Dustoff (Ken Chapman) Has Passed Away

[Rimmer]

R.I.P Dustoff

[sbk]

Very sad news indeed, he was always a gentleman and a very decent man. My condolences to his family and loved ones as he will be missed.

[SwaziBird]

Ken was and remains a truly good bloke.

A pleasure to have known you Ken.

My condolences to your family.

[T_Dog]

Sincere condolences to his family. My wife and I had the good fortune to run into Ken several times in his last few months. As many have said here, he was a great guy. Clear skies to you Ken.....

[tigerbeer]

i was fortunate enough to meet him a couple of times. Soft spoken, a gentleman and who can forget his smile. RIP my friend Ken.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Ken was shot down 7 times in the Vietnam War, he used to fly medivac helicoptors.

He was a rebel, who did his own thing , he was sent on missions that his superiors never expected him to return from, but one way or another he always did.

"The cat came back" (like the song)was what his comrades used to say. he never watched violent films after being in Vietnam, suppose the memories for him were to horific to be reminded of .

He ALWAYS had a smile on his face and that always attracted smiles back.

He loved big bikes, he loved people, but also cherished his privacy. He will be missed on this forum.

I spent many many hours in his company, and although we kind of drifted apart over the last couple of years I will never forget the good times we shared.

RIP Ken.

Thank you, also Jollyrog, for the added info. Enjoy reading that.

[IanForbes]

Sad to hear. We shared similar interests on outdoor things and his passing will be a loss to many.

[StevieH]

had a beer a couple of times with ken a couple of years ago and he was a really lovely bloke full of fascinating stories and friendship. sad news this. RIP.

[PoorSucker]

R.I.P sir.

[chiangmaibruce]

Yes sad news indeed. Ken's posts here were always cordial and helpful, and I would have liked to have met him.

Too often the good ones leave us too soon. My thoughts and best wishes are with his family now.

[bunta71]

Sad day... Although I knew the Wizard personally for about 4 years, we were connected in extraordinary ways. As a fellow pilot, we had much in common until we started telling each other stories. It then became a bizarre case of " It's a small world".

Turns out he and I had flown at nearly the same time in Willow Alaska and had mutual friends, among them Doug Geeting and Lowell Thomas Jr. Both of these guys fly mountain climbers up to various camps on Denali or Mt. McKinley

He mentioned flying for Cascade helicopters out of Leavenworth Washington, my home town.I said to him "Oh you worked for Bill Wells!" Ken could not believe I knew this guy but Bill Wells whom he had flown Bell 47s' and Rangers for used to be my fathers personal pilot and Bill taught me how to rebuild gas engines when I was about 16.

Later we talked and discovered that we had both spent time flying around Tahoe and again had mutual friends there.

The list goes on but my respect for Ken and our strange connections have had a profound effect on me. Tuy and my wife Lita also became great friends. My heart goes out to not only Tuy but to all that knew Ken. We all are hurt today.

[lannarebirth]

Ken was one of the very few ThaiVisa members I have ever met in person. As others have said, there was a very distinct feeling of positivity and warmth about the man and I very much enjoyed the short time we spent together. My condolences to his family and friends who must be missing him deeply.

[Rdrokit]

Comrades, let us so live, that when the Keeper of Eternal Records shall have called our names for the last time, those we leave behind may say of us, as we say now of this comrade, “Here lies all that is mortal of a true-hearted comrade, and a fearless defender of his country and flag’.

RIP Ken

From the members of the Korat VFW Post

[jackr]

Nice bloke. May the road rise with you, Ken.

[eek]

So very sad about this. Had always meant to meet up with Ken. He seemed like a dynamic interesting person who had live (and was living) life to the full. RIP Ken.

Would anyone know if we (thaivisa members) would be welcome to attend his funeral?

[johnsjourney]

Would anyone know if we (thaivisa members) would be welcome to attend his funeral?

Sure, PM me for details, sorry if my message above wasn't clear enough.

It's central Chiang Mai, tomorrow morning Monday 10am-1pm or so.

There was a family service this evening.

[dingdongrb]

First I would like to express my sincere condolences to Ken's friends and family... I didn't know Ken very well and never had the pleasure of personally meeting him as we both agreed we would like that but it never happened. I did however have quite a few PMs with him on this site and learned enough about him to find out he and I had shared the same backyard, the great Colorado Rocky Mountains. Seems that Ken had lived just down the rode from me in Loveland Colorado and flew helicopters for Ft. Collins Airpark. Appears to me that he loved and enjoyed Rocky Mtn National Park as much as I did.

A true Internet gentleman who will surely be missed by many... RIP Ken.

[TomNotaro]

I knew Ken from 2001 as he came to my wedding that year and met his wife in Karon Beach as I did mine and then we went to Maui, Hawaii to his

wedding. We became more brothers and friends over the years and found out he was in Viet Nam at the same time I was and almost the same

area. We both will miss him and sadly flight times don't match the funeral time and can't make it.

I shall be with him one day and again we will sit down and talk as brothers and friends do. Love you Ken

[meadish_sweetball]

That's sad news. I also met Ken a few times over the years and really liked him. My sincere condolences to his family.

[richard10365]

RIP

[kilvingtono]

Condolences to his Family and ThaiVisa Friends.

[slapout]

Condolences to Ken's family and friends.

Hard to add to, or improve on the comments about the man. RIP

[DaamNaam]

Very sad news indeed.

Had some good times with ya Ken. Though like TP we drifted apart over the last couple of years.

You lived your life to the full. See ya up in that "great gig in the sky".

Condolences to his lovely wife and family and friends.

[changraider]

I never met this gentleman, but he makes me want to play Jimi Hendrix LOUD, and I mean this as the greatest compliment.

[DaamNaam]

I never met this gentleman, but he makes me want to play Jimi Hendrix LOUD, and I mean this as the greatest compliment.

Yeah he loved his rock n roll that's for sure. He made me 3 mixed Cd's which i shall treasure even more now.

Beach Boys, The Doors, Pink Floyd, Eagles, Beatles, Hendrix, and many other classic bands.

Listening to "spirit in the sky" for him now....

[gpdjohn]

Sad news.

May he rest in peace and his memory live forever.

[uptheos]

Maybe this thread shouldn't pass away too quickly.

Some people might not yet be aware.

[SomchaiCNX]

R.I.P Sir

[bridge]

RIP Ken ...

[mcgriffith]

Maybe this thread shouldn't pass away too quickly.

Some people might not yet be aware.

With all due respect to the memory of Ken, who I knew personally, partied with on occasion and had his number and email stored on my mobile and laptop.....

The thread will pass away. Because it wasn't posted where it should have been posted to begin with.

Which is right at the top of the Chiang Mai sub-forum, one of the pinned topics, with the title "Page of Remembrance". Started by Gonzo, pinned ages ago....this is where we report the demise of members, and honour their memory.

:jap: