LOVE FOR OUR FRIEND RICK BOSWELL
 
From: tandpam@frontier.com
 
To all here,
 
After 4 days of mourning the passing of my uncle Bud, my family returned home last evening, to find amidst some 70 emails in the inbox, one of which was notification of the passing of KY Division Cmder Bazz Childress a dear and close friend of the past 9 years, this came totally out of the blue.
 
After pretty much losing it along with my wife and youngest daughter, I scrolled down 2 mails further and read the news of Rick’s passing. To say I completely came unglued is a gross understatement.
 
I just recently had one of our early morning marathon phone conversations with Rick, where he made mention of his "Breakfast of Champions" strong coffee and lord only knows how many cigarettes he was always bringing it up when we talked, it always put a smile on my face.
 
Rick to me and my family was more than an acquaintance    he was family. In fact he was discussing the possibility of coming and staying a few days with us, and we in return were going to stay over in Opp later in the summer. This will not come to be now, and personally I feel robbed.
  
Rick had been one of my biggest supporters towards my music, my writings, my activism, etc.  After the devastation of the tornados in Bama last year upon Rick learning that my wife and I were going to Bama to do what we could to aid in the clean up efforts, Rick, with no asking by me, sent a check to help cover gas expenses down there. He said" I can get you and Pam there, and if you haven’t the funds to return home, well by God, I can either get you back home or you can just come stay with me." I smile a faint smile through tears as I recall his words.
 
I am not sure how long it will be before Pam, Mayme and myself come to grips with Ricks passing, as they both fell under his gentlemanlike spell many times on the phone, and as for myself I simply feel like I lost a older brother. Someone who was always there for me when my health was in the gutter, or when my spirits were high.
  
Rick Boswell was one of the best human beings that I ever came into contact with, and his love of all things Southron was second to none. My family and I are going to miss him for years to come, that much I am sure of.
  
To all the people here who knew him longer than we did, my heart goes out to each and everyone one of you.  To those here who might only have known him a short time, my heart goes out to you as well, for you were cheated by not getting to know him longer.
  
The world is a sadder place today, because of his passing.
 
With deepest sympathy to all Rick’s friends and family, we remain humble in his shadow,
 
T Warren and family