Loss of an ORCA Titan

[mark bumgarner]

I am so sad to inform our members that we lost Mark Williams to his long battle with cancer in June. Mark is the reason I am a member of this club and I will miss him dearly. I never met Mark in person but we corresponded regularly and I always enjoyed his humor and knowledge. My favorite memory was him telling me " Convince your wife that looking at reels is like looking at Jewelry" Well it worked and she is always on the hunt with me. Peace and comfort to the family and rest peacefully Mark.

[40fordflathead]

Sad, I was thinking about him yesterday.

[john elder]

Rest in peace, Mark. What a fighter! He was such a help and contributor to our Club and was instrumental in carrying on the Bronson site after the loss of Robert Ellis. He will be missed!

[Midway Tommy D]

What a shame! RIP, Mark! He was such an asset to ORCA and will be sorely missed.

[Jonathan P. Kring]

Very sorry to hear. Condolences to his family!

[Mike N]

Very sad to read this news. Godspeed to Mark and his loved ones.

Mike

[kyreels]

So sorry to hear of his passing. He was passionate about his reels, and very knowledgeable. His loss is felt by his club in ORCA. Thanks Bum for picking up the torch and honoring what Mark started.

[RonG]

Rest in peace Mark. You were a great contributor to ORCA's knowledge.

[Bill Muth]

Very sad news, Mark had a lot of knowledge and put some great reels in my collection. He will be missed. RIP.

[Steve]

Rest in peace, Mark.

[Rick H]

As John mentioned, Mark was a key talent in helping ORCA "Save the Bronson Site" when we lost Robert. Without Mark taking over that effort and re-organizing, we would have lost all that history that Robert gathered. He worked tirelessly for a few years and was very helpful to me during that transition. He's a great loss and was a true gentleman. RIP

[Paul M]

Rest in peace, Mark. You will be missed.

[klonder]

Sad indeed. He became a friend to me over at the CFRF. A good man.

[Jim Schottenham]

Rest in Peace, Mark. Your passion for this hobby will be long remembered.

[scottorock]

Ahhh, man....i came here hoping not to see this post....but after no contact for a bit I kinda figured i would. I got to know Mark through Ellis...shared the love for those Bronsons and such. Would speak for hours evey so often, and message almost daily for years. After I fell off from here due to personal reasons, our conversations dwindled off also. We would only speak a few times a year....3 years ago I was diagnosed with cancer as well....so we would share those kind of stories as opposed to reel stories....time and life would just fly by and the "I'll reach out to him tomorrow " ended up being months of tomorrows...he never knew my cancer came back, etc...so disappointed in myself for not reaching out to him sooner....still have some of his rods....I put a reel that Ellis gave to me on one of them and have fished with it...he was my best and favorite "reel" friend....never met Mark face to face but I'll never forget his voice and his "no nonsense" gritty style....Rest Easy, my man....until we talk again....save some Bronsons for me!

[Reel Addictive]

Scott, your sentiments ring loudly with my experience as well.
Mark was always kind, generous, and willing to share his knowledge with me.
His enthusiasm for old reels inspired me when I first started collecting.
I cherish the reels in my collection that came from him.
I too have just rejoined ORCA after personal difficulties and am glad to be back and see your name pop up on the forum.
Kindred spirits mean something. Reach out Scott if you need anything.

William