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This page incomplete ... I'll be adding pic(s) ...
maybe more?
Surfrat drew great enjoyment from an array of
outdoors activities, but particularly
loved fishing and hunting. He claimed he preferred saltwater fishing, but during
multiple
trips to points north of Texas on which I had the great pleasure of accompanying him,
he sure seemed to enjoy freshwater flyfishing just as much! .
I first met Surfrat on the beach in 1999 at what
became the inaugural meeting of the
CCCF. He was the primary "teacher" for the surfcasting
show/tell/instruction session
that initially brought us all together. Well, he got a casting rig ready, wound up
for a
good cast, and proceeded to backlash the heck out of the reel and snap the weight off,
sending it flying unfettered down the beach toward Surfside. Being the smart-alec
that
I am, I HAD to step in with a comment along the lines of "well, now that you've shown
them what NOT to do", and asked him if he'd brought along a surfcasting sized
spinning
rig so I could demonstrate a cast or two while he worked on getting rerigged with the
casting rod (not to mention getting the backlash out!). He did have a spinning rig
along,
so I kept folks JUST entertained enough that they didn't jump in their vehicles and leave,
until he could resume his instruction. We hit it off quite well, and it was not long
before
he was one of my closest friends. He became one of my best fishing buddies, and
eventually came to be like the brother I never had. He was a proud veteran, an
extremely knowledgeable outdoorsman, a loyal and loving husband, and as steadfast
a friend as a person could ever want.
Surfrat fought his battle against lung cancer with grace and dignity that I would never
have thought possible for someone in his situation. He adopted a "refuse to
lose"
mentality that he later passed along to Sam when he was also diagnosed with cancer.
We travelled literally thousands of miles together in the few years I was lucky enough to
do trips with him, and even though I know he had to have been absolutely miserable
with pain and shortness of breath, never once did he complain or exhibit a "why
me"
attitude about it. He would get a little crochety sometimes if it was being a
particular
nuisance that day, but I felt that was VERY understandable, as well as totally
forgiveable.
I am not sure who wrote it, but he had found the following and made it his creedo:
Life is not a journey to the grave with
the intention of arriving safely in a pretty
and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up,
totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow!! What a ride".
 
He totally lived up to this sentiment, making fishing and skydiving trips as long as he
was physically able. I feel very lucky to have been allowed to go along, and
especially
priviledged to have been on the last skydive he made alive. He carried that one step
beyond life, having his ashes scattered on a skydive over Coutler Field (pics above),
the dropzone he called his skydiving home. He is dearly missed by his wife, his
family,
and the many friends he made over the years. I will forever feel his influence in my
own
life, and know I am blessed that such a man thought of me as a friend.
Blue Skies, Surf .....
Beachbum
The below is what Surf wrote about himself on his original profile page.
Retired, so I fish a lot in whatever places I can reach. Have 4WD
and lightweight boat.
Caught my first bull red in 1958 at the old Brown Cedar Cut. Have been blessed with
fishing in most of the world's seas and oceans and have caught at least one of most of the
famous fishes.
Was diagnosed terminal cancer in early '98 and supposed to be dead by November of '98 but
am still fishing and doing fine. Consider my friends on this site to be a major factor in
my survival.
Have been blessed in my lifetime with having the time and money to do all these things,
and in my last years feel compelled to share whatever I have learned.
Back in the old days I had a "100 ton" license on international waters and ran a
sea going tug for the oil industry. Also owned a shrimp boat back then and ran out of
Louisiana.
Whoever you are, if you fish you are my friend. Anyone who has a question that I may be
able to answer---please ask!! If I don't know the answer myself, I almost certainly know
someone who does know the answer. One of the very few advantages in being old is that you
know a lot of people all over the world.
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