My Message to Terry and Friends

Stuff to know...

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Ken
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My Message to Terry and Friends

Postby Ken » Sat Jun 10, 2006 11:03 am

Since I was unable to attend, I decided to put what I was going to say in person to paper.

In the words of Terry.....Fuckin' A.

I know we all never expected to be here...Not Terry. Especially not for a heart attack.....Quad landing on him? Sure. Driving off a cliff? Plausible. Buried in an Avalanche? Totally. Hitting a simple mud puddle at 35 mph…. oh wait, he did do that…....but not a heart attack. Nonetheless…here we are.

Terry was one of my best friends. I won't bore you with all the details....but I met him as a baby faced, red cheeked Supervisor at DHL in 1985. I was just a college kid sorting boxes, and Terry was a supervisor who looked like he may have his Learner's Permit.

Years later....sitting in the rain at night near a smokey wet campfire...Terry told me I was his baseline....Terry said..I'd send you out to see how long things took, so I could bust some balls with my lard asses. We laughed.

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A few years later at DHL....I was a manager and now Terry was a worker that reported to me from another department. Terry was one of the few guys....Terry worked to live...He didn't live to work. He didn't care what he was doing, as long as he could play. Terry and I got along just the same in either role. He really really didn't care. I'd ask Terry how's his department doing that day..and he'd reply...."fucking customs". I knew all was well.

We drifted apart for a few years and one day, my friend Mark said....Guess who lives in Stockton next door to my friend Tim? I said I dunno. He said Terry Reid. My response was no way. I didn't know he lived there....Get his email or number.

I did.... and for years....I never saw him...but we exchanged jokes and calls. Till one day.... Terry learns I have an ATV. He emails me and asks...What do you know about a Yamaha Wolverine?? I laughed and wrote back and said it's a Piece of shit. Will File told me, Terry was obsessing over it in the office. He was so shocked at my analysis the phone rang instantly. He said...are you sure? I said yes. I said...tell you what...I'll email some info. I sent him a photo of his vaunted Wolverine rear suspension and then a picture of Polaris's suspension. Next thing I know...He wants to buy a Polaris.

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So....Terry goes on Ebay....and he finds this Polaris that was worth about $7,000 and it's being sold for $3500. We know Terry....if he can save a buck...he will. I said...TERRY...if it's too good to be true...it is. So he tells me the ATV is in Germany. I said GERMANY! I said Come on Terry...$3500 for a nearly new ATV with Free shipping from GERMANY? You worked for DHL...you know it probably costs half that or more, just to ship the freaking thing. But Terry was insistent....What if it's real, he says...still holding hope his killer deal is a killer deal. I said Terry...how much is a ticket to Berlin....700 bucks? 1000 bucks? I said...tell the guy, you work for an airline and you have free air....so you're flying to Berlin to check out the quad and pay him in Cash. I said...if he balks...it's fake. If he says Ok....then worst case...you fly...pay the money and leave the next day...you still are only paying $4500. Of course....The eBay seller said Terry was "Spoiling and good, honest Internet transaction" That was Terry.

I finally convinced him to fork over the cash...and he did. He buys the ATV in Tennessee or Arkansas...and has it shipped via truck. So a week later I'm in Boise, ID and I'm walking to my hotel and my cell rings.....

DUDE! My Quad is here at the truck terminal...I got ramps, gas and a bike pump...they said the tires are flat...but I have a quick question....

HOW DO I START IT?

That was Terry.

If I only knew that would be the beginning! On our second ride, Terry with just about no clue how to use the throttle properly....gets stuck...and JUST when he was about to break free...he'd let off the gas. This was repeated 2 or 3 times....You can see video on the ATVOBSESSION site and you can hear me yelling....GAS....You need GAS MAN!

Mr. Miyagi....Gas On....Gas Off....was born on that day. And Terry loved it. He became Mr. Miyagi. While working in Los Angeles, I happen to drive by Miyagi's restaurant on Sunset Blvd. I stop, hang a loop and park..I HAVE GOT TO TAKE THIS PICTURE. After snapping several photos, I called Terry....Dude..you are not going to believe what I just saw....you're going to love it.

I came home...and created....The Mr. Miyagi Page on the website. Who could not love Terry on the rides?? Bulging breasts with his jacket, falling off his quad....gas on...gas off, rolling over, or leaving me behind.......it was pure Terry.

When Terry busted your balls and you could bust Terry's balls.....You knew you were IN! When Terry saw the page....he called me laughing hysterically.....I said..I see that you saw it.....with laughter still in his voice...he said it was the nicest thing anyone had done for him. Only Terry could consider photos with a red arrow pointing to his fake breasts, as the greatest thing anyone has done for him.

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I can't tell you how many times we laughed on our rides...Terry ripping Larry...Larry ripping Terry....My wife teasing Terry....I'm teasing Terry and Jack....Jack just sitting there laughing at it all. We had SO SO MANY good times. Terry had definitely found his calling....and he went into the outdoors, camping and ATV thing full steam ahead.

But of all our antics.... the best....Was Terry and his "war" with Jack and my wife over coffee.

Coffee Movie #1
Coffee Movie #2

A typical interaction...

Terry: Hey Miren....do you have any coffee?

(Jack...oblivious to Terry's request)

Miren: Hey Jack....would you like a cup of coffee?

Jack: Yeah, Miren...that would be great.

She'd pour Jack a cup....walk over...while Terry watched....smile building


Miren. Jack, here's your coffee. Terry...there's some more in the pot, if you want some!

Terry would burst out laughing.

The joke became....the only way Terry got coffee, was if Jack wanted some.

So finally...Terry would just ask Jack....Jack, do you want coffee?

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Terry and I have spent hours on the phone together....planning rides, recapping rides, talking about rides coming up...you name it. And we'd laugh while doing it....but when the chips were down.....Terry was the first I would call....and he would call me. He'd talk for hours about his Daughter...if you recall that night in the rain...Terry and I sat for hours...in our rain gear....while Terry tried to make sense of Stephanie and what was going on....later...he found out Stephanie was pregnant....

Terry's words...Fuckin A dude...I'm going to be grandfather.....

When Stephanie was breaking up with the father....the first thing Terry did...was call me to see if my neighbor knew a really good family law lawyer. I said why? He said they're fighting over who's getting what baby clothes...and I just want to make sure my daughter doesn't get hosed on something more important than clothes. Terry may not have been the best at expressing his love for you ...unless of course you posted photos on the Internet of his fake breast....but he loved his daughter...deeply. All Terry was waiting for....was for them to finally be on the same page together. He was willing to wait, without hate in his heart.

That was Terry....He'd laugh with the best of them...and he had more quips than quad rolls. But when the chips were down.....Terry was there. Terry was the most self-less person I've met. He'd pick up a penny on the street....Or eat an abandoned McDonalds meal on his lawn, but he'd be willing to lose thousands trying to help you. And he'd never say a thing. And even if you were on the Reid shit list....and I bet most you have been at some point or another have been on it.....even if you were on his active shit list....and you called him with a problem....Terry was there.

That was Terry.

Reflecting back...besides the laughter and the crashes....what I'll miss most is....Hitting my speed dial....hearing his voice...."Dude"

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Just a week before he died....Terry and I talked about our own old age....and I said Dude....if we ever are single and old...what would be the big deal with us sharing a house together...Lake Tahoe...Boat in the water....a couple of old farts going ATV riding....snowmobiles for the winter...no matter the weather, we'd have something to do...and if NOTHING ELSE....someone would be around to dial 911 when we keeled over.

Terry said....Dude...you are SO RIGHT...Besides our family, all we have are our friends.

And everyone else? fawk 'em.

That was Terry.

Then Terry and I started talking about all the stuff we’ve done together and said he felt he's had a Great life and he thought he had seen and done many things that most people never get to do....I said...I hear ya.

Then he said....

"but I got a lot more shit to get done."

We barrel laughed.....

and I said yeah...Like fixing your fucking sink?

and we laughed even harder.

That was the Terry I will remember forever...Laughter.


Gas on buddy.

Now don't roll it.
The last words spoken before a YouTube video is filmed: "Hold my beer, now watch this..."

Regards,
Ken Hower
RTF Director
http://www.rubicontrail.org/

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Chadd
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Postby Chadd » Sat Jun 10, 2006 12:32 pm

Bravo, Bravo.. I can't believe I've never seen the coffee vids..LMAO That is emmy material right there.. I'll never forget the way our conversations started "Dude you freekin HoMo".. lol
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Terry

Postby J&K » Sat Jun 10, 2006 1:04 pm

Hello Ken & Friends,
Kathy and I are from the sierrasledders site (J&K) that Terry busted balls on quite frequently.......since we found out about Terry we have been reading all the wonderful things about Terry on this website and we want to thank all of you for sharing as it is helping the healing process as I am sure as it is with all of you.

We like a few of you never had the privilage of meeting Terry, but we almost hooked up a few times to meet and go riding together but something always came up and we missed out...... :(

Terry was talking to Kathy about Valley Springs and what kind of place was it to move to. Kathy would talk about how nice it is and how much fun we have with the four lakes surrounding us. Little did we know Terry was planning to move here. I think he was probibally going to move in next door so he could bust my balls over the fence and on the site...LOL

I think if Terry would join any site he would immediatly become one of the most popular in no time....... :)

Ken, you seem like a great friend to Terry and all that you have done to memorialize him has shown that. We would like to send our thoughts and prayers to all family and friends as Terry will be always remembered in out hearts and minds forever.

Gas on Gas off.......

Jeff Rommel

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Ken
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Postby Ken » Sat Jun 10, 2006 8:06 pm

Jeff,

Thank you so much for posting. It's amazing how with every post...just a little bit more of Terry's life is filled in.

You are correct....I definitely have felt progressively better....when I did the photos...I realized how awesome it was Terry got to do all that stuff. When I wrote my message....it was like a goodbye...and when I put it on the site today....getting all the photos and videos...reminded me...he was a FUNNY DUDE.

Terry and I talked about Valley Springs...he like me, really want to get the heck out of the city.....I hate it.

Sorry you never met him, but Terry had a way of making you feel like you knew him reading email.

You're more than welcome to come in Sept....even just to camp, relax, and laugh.
The last words spoken before a YouTube video is filmed: "Hold my beer, now watch this..."

Regards,
Ken Hower
RTF Director
http://www.rubicontrail.org/

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Postby Quadgoddess » Sat Jun 10, 2006 11:11 pm

J&K (Jeff) is right....this is all a healing process for sure...


Those Coffee Movies are fricken hilarious...and Ken your laugh in the one where he's falling off his Quad is evil...lol
...and Terry and his voluptous breasts...lol...he thought he was Carmen Electra HOT...lol...too funny.



BTW... I was trying to do a search looking around for a movie trailer that you did...it was of you and Terry to the movie 'Wedding Crashers'...that was a classic!.....lol...I remember Terry sending me an email saying to check it out....lol
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Postby J&K » Thu Jun 15, 2006 5:53 pm

Ken,
Sorry it took so long to reply, just got in from a convention in Seattle.

Thanks for the invite. If Kathy and I do not have any animal emergency's we will put it on the agenda.....

We will come over and check in from time to time, as we do not have any quads yet......Kathy is looking to buy one for her son and I am going to be purchasing a motorcycle in a week or two...so who knows.

J

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Postby wellzy » Fri Oct 03, 2008 6:35 am

I know this was a while ago but i would like to say sorry for your loss, i have lost family members and friends and nothing can even come close to the pain of loseing someone, just reading this brung a tear to my eye.

rip
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Ken
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Postby Ken » Fri Oct 03, 2008 8:53 am

Thanks for the note...I really appreciate it. In fact...I just read what I wrote for his wake again...I hadn't read it since June 2006. I laughed all over again....so thank you.
The last words spoken before a YouTube video is filmed: "Hold my beer, now watch this..."

Regards,
Ken Hower
RTF Director
http://www.rubicontrail.org/


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