I met Tim soon after moving to my new home in the Inland Empire mountains, CA, in May of '99. He lived down the mountain in San Bernardino and had been raised in that area back when it was acre after acre of oranges. Now the orange groves are nearly all gone.

He grew up in a family that was hard working and the tales of his family were interesting. I wish I had gotten to meet his mother and grandmother. They were very influential in his life and were colorful as well. His story of his gma chasing his gpa around with a broom still makes me laugh.

He got caught smoking when he was a kid. The next day at the breakfast table his grandfather pushed a cup of black coffee in front of him as well as a zippo lighter, a pack of camels (filter free), a straight razor and soap cup, and said ... If you want to be a man then this is what you need. Tim was about 9. That day he started smoking camels and drinking black coffee. I think the shaving actually came a bit later.

He was a long haul truck driver and worked all but the winter. He had great stories from the road. He was fortunate enough to haul according to where he wanted to go for the most part. There are certain events and celebrations throughout the US and he would make the stops he wanted, accordingly. He loved his job. Tim had long hair and a beard, as in "I don't shave and I don't care" and it gave him a rather tough look which suited him fine for his truck driving in not so great areas. No one ever messed with him.

Soon after he and I met we began dating. That didn't work out as well as we had hoped but once we stopped dating, we became even better friends than before. It was a great relationship. We saw each other regularly and had great conversation and were such good friends. We confided in one another and bounced ideas off each other and just really respected one another. It was pretty fab.

Tim had 2 children from an early marriage but usually only got to see them when he hauled in that state back east. He would have liked to have seen them more often but unfortunately it was not a friendly divorce. His son eventually joined the military and was stationed in Cali. That was nice because they were able to spend more time together. We would go to dinner and he was really a nice young man. I enjoyed his son. He was able to help his son in getting married and establishing a home. The final year of his life, Tim remarried one last time to Colleen. I was so pleased to see him get settled again. Unfortunately they did not get much time together before it was time for Tim to leave.

Tim was a master welder. His welding abilities were extensive and he was quite creative. He had a full workshop and he loved spending time in there. He also tinkered like there was no tomorrow. His hands were rarely idle. His leg was often moving like he was keeping time. I once said, are you antsy or what? He laughed and said, it's the motor. That motor never stopped!

Tim collected old outboard motors. It was a slightly unusual hobby. There was an antique outboard motor club that he belonged to and he got such a kick out of it.

Another passion of his was fruit trees. He had a double lot so he had ample room for his trees. He took great pride in them and I spent many an hour chatting with him as he went tree to tree watering them. We would solve the worlds problems while watering those trees.

He also was what he referred to as "scooter trash" and had a sweet Harley that he adored. Cracked me up that he called himself that. He was also a member of a local Harley club. Very near and dear to his heart.

Tim was someone that had always had aches and pains. His back problems only grew worse with age, which you can expect. He called me to tell me that he was heading in for tests due to the pain and lack of mobility getting worse. The diagnosis was cancer, in multiple places. He had left Big Bear to gets tests and essentially never returned. He was treated in the VA hospital, having served in the Navy. While in surgery, Tim had an out of body experience. He called me up immediately afterward, all excited, to tell me every little detail about it. He had seen his mom in the experience and that was a delight. We had great conversations right up to the end. Tim's passing was fast, in the grand scheme of things. For that I am thankful. I didn't want him to suffer a long period like some people do.

Tim is missed by many and was loved while he was here. I sense him somewhat regularly. I'll be doing something and all of a sudden I can smell him all around me, as if he were standing right next to me. Tim had a very distinct scent, partially from the camels, and when I smell it I know it is him. He said he would come visit me and he does. I love it when he stops by.