For 2006, it was a very good year for for Fiero members (I hope?). But for some, death has taken them away from us. Please, post those who past away in 2006 and the Fiero's they once drove.

Thank you.

madcurl

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"Anyone can make a copy of something, it may look good but it ever is the real car. Make something from your imagination, something unique, something nobody has, anything is possible and, ideas can be a reality."

A thoughtful topic madcurl. Hopefully its a short list.

Joe

On December 17th. Frank Genova was playing tennis and suffered a massive heart attack, efforts to revive him were unsuccessful. Frank was a very good customer of mine and was big into Fieros although not part of this forum he owned a 1988 GT with T-tops and was very good friends to many here. He recently celebrated his retirement less then one week prior to his death and was looking forward to spend many more hours traveling with his Fiero and Corvette friends.

[This message has been edited by fieroparts.com (edited 12-31-2006).]

I did not know Frank, but he was a long time member of the Michigan Fiero Club and many of our members knew him. I would like to pass along my condolences to his family.

1946-2006

Marilyn died 12-29-06.

[This message has been edited by Old Lar (edited 01-01-2007).]

Marty Karklins AKA Bazooka passed away in 2006. He will be missed.

Art Gerecke - Father of Mark Gerecke - Passed away this past spring. He was a regular participant in all of the Gateway Fiero activities and will be greatly missed.

Below is a picture of Art, his son Mark, and Grandson Stevie.

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Paul

Pontiac prestiege.... Pontiac performance...... Pontiac POWER!
For a full history of the Fiero SS: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/789315

Thank you for sharing pics of Fiero lovers who have passed away.

Thankfully, this has been a short thread. Here's hoping we won't have one at all for 2007.

Cleveland Fieros lost Greg Demko, one of the founders and at a young age from a heart attack in his sleep..
Greg passed Sept 10, 2006

Greg is the second from left or the one in the grey sweatshirt. SC

[This message has been edited by SuperchargedV6 (edited 01-07-2007).]

quote Originally posted by madcurl: Thank you for sharing pics of Fiero lovers who have passed away.

quote Originally posted by Crow: Marty Karklins AKA Bazooka passed away in 2006. He will be missed.

omg, that sucks, I went down and knocked on some dudes door that tried to scam him on ebay back in the day, and he sent me some gt wheels free of charge for it! very nice guy. he will be missed. I remember seeing him log on his aim name m34chev not that long ago

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/A...020511-1-013183.html

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/F...068479.html#lastpost

This is actually a great thread.

Anybody else think It would be nice if they could take out the 2006 from the title and just use this thread as an ongoing memorial to lost members past and present ?

** if that is ok with you curly ?.... since u actually started the thread. **

[This message has been edited by exoticse (edited 12-03-2007).]

quote Originally posted by exoticse: Anybody else think It would be nice if they could take out the 2006 from the title and just use this thread as an ongoing memorial to lost members past and present ?

Yes, I do.

I agree. A "In Memorium: Fiero Members" for those we've lost.
It's a nice remembrance of the friends we've met here.

quote Originally posted by exoticse: This is actually a great thread. Anybody else think It would be nice if they could take out the 2006 from the title and just use this thread as an ongoing memorial to lost members past and present ? ** if that is ok with you curly ?.... since u actually started the thread. **

I have no problem with changing the title. I'll ask.

there is blackstang95

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum6/HTML/049676.html


and gtdude

quote Originally posted by Archie: I really appreciate all the kind words. I just got back a few hours ago, from My trip to Indiana for Dave's Funeral. I know I don't have the right to feel as bad about Dave's passing as I did all week. I know that you're supposed to take your mind off of the loss by thinking about other things. Well I tried to do that last week, but I don't have any other interests that aren't car related & every car related subject got me quickly back to thinking about Dave. To be honest, I've spent most of the last 7 days with tears in my eyes. Several of our old Rallying group were at the Funeral. If you can imagine what a group of a dozen guys who'd attended Woodstock would look like today if they'd come together for a Funeral of one of their group. Well that's what we looked like except that we had better looking suits. A little grayer, a little heavier, a little slower but they looked great. Someone PM'ed me & suggested that I post a few pics if I could find them. I know I have a pic of Dave with his Fino at Fierorama, but I haven't found it yet. When I left for the Funeral yesterday afternoon, I was positive I didn't have any pics of Dave At the Daytona show. When I got to the Funeral & saw one of the old rally guys, I remembered that I indeed did have a picture from Daytona because both him and Dave were in it. I couldn't wait to get home to find it. This was taken on the Holiday Inn balcony 3-24-00. Gary Kowalski (one of the rally guys) on the left & Dave Nicholas on the Right. Here is the car we took that year...... Archie

A loss from Washington State was Dee Hickman. He was part of Jet City Fiero's however traveled up to BC Canada and joined West Coast Fiero's for many of our Tech Sessions and shows. I can't seem to find a good pic of him with his 88GT T-Top, however I will keep looking. (I did find a short video with him in it though) May post that.


Copied from http://www.whidbeynewstimes...rtals-code/obits.cgi

Hickman , Dee Saturday, 16 Jun 2007 Whidbey News Times Whidbey WA Dee Hickman, 69, died June 16, 2007, in Oak Harbor. He was born in El Paso, Texas, on Nov. 26, 1937, to Dee Ephriam and Marie N. (Watt) Hickman. At a young age his family moved to Fresno, Calif., where Dee attended Fresno High School. Here he was active in St. Luke�s Methodist Church youth fellowship. After graduation in 1956, he joined the United States Navy, where he spent the next four years aboard the heavy cruiser USS St. Paul, touring overseas to ports in Japan, Guam, and Hawaii. While serving his country Dee learned a trade in electronics.
Dee stayed in Fresno when he got out of the Navy, and worked as a journeyman electrician for many years before moving to Oak Harbor in 1989. He worked for the city of Oak Harbor and helped to install many of the streetlights along Highway 20, for Puget Power where he was known as �The Friendly Flagger,� and he took care of the North Whidbey R.V. Park for 12 years. He retired in 2003.
Dee enjoyed computer games, and also helping people. Truly outgoing, he offered his skills as a handyman to anyone in need. He volunteered as an ombudsman in nursing care and provided coffee at rest stops through the Coupeville Masonic Lodge. Toward the end of his life he began attending the First United Methodist Church in Oak Harbor.
He is survived by his daughter Jan Andersen of Bothell, granddaughter Aleena Harris, mother Marie, sisters Lois Elsner of Phoenix and Sandee Hickman of Lomita, Calif.; in addition, Wendy Cramer of Oak Harbor was a close, dear friend who lent her strength and love to Dee. The family thanks her.
He was preceded in death by his father in 1980.

[This message has been edited by Capt Fiero (edited 01-15-2008).]

Sorry to here about the death of Dee Hickman. Do you have any pics and the car?

"

William Thorn - 31yrs, died in a motorcycle accident on 05/03/2008

William died this past weekend in a vehicle accident. He was truly a great friend.

Previous cars were a low mile '85GT and '87 coupe. Current Fiero is an IMSA kit using an '86SE chassis.

[This message has been edited by Rainman (edited 12-02-2024).]

quote Originally posted by Rainman: William Thorn - 31yrs, died in a freak motorcycle accident on 05/03/2008 Previous cars were a low mile '85GT and '87 coupe. Current Fiero is an IMSA kit using an '86SE chassis.

Do we have any pictures of his cars? This would be nice to review or reflex upon of how William contributed to our love for the Fiero.

quote Originally posted by madcurl: Do we have any pictures of his cars? This would be nice to review or reflex upon of how William contributed to our love for the Fiero.

I have a picture of his old '87 coupe. Monkeyman may have a photo of his old '85GT (monkey man bought it from him). I don't have any photos of his '86SE/IMSA project. The body is not on the car yet.

'87 Coupe

[This message has been edited by Rainman (edited 03-16-2012).]

Rainman, will there be a group of Fiero owners following the funeral out to the cementary in their Fieros? This should be (our) standard for anyone of our friend who has died (like they do with fallen peace officers).

Cool idea.

My Fiero is under the knife preparing for next seasons SCCA autocrossing. Most of the rest of the gang have gotten other cars, I'm not sure if any of them still have Fieros, that was back in the late '90s and early '00s that all us us hung out.

[This message has been edited by Rainman (edited 03-16-2012).]

quote Originally posted by Rainman: William Thorn - 31yrs, died in a freak motorcycle accident on 05/03/2008 William was killed this past weekend in a freak motorcycle accident. He was truly a great guy. Always there to offer advice or a helping hand and never requesting anything in return. Selfless, honest, a great personality and sense of humor. He will be forever missed. Its unfortunate he will not see his IMSA project to completion. He and I had been discussing it just a few days ago. Previous cars were a low mile '85GT and '87 coupe. Current Fiero is an IMSA kit using an '86SE chassis.

Rainman I am in shock. If I had known, I would have been at the services.

When I lost my wife in 2000, William would stop by my house after work to see how me and my girls were doing. When my Fiero was in Canada getting it's swap, he let me drive his 85GT for a few months to tide me over. What a loss, He was a great guy and one of the smartest people I have ever met.

Bill

I am fairly new to this board. I have to say that I am very impressed by the sincerity of its members. A real class act here.

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What really matters is the size of your Flux Capacitor...

William was a class act, as evidenced by the turnout at the visitation and funeral service. Yesterday at the visitation, it is estimated more than 2,000 people showed to pay their respects. A planned 3 hour visitation lasted more than 8 hours, from 4pm till after midnight. People waited hours, honestly hours, to pay their respects. I waited in line for 4 hours to share a few brief moments with his family. And the line got longer and longer as I waited. I would not be surprised if the wait in line got to be 6 hours. The line extended throughout the funeral home's hallways, down the sidewalks and into the parking lot. People were parking all over as all the nearby parking lots were overfilled and vehicles continued to arrive. The funeral was very good, and there weren't enough chairs and room in the service area for all the people in attendance. Many folks had to stand in the back and nearby hallways.

[This message has been edited by Rainman (edited 03-16-2012).]

quote Originally posted by Rainman: William was a class act all the way, as evidenced by the turnout at the visitation and funeral service. Yesterday at the visitation, it is estimated more than 2,000 people showed to pay their respects. A planned 3 hour visitation lasted more than 8 hours, from 4pm till after midnight. People waited hours, honestly hours, to pay their respects. I waited in line for 4 hours to share a few brief moments with his family. And the line got longer and longer as I waited in line. I would not be surprised if the wait in line got to be 6 hours. The line extended throughout the funeral home's hallways, down the sidewalks and into the parking lot. People were parking everywhere as all the nearby parking lots were overfilled and more cars kept arriving. The funeral was a great service, and there weren't enough chairs and room in the service area for all the people in attendance. Many folks had to stand in the back or nearby hallways.

My Best goes out to his family and friends. It sounds like we lost another truly loved and respected person. A turnout of over 2000 people goes to show just how many lives he had touched.

-Chris

A while back there was a guy from Southern Va on this forum who passed on about 2 years back.. He was a former GM service technician with 30 yrs expereince and was infamous for owning 5 Fieros that all burned to the ground. I knew him by the name of Phil , (his user name was GT Dude) and some of you may remember him. Nice guy and he sounded he might have been a refugee from the Hippie era of the 70's. He apparently had a health problem and could no longer work,
Then there was my former wife Lois who had terminal cancer and passed away in 2004. She wasn't into owning Fieros but did go to some of the Carlisle shows with me.
May all the folks that have graced us with their presence and friendship in the Fiero hobby rest in peace .

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87GT - with 3800SC Series III engine, 4T65eHD
87GT - 3.4L Turbocharged engine, modified TH125H
" I'M ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "

[This message has been edited by Dennis LaGrua (edited 05-09-2008).]

Dedicated to the memory of Joe; owner/creator behind Driven Vision. I didn't get a chance to say hello at Dells 2007, but I did take notice of his car due to it's "tweakness."

Notice the unique widebody;

Notice at the top of the hood where it meets the windshield; reminds me of #020. Vents lives-on with #022.


Notice the headlamps; reminds me of the Redux


Styling cues similar to #013


A lot if unique ideas, many more not mentioned.


Notice the mirror and its unique styling. Reminds me of #020


33 years of age is way too soon to leave this earth, but the items Joe created will live on in our cars. May you rest in peace.


Thank you Cliff for allowing us to have a forum that can express are deepest sympathy for those WE have lost in death and allowing us to see how they're tweakness has greatly enhance our love for the Fiero. Pennock forum produces fruits worthy of enjoying.

I was unable to copy Joe's picture;

Joseph "Joe" Ophoven
Ophoven, Joseph "Joe" 33, passed away June 13, 2008 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Joe owned and operated Driven Visions body shop in west Duluth since 2005. Joe had a terrific sense of humor, and will be dearly missed. Joe is survived by his loving wife, Jenny; daughter, Adara; son, Darian; parents, Mike Ophoven, Sharon Kytola; sisters, Michelle, Chris; brothers, Kevin, Mike; extended family and friends; Greg Gaskins; many furry and scaly companions. Memorial service will be held 2 PM Saturday, June 21, 2008 at the Cremation Society of MN, 7835 Brooklyn Blvd, Brooklyn Park. There will be a visitation from 12-2 PM prior to the service.
Published in the Star Tribune on 6/18/2008.


My rant. Unlike other forums were they mock OUR cars and wish death upon follow venders ;

[This message has been edited by madcurl (edited 06-19-2008).]

He's not a member of this board as far as I know, but Mr. Hammel died last year of a heart attack. He lived right around the corner from my parents and was the original owner of a loaded red '88GT. To this day it doesn't have 10k miles on it. Last time I drove by their house it was in the driveway, clean as can be. Never seen rain. Beautiful car and a very nice man.

Correction: I did (briefly) spoken to Joseph "Joe" Ophoven at the Dells 2007 show. Troy reminded of our conversation; I must be getting old, hehe.

Wow I just saw this in another thread. What a beautiful car it is a great loss in the community. I hope someone picks up where he left off.

quote Originally posted by madcurl: Joseph "Joe" Ophoven

WELL, Did any Fiero owners honor Joe's memory by attend the funeral?

I hope nobody is on this channel.

In 2008 we lost several Fiero lovers.

this thread is depressing

[This message has been edited by Erik (edited 11-30-2008).]