Ode To Bob 23T April/27/2001

[WebMistress]

I'm proud to be a member of the NTBA,
Where members care for each other, in a 'Family' way,
Through posts on our 'Private' board and 'Public BBS',
Words are published, some with humor and some with stress.

The more one lingers at this NTBA site,
It's more likely that he'll suffer a big 'Fire Fight',
With the goin's on here, it could only be right,
That, inside each viewer, a 'T-Flame' would light!

This has been goin' on since nineteen ninety-eight,
Although it was ninety-nine before I began fillin' my plate,
With the personalities and contributions on the BBS each day,
Which caused me to become a member along the way.

Some have come and some have gone,
But, when on this board, we all sing the same song,
And occasionally someone new stops in for a chat,
Our introduction to Bob 23T was as simple as that!

He explained that, like so many members, he was buildin' a T,
Had some questions, and wondered what the answers might be.
Our group was increased by his presence, day by day,
Then he became a member, joining us in a permanent way!

He was on the BBS, day in and day out,
With plenty of knowledge to spread about,
He was really settlin' in, I guess you could say,
By reading his posts, you knew he was finding his way.

Then one day came a post which gave an alarm,
Bob was hospital bound, due to some type of harm.
None of us knew exactly why he was being sent there,
So, we honored what Bob requested, in the manner of prayer.

Bob was off the BBS during his hospital stay,
And then he reappeared, as if by magic, one day.
We didn't know, we thought he was alright,
In reality, he must have been in for a fight.

I think Fitzee warned that, things might be serious indeed,
So, we kept uttering prayers, hoping the Lord would heed.
For Bob 23T, who was evidently in need,
Of a little extra help from the Lord with speed.

But, he started posting like he always had,
We thought, "Maybe things ain't really that bad!"
There was no more mention of what had brought him down,
His postings never revealed even so much as a frown.

So, things proceeded normally for quite some time,
Bob was bringin' that T to completion and it was fine.
Then came Tanya's post, which so saddened us all,
Telling us that Bob had succumbed to death's call.

When I read Tanya's post, I was completely devastated,
My grief for Bob is not yet alleviated.
I think many Bucketheads feel in a similar way,
We'll no longer see Bob's postings day by day.

To say that Bob's demise shook up our NTBA site,
Would be the quiet way to state our anxiety height.
A man unseen and unheard by the majority of us,
Had left a huge void, never creating a fuss!

Bob must have known something, cause he was lookin' ahead,
Little would we know about it, until later we had read.
He had left Tanya with a certain 'Post' to do,
Bob picked the right person, cause she really came through!

Bob did a very special thing before his demise,
He penned a special note for us Buckethead's eyes.
One thing mentioned was that we're a bunch of "NUTZ",
His loving way of saying we aren't stuck in the 'same OLE ruts'!

There was yet another thing that Bob did say,
He asked that we take a 'Cruise' for him, along the way,
He couldn't have known, that it would begin that very day,
In which the news of his demise, left us with dismay.

Our link with Bob was by words on our screens,
Which we turned into 'progress pics' in our dreams.
His 'posts' were great when we found them on our board,
And when you read them, you were never, ever bored.

So we've lost a Canadian Brother, from far above our States,
In our minds he's forever here, for there are NO border gates.
Since you're not with us Bob, it's giving us the 'blues',
Please know, your membership is marked, 'Eternally Paid Dues'!

I think you might be above us, in a T with BIG rear meats,
Checkin' out how they adhere to the Lord's Golden Streets!
As already stated, you'll never leave these NTBA 'finds',
Cause you're always gonna be right there in our minds!

The Pups and me will be leavin' in just a little while,
For a little Friday night cruise, mile after mile after mile.
So, listen for your name, if you're not too busy tonight,
I'll try to call it out real loud and right!
You see, the Pups and me want you to ride with us,
We'll make room for you, we don't need a bus!

And I'd like to ask a favor, cause it concerns your given name,
Robert Chaput is correct, but could I use your 'handle' of BBS fame?
With your permission that's what I'd like to do,
Since that's how most of us really knew you.

So, I'll back the T out and load the Pups,
Then stand by the steerin' wheel and look up.
And call out, as loud and clear as can be,
"It's time to go, Bob 23T!


Herman T. Quackenbush 4/27/2001
(aka T-Pilot with Pups)
(aka John Eplen)