helped out when ever he could. He should be remembered with fondness in the community as he added color to a sometime darkened place.
Too bad we ( with all respects ) don't have a " Hall of Fame" or an honorable mention area on the forum to place GT Dude and others who pass on and meant something to us all.
I had strong feelings against him after what I heard happen with that parts car.. But I gather he wasn't to bad of a guy.. I had never really talked to him, and I guess I won't..
No it doesnt matter, I was just curious if that had anything to do w/ his death or something... Sorry, did'nt mean anything by it... it was just a observation...
RIP Phil...
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07:11 PM
NotAFieroAnyLonger Member
Posts: 4413 From: 75762/Texas/USA Registered: Dec 2003
Only those of us who were close enough to him knew. Phil did not want others on the Forum to judge him by his sexuality. Phil did not want people to think of him as less a man, and you know good and well some of you would have, and would have made his life hell for it.
Randy
I do agree Randy.. Thanks!
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07:22 PM
PFF
System Bot
NotAFieroAnyLonger Member
Posts: 4413 From: 75762/Texas/USA Registered: Dec 2003
LAME.Why don't you take a hike Smooth.Go "jump in a lake"
RIP Phil.
-Mark
I sent this below to you in a PM, but thought I would put it here also since I am the bad person of this thread for just pointing out an observation..
here is my message! Hey, I did'nt mean anything at all by that.. I did'nt even put it in a bad way. It was just an observation that kinda shocked me. No, I dont think anything different towards Phiul at all.. He was cool and talked several times on the phone! We were friends. So, Thats why I was kinda shocked, first by his death then I made that comment. I never ment anything at all!
Steve
Sorry again to everyone, nothing was ment!
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07:30 PM
Indyellowgt Member
Posts: 1950 From: Alfred,Maine,Fiero Country,USA Registered: Dec 2000
Too bad we ( with all respects ) don't have a " Hall of Fame" or an honorable mention area on the forum to place GT Dude and others who pass on and meant something to us all.
I would like that. A way to pay respects to a fellow member of the Fiero community.
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07:52 PM
madcurl Member
Posts: 21401 From: In a Van down by the Kern River Registered: Jul 2003
That's TWO beers i've poured for downed homies. First the plazma king ... now GTDude. EVERYBODY!!! BE VERY CAREFULL NOT TO DIE!!! i don't want to have to hear any bad news or lose anybody else. Terrible terrible news. there's a puddle or mickeys malt beverage outside my house right now. i don't pray ... but my condolences to his family and friends ... anybody who had the pleasure to know him and the heart to miss him. Farewell friend.
I noticed he hadn't posted recently but allot of people are scarce over hollidays.
I had mixed feelings about some of the help he gave in tech but at least he tried what is more than I can say for some. I didn't know him beyond that.
The stimpy remark above that some people are bent about didn't bother me. There wasn't enough context to form an oppinion as to whether it was good or bad. Some people don't get as wound up over death as others. The list of reasons for either is nearly endless and this isn't the place for it.
------------------ The only thing George Orwell got wrong was the year...
Originally posted by theogre: The stimpy remark above that some people are bent about didn't bother me. There wasn't enough context to form an oppinion as to whether it was good or bad. Some people don't get as wound up over death as others. The list of reasons for either is nearly endless and this isn't the place for it.
Hey Ogre, thanks for giving me the benefit of the doubt on this one. It certainly wasn't my intent to trivialize the passing of Phil. I felt my statement encapsulated as much as what we needed to know about the means of his demise. I don't think it's dignified to snoop into the private matters of the bereaved in order to satisfy our own sick curiosities. Those who are the most bent know very little about me, and know nothing of my personal feelings toward GTDude. I actually shared more then a few PM's with him and thought that he was a well meaning guy, not without faults, but then who of us are? I appreciated his sense of humor, and I felt that he appreciated mine.
I hope that when I pass, someone cares enough to pour a forty in my memory.
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06:56 PM
pokeyfiero Member
Posts: 16203 From: Free America! Registered: Dec 2003
Originally posted by stimpy: I hope that when I pass, someone cares enough to pour a forty in my memory.
Well Stimpy I know I'm not going first so you can count on me.
Ogre Has a point about how different people look at death.Some of us can't think about it with out getting upset.Some fear it and others couldn't care less.Doesn't mean that they are nasty people or don't have feeling. I never knew Phil or much about him other than in chat we teased him about toasting fieros left and right.That was fun and thats what I will remember.He took the teasing great and I can only figure he was a cool dude from my very limited experience. I am one of those people that holds no concept of death as any different than life but even skrewed up people like me still feel bad for the family and friends they left behind. I believe Phil has left us but he isn't gone just ahead of us. People close to him will miss him but not for forever. When I go I don't want anybody to miss me or get upset cause I would feel guilty having so much fun with out them.
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09:49 PM
Jan 16th, 2005
slickrick2000 Member
Posts: 1369 From: Temecula, California Registered: Oct 2004
In the past 3 1/2 years I have lost more family members and close family friends then in all of the rest of my 36 years of life. I also know that there will be more losses to come in my life in the near future due to some deseases that we are not able to cure in our life. I take the opportunity I have to let them know how much I care for them, and how much they have meant to me my whole life.
One of the many things I learned from this is that you should not take anything for granted. Another thing i learned is that don't take the unimportant things and blow them out of proportion. People say things and do things, and others don't take the time to try and understand what they are trying to say. They take offense to what they read at face value and make a bigger deal out of things than they should. Sure there were some comments made (starting on the 1st page) that could have been left unsaid, but as stated already, some don't have the same feelings yet towards death as others.
No matter what you say, everyone was wondering about GTDude's sexuality after the initial posting of his obituary on page 2. Personally it was no concern to me what his sexual preference was, but as soon as I read it, I knew that someone was going to bring it up. We all did. I think the way it was initially asked could have been more sensitive and thought out, but not everyone has that ability yet (no offense Notafieroanylonger), sometimes it takes a while to learn.
We have already had the questions posed about GTDudes sexuality and of how he died. Although our curiousity is aroused, it really isn't our business. If the family chooses to tell us, they will. If not, keep the memories you have for GTDude and express the nice ones, and out of respect keep the not so nice ones to yourselves.
The quote below from the second page is how I think we should conduct ourselves from here on in this thread.
quote
Originally posted by 8Ball: And I would also like to say if you have something off color or just rude or not befitting this event to say, please keep it to yourself. I know some people on here had a problem with Phil, but the man has passed on. Please allow your bitter feelings to do the same, and let this good man rest in peace.
I was saddened to hear of Phil's passing. He helped me on several occasions by giving me sound advice on technical matters, running a Carfax for me and selling me the steering wheel out of this last Fiero that burned up. I will miss him. He brought some color and vitality to the site. His enthusiasm for Fieros was contagious. He was always proud of his Fieros and always on the lookout for that perfect Fiero. Was he a perfect man? Are any of us? It's easy to run a guy like Phil down because Phil put himself out there - warts and all. He showed us more of himself than the vast majority of us on this site would ever do.
I am reminded of an old Bruce Springsteen song, "Lost in the Flood":
"He rides head first into a hurricane and disappears into a point And there's nothin' left but some blood where the body fell That is, nothin' left that you could sell Just junk all across the horizon, a real highwayman's farewell And he said "Hey kid, you think that's oil? Man, that ain't oil that's blood" I wonder what he was thinking when he hit that storm Or was he just lost in the flood?"
Phil had a passion for Fieros and he put his "blood" into his pursuit of that passion.
I think it would be fitting to set up a small memorial page on the site. Something simple like just posting his standard signature and over top of it would be written "In memory of Phil Pettus a.ka. GT Dude, long-time contributor to the Fiero Forum". It would be sort of like retiring his jersey. It might be a good tradition to start for all members.
Rest in peace Phil, you will be missed.
Shawn
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05:52 PM
PFF
System Bot
FieroHarry Member
Posts: 1809 From: Virginia Beach VA Registered: Apr 2001
Originally posted by mcconnellsp: ...I think it would be fitting to set up a small memorial page on the site...It might be a good tradition to start for all members...
That would be up to our host, but I think it's an excellent idea. Cliff? What do you think? We have that other thread, but still... Can you at least make it a "sticky" if nothing else?
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08:46 PM
Jan 17th, 2005
cliffw Member
Posts: 36875 From: Bandera, Texas, USA Registered: Jun 2003
My heartfelt sorrows. I am not to judge, one way nor another. He was Fiero family. He has helped with posts in my threads for help and is helping even now. By his spirit of willingness. Contagious. I realize he was not veiwed perfect by reading some posts but know that I am far from perfect also. I know that he cared about us as he did at least try to address our concerns. Life has and can still overwhelm us all. My fervent wishes for GTDude are that his life was happy to the end, that he felt good about himself, and that he can have peace in the after life. I would also like to thank him for a gut check. A time to reflect on the preciousness and importance of my life. A time to realize haw mortal I, and the ones around me are. How not to take life for granted.
Fiero on GTDude !
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01:17 PM
The Aura Member
Posts: 2290 From: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Registered: Nov 2001
May you rest in peace Phil. You helped make me feel welcome on the forum years ago and helped me out on my car with your advice. I can't always say that I agreed with your buying and selling transactions but who am I to judge. I want you to know that you helped me understand the importance of life with your passing. I'll miss you around here, you were always a bright light, the world is missing a star now, I'll say some prayers for you.
------------------ jetman Silver 86 SE 2M6 4-speed, with "check wallet light"
Your in a good place GT Dude!
