Page Of Remembrance

[Maejo Man]

Edward Richard Greer 

Eddie Greer aka "Fast Eddie" passed away in Belfast a few days ago, with the funeral this weekend. Eddie ran the Escape bar in Chiangmai and after having sold it to numerous people, "escaped" to Pattaya.

The the last time I saw Eddie was on a sojourn to Pattaya.. I did hear that he had returned to Ireland. He now joins the list of Chiangmai characters mentioned in the previous pages. 

 

• Edit

Edited August 11, 2017 by Maejo Man
photo added

[Ulysses G.]

Eddie Greer was a real character and the Escape was a popular hangout when he was running it. He also made the best BBQ pork ribs that I have ever had in Chiang Mai and they were very inexpensive. One of his partners was Blinky Bill (Ian) - another Chiang Mai legend - who also went on to the afterlife a few years ago.

 

RIP Eddie.

Edited August 11, 2017 by Ulysses G.

[Gonzo the Face]

Long time ---no see.... but still have fond memories of you Eddie  from The Escape days about 20 years ago.  Wherever you have gotten to,  set all of the rest straight and rest in peace

[Bee991]

Sad to hear about Dennis Brown. Dennis was certainly a character; a good friend & honest to boot. He did many trips in his tiny Mazda Familia ute to Malaysia to see his wife & son then drive back loaded with merchandise for Kasems Store and others. He supplied the best baked beans & HP at that time amongst other things to many of us. That Mazda did over 450,000 kms when he finally decided time to retire it.  Can’t remember but think it might have been confiscated on his last tour???  I told Dennis buy an Isuzu pickup which he did & was happy to have a bigger wagon for his walking stick runs up North with John Ball. His last trip the authorities threw the book at him on the border so his smuggling days ended yet it was a proud end of a chapter. I remember him telling me he was the only “Smuggler who got away with so much & lived to tell the tale”. Typical English style he was indeed a modern day smuggler who actually won the day----- true to his word.  His last load was confiscated as by then the border customs finally woke up but by then he knew time to stop. He sold his nut crackers/squeezers etc with his UK daughter on his website named teaklimey.com [inactive] & had a small workshop with Thai workers making all sorts. He made some decorative boxes for me as a trial & was a perfectionist in whatever he set out to create with wood? Sadly missed I wondered how he was as never answered recent emails I sent? His favourite drink was soda from memory but guess due to his diabetes? Indeed a great guy.RIP-Dennis

 

As for Eddie Greer he certainly had style to boot. So many partners in the Escape yet he could draw a crowd as small as it was. I was amazed when [Blinkey Bill] Ian got caught up in the web of partnerships & told me he got ripped off when running it but Eddie had a habit of getting partners with his bar talk; they doing most of the work & he still getting a sizeable cut until the partner woke up, had enough & left a little short!!  But he was always up to his old tricks & offered me a partnership in Chiangmai which I politely turned down. Yes the spare ribs with corn? were the best back then on Thursday nights. He ended up running a Havana style resort in Pattaya for some characters which had bungalows/swimming pool last time I saw him & selling Tshirts back to NZ where he had a daughter in Hamilton? He never did change anywhere he went??????  so not surprising he headed back to Belfast?

 

Been a few others pass away including Gino in August......... back again soon!!!

[Bee991]

Sad to see so many I knew succumbing to life upstairs!!!!!!!!!!. By the way Eddie Greer was an excellent host & always made one welcome. Ian  [ Blinkey Bill ] actually ended up making money when he sold his share in the Escape to the next partner. So good things do abound except when he tragically parted.

 

August saw a few other Chiangmai expats passed away. Dr Harry Gair a PHD Kiwi Geologist from Cromwell NZ, passed away in early August at his home in Chiangmai. Harry never went near bars & was I think 92 when he passed away suddenly. Harry worked for the Rhodesia Geological Survey Dept [GSD] & re-discovered a famous archeological site in the Former Rhodesia that David Livingstone came across & has a meso named after him in Antarctica. He also worked for some of the biggest mining companies in the USA. Harry discovered fossil woods in Zambia at mid-Zambezi valley during coal exploration mid-Zambezi Valley. known today  as the Chirundu Fossil Forest.  He was a man of knowledge in his field yet he was fit as a fiddle even up to the time he passed away. Always immaculate, kind & a gentleman he had many good Thai & foreign friends & helped me when I first arrived in Chiangmai  – very sad as I missed seeing him on this round by a week. Yet another amazing  man to be remembered. RIP.

 

Gino Wernikoff was a US Hollywood film effects specialist who lived in Chiangmai and was a member of the famed Chiangmai Golfers Club, passed away August 2017. Gino was an amazing character and a great entertainer at birthday parties and gatherings during the “late 90s & early 2000” era when Lennart Olsens --River Deli & Max’s Moon River Bar-- ran. [ The best days in Chiangmai as lots of parties then with some of Chiangmai’s finest expats from worldwide ]. I remember Gino doing a photo shoot of jewelry  for a catalogue using a cardboard box lined with silver foil & how he could obtain certain reflections out of a beer bottle & cig packet with lights zooming into diamonds etc?

Gino supplied the “clinging” swords for the Conan series of movies with Arnold Schwarzenegger made in Chiangmai & the old vehicles for the 1990 movie Air America which had 26 Thai military planes on hire. His Hollywood collection of paraphenalia included items of Clark Gable & a scaled replica yacht gifted to him from a movie. He had a Thai son? One of the nicest guys I ever met and again missed him also by 1 week. His funeral was a private affair & he donated his body to science I was told?

[Bee991]

Lyle Brys from Denver USA died at Ram Hospital 24^th  August 2017 of cancer. I met Lyle back in the days of the Escape &  --Brian Hubbards Old Black Cat bar Cheers on Johns Corner of MoonMuang. Lyle kicked around with Ron Steven a Canadian IT tech guy who fixed PCs at the time until he ran out of doleros & left Dodge?  Lyle was an inventor of air conditioning ducting systems in B train truck/ trailers in USA & lived on his royalties. He spent time around Chiangmai at the Escape –from Eddie to Bill Masters & Aussie cafe & John Newchoks GH PunPun. He married Suda & went back to USA to run his business. He tried to find nirvana in Asia but found it hard to settle [without roosters & noise which was & is practically an impossibility] & Chiangmai by then was losing its flavour to more cars, pollution & less old school expats. He finally came back to Chiangmai 2017 & found a home in Doi Saket as it was here he had his best moments in life & here he wanted to depart. In April I met Lyle in Chiangmai at Nicks Maddog & he told me the sad news of his cancer after Ram visits.  August  2017 I flew back  to Chiangmai to assist him in his last days. Indeed a sad time as missed seeing Gino and Harry in the process & another GI mate in Bangkok who had passed away in May? Such is life we are only here temporarily but I must say I have met some of the nicest people in places I never dreamt of ---Chiangmai being one of them.  Ironic how one’s life turns. I no longer drink or go near bars but still come back to Thailand for RnR / biz & still run my original Thai business from afar which in Thailand is not easy--- ??? but thats life. 

[Boksida]

10 hours ago, Bee991 said:

August saw a few other Chiangmai expats passed away. Dr Harry Gair a PHD Kiwi Geologist from Cromwell NZ, passed away in early August at his home in Chiangmai. Harry never went near bars & was I think 92 when he passed away suddenly. Harry worked for the Rhodesia Geological Survey Dept [GSD] & re-discovered a famous archeological site in the Former Rhodesia that David Livingstone came across & has a meso named after him in Antarctica. He also worked for some of the biggest mining companies in the USA. Harry discovered fossil woods in Zambia at mid-Zambezi valley during coal exploration mid-Zambezi Valley. known today  as the Chirundu Fossil Forest.  He was a man of knowledge in his field yet he was fit as a fiddle even up to the time he passed away. Always immaculate, kind & a gentleman he had many good Thai & foreign friends & helped me when I first arrived in Chiangmai  – very sad as I missed seeing him on this round by a week. Yet another amazing  man to be remembered. RIP.

 

I went to Harry's funeral and will certainly miss him. We stayed in regular phone contact after he was home-bound with sciatica. He came to Thailand as a representative of Lang Hancock and Peter Wright and I worked on several projects with him. A brilliant geologist but very much of the old school. His daughter is studying geology in NZ.

[Bee991]

Yes I heard Harry's daughter Debbie was studying in NZ . She must be a grown up young lady now and nice to see shes following in her father's footsteps to be well educated. How time flies.............

[jonwilly]

I didn't actually know Dennis Brown, but during my first year here I was taking breakfast in Mad Dog, when a Brit was pointed out to me, as the guy who drove up from Malaya with a load of Baked Beans.

Having driven from Pratchup Kiri Khan in one go I can now only admire his feats from days gone bye.

 

john

[millwall_fan]

I've been holding off to see if anyone who knew 'Bruno' better than I would post, but his many friends are probably not Thai Visa-ites. Bruno (I've no idea what his surname was and judging by the photo which was forwarded to me - neither did the Funeral Director), was an affable man who frequented my pub and just about every other bar on and around Loi Kroh Rd. He was a likeable rogue with a winning smile and cheerful nature. I am unaware as  to what killed him, but his battles with the demon drink were ones he usually lost. Most recently he drank at Gecko's and a few other places. 

 

If anyone who knew him better can post a more fitting obituary, I would love to read it. 

 

Until then, Rest In Peace my old friend.

[Loaded]

^

I believe his details are

 

James Brown aka 'Bruno'

 

from Shepperton

 

48 years old

 

has a grown up daughter in the UK

 

died of mouth/throat cancer

 

good bloke

 

enjoyed his beer with a cigarette a little too much

[millwall_fan]

12 hours ago, Loaded said:

^

I believe his details are

 

James Brown aka 'Bruno'

 

from Shepperton

 

48 years old

 

has a grown up daughter in the UK

 

died of mouth/throat cancer

 

good bloke

 

enjoyed his beer with a cigarette a little too much

Thank you Loaded, that fills in a few gaps and seems to sum it up neatly.  Anyway he was certainly  a character and added to the rich tapestry of life here. 

[Thailand]

John H Jackson, passed away at his home in  Baan Sala on Tuesday having just turned 90 on the 1st July. Had lived in Chiangmai for 16 years or so.

Survived by his Thai wife and about a dozen cats.

 

Bye old friend.

[Gonzo the Face]

I just learned of the passing of Don Wilcox.  That was a hit.   Anyone have any info on this somber happening ?   

[boonrawdcnx]

A good friend Ken

- David Kenneth Hill - originally from Northern Irland, migrated to New Zealand many years ago and made Thailand and Chiang Mai his home over the last 20 years has passed away yesterday 10/10/2018 at 10.30 AM at Doi Saket hospital. Ken was 78 years old.

 

He died from complications of lung cancer which was discovered only 3-4 years ago - too late to do much about it.

 

The funeral rites are being held since yesterday at Wat Prah Chao Mengrai in the old city for the next 3 days followed by his cremation

 

- but date depending on if his family abroad can be found and informed by the Embassy.

 

RIP Ken - you will be missed.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

 

 

[richabb1]

I read that Graeham Monaghan of cricket sizes fame and other cricket interests in Chiang Mai passed away. A true gentleman and sure to be missed. 

[Maejo Man]

1 hour ago, Lonarterfes said:

Martin West

Ulysses G. said:

Who was the pleasant fellow who passed on who used to run Dominos with his brother who is in Malaysia now?

Bloody hel_l UG, that was Martin West and he was a very good friend. I feel ashamed that I forgot him.

David, his brother is in China these days.

Edited September 18, 2006 by Blinky Bill

 

Long gone, and his brother David lives in Vientienne

[Dick Crank]

Does anyone know if that quiet  biker dude with long grey beard passed?

 

He ate nightly at the chiang mai gate food market, did a lot of walking around there for years. Usually by himself, quiet tough looking dude.

[John Louis Lassen Perry]

My good friend and colleague, Dr. Geoffrey Pope, professor of paleoanthropology at William Paterson University in New Jersey, U.S.A. passed away in February, 2019.  Geoff spent many years working in Northern Thailand, which he loved, especially the area around Chiang Mai.  Geoff was world renowned in his field, and had spent many seasons in China and Thailand.  He is survived by his wife, Noi, and his step daughter, Jai, both currently living in the U.S.

 

Geoff introduced me to Thailand and to Chiang Mai, where he generally stayed at the Galare Guest house, whose founder and family he had known for many years.  He first brought me to the Writers Club, where we used to hang out, and he was a friend of Geoff Walton, now also sadly passed on to the next thing, whatever it may be. 

 

Geoff loved Chiang Mai, its history, its people, and its many colorful characters.  He had been ill in recent years, and unable to travel.  It is my understanding that his ashes will be brought to Thailand later this year, so that his final visit might be permanent.

 

While I assume that, by this time, Geoff may in fact have joined many of those he knew and cared about, I will post any future information I may receive regarding any celebration of his life that may take place during the summer. 

 

Thank you,

 

John Perry

Edited March 10, 2019 by John Louis Lassen Perry
Added Image

[jonwilly]

I would like to bring to the attention of fellow CM folk that Roy Hudson passed away yesterday Tuesday 12th at approximately 17.00.

His son Eric was in attendance having driven up from Bangkok to be at his fathers side.

Roy was aged 99 and had lived in CM since 1960.

He had spent his last 3 years in the Care Home in Mai Rim, following the death of his wife.

https://www.careresortchiangmai.com/index.php?viewID=2

I usually visited Roy once a week and can only praise the Care he received from the nursing staff, most if not all of the young ladies being Northern Thai people.

Roy's health was reasonable until one year ago when he contracted a lung infection. He never fully recovered in my opinion, having been in the RAM ICU and then normal ward before returning to his bungalow at  Susuwan Care home Chiang Mai.

He will be greatly missed by his son Eric and daughter Amanda who is flying in and due to arrive today Wednesday. 

Roy was regarded by all who knew him as the Senior Brit, a wise and understanding Father figure.

I enclose a memoir of Roy Written in January 2007 concerning Roy's duties during WW II.

http://www.michiganwarstudiesreview.com/2010/20100706.asp

 

Good Bye Old Warrior

It was a Honour to know you.

I learned much about Life and People from you.

 

john

[LomSak27]

Sad news. I ran into him and spent a couple of late mornings talking with, at AUA library of all places. That was was well over a decade ago.

[cmsally]

Sad to hear that, unfortunately never got to meet him. Although did meet his wife a few times.

Quite a few years ago had to look up his name, as when I went back to the UK and mentioned Chiang Mai, got a couple of people asking me if I knew "Major Roy Hudson". This was a constant source of confusion, as my parents had a very close friend (in UK), called "Roy Hudson". Not only that, he was also "Major Roy Hudson". Caused a few very confusing conversations !!

By any chance, did the Chiang Mai Roy Hudson come from Suffolk UK?

[jonwilly]

Roy was born in Argentina, where he parents resided.

His father was a Mechanical Engineer for the State railways but British as was his mother.

As a young man he was sent to boarding school in UK, I do not know where in UK but South of England, Roy loved to tell the story of how when walking back from school with a classmate, they would pass a Very distinguished elderly Foreign Gentleman.

They would "Doff" their caps to the gent to show respect, as was normal for young boys in those times.

One day the Gent stopped the boys and enquired politely who they were and about their school.

Roy and his friend answered, the gent then carried on his way.

They later found out the the Elderly Foreign  gent was in fact the newly abdicate King of Thailand, Rama the 7.

I think this started Roys Love affair with Thailand. 

Roy was on one of, if not the first Dakota into Dom Muang at the end of WW II.

He used to tell of looking out the small window as the cab taxied, and a wagon full of Japanese infantrymen, with long bayonets fitted to their rifles, where paralleling the Dakota.

Roy automatically reached down for his revolver, for up to then Sighting ment Fighting and when he looked around so was every other officer in the Dak.

As "Sapper' Roy was put on many construction jobs in BKK and tells how he had 2 companies of armed Japanese infantry, work for him as labourers.

He spoke no Japanese and their Officers spoke no English but with sign language and diagrams all worked out.

He said they were excellent workers.

In later years Roy bore no grudges against the Japanese.

 

john

 

[richabb1]

On 3/20/2019 at 4:41 PM, jonwilly said:

I would like to bring to the attention of fellow CM folk that Roy Hudson passed away yesterday Tuesday 12th at approximately 17.00.

His son Eric was in attendance having driven up from Bangkok to be at his fathers side.

Roy was aged 99 and had lived in CM since 1960.

He had spent his last 3 years in the Care Home in Mai Rim, following the death of his wife.

https://www.careresortchiangmai.com/index.php?viewID=2

I usually visited Roy once a week and can only praise the Care he received from the nursing staff, most if not all of the young ladies being Northern Thai people.

Roy's health was reasonable until one year ago when he contracted a lung infection. He never fully recovered in my opinion, having been in the RAM ICU and then normal ward before returning to his bungalow at  Susuwan Care home Chiang Mai.

He will be greatly missed by his son Eric and daughter Amanda who is flying in and due to arrive today Wednesday. 

Roy was regarded by all who knew him as the Senior Brit, a wise and understanding Father figure.

I enclose a memoir of Roy Written in January 2007 concerning Roy's duties during WW II.

http://www.michiganwarstudiesreview.com/2010/20100706.asp

 

Good Bye Old Warrior

It was a Honour to know you.

I learned much about Life and People from you.

 

john

Sad news. Thanks for bringing that to our attention. Roy was a good friend. RIP

[Marpa47]

What a touching story. I’m considering a move there from NYC . Retirement soon. Reminds me of something. Every winter I used to get lung infections pretty regularly and for weeks. Then my MD gave me the one-time Prevnar 13 injection. For the past four years no infections. Just saying. For anyone over 50 please consider it.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[Rimmer]

A post has been removed, please see the following, Thank you:

 

19) You will not post missing or looking for person or information about any person, except with the explicit approval of admin by contacting support https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/contact 

[francois]

On 9/18/2006 at 2:24 PM, Blinky Bill said:

How far back can we go?

Skipper

Andy the Scot

J. B. Gross

Jeremy

Roger Morton

Allister the Scot

Jack Wall

Rick Cherry [ Dr. Lic ]

Crickett ........ way before her time

Chuck Hatherly

Old Ed Dodson

Ken Owens

Maurice Moreau

Chris C. (The Pub)

John Link

Horst Fruchtenicht

Bernard Webb

Barry Crago

Nick (Smiling Monkey)

Swiss Romeo

American Keith (Shot by his brother in law)

One armed John

Spotlight Bob

Ronnie (Scottish Andy's drinkin mate)

Eddy Sauerbaun (Joe's brother)

Old Dick Wood (What a character, ex expeditionary forces in Burma)

Too many..........................

Max

[scottiejohn]

12 hours ago, francois said:

Max

Which Max and when?

[Maejo Man]

16 hours ago, scottiejohn said:

Which Max and when?

I would presume that he is referring to ex Black Cat...ex Moon Garden...ex Moon River Marina Max

Edited May 15, 2019 by Maejo Man

[ThaiPauly]

On 5/14/2019 at 4:37 AM, francois said:

Max

Blinkey Bill (Ian)

Dustoff      (Ken)

P1P            (Philip)

Len Sparrow

 

These are just some of my friends who have passed away in the last few years.

RIP to them all, lest we forget...they were all great people