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RIP Wally
RIP Captain Wally
Walt Bohren has passed on to the next life....I am very sad. Sail on sailor :crying: |
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I heard about this just hours ago, and my family wondered why I had turned so sad so quickly.
I remember one of my very first Skip Barber programs in 1998, a 1-day corporate in Homestead in July. As you can imagine, it was really hot! Wally suggested I drive a formula car to do some low-speed lead follow with the corporate guests. In my youth, I thought it was a great idea. It would be years before I realized Wally was more than happy to let a young exuberant new instructor do the sweaty work. I once thought he was just a old-timer slacker like I had seen at Disney. Then one day someone told me he did not bill Skip Barber a day of salary for more than 14 years. That's when I knew the guy had his heart in the right place, and I was forever a Walt Bohren fan. I'm too young to have made the kind of friendship with Wally that guys like StevieD, Ray Scott, Peter Argetsinger, Bob Dotson, and many others have. I know we will all miss Wally dearly. We knew he had already gotten the dream job of his life when he started his boat charter business. A dream job made in heaven, where he is certainly now residing with many other great people. RIP dear Walt. :frown2: |
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Lots of great memories! and Great laughs! ..........Scouts Honor
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Very sad day. I will miss him and will never forget him..
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A tribute to Walt on his retirement from Skip Barber Racing, shown as the final chapter
of the 2007 Midwestern Series Banquet video. Thanks to Susan Auriemma, Ashlei Lunneberg, Todd Snyder, Kelly Deneen and everyone else who helped me round up some great stills of Wally's world for the edit. <object width="400" height="266"> Full size version on Facebook, can be viewed by everyone . |
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I am so greatly saddened . . . . I wish to share some words, written by Brock Yates:
From a 1985 issue of Brock's ' Cannonball Express ', his reporting on the IMSA season-opening weekend @ Road Atlanta : ' GTO was a terrific three car show with Greg Pickett and John Bauer on the GTO pole closely followed by the Roush Protofab Mustang of Wally Dallenbach Jr. and John Jones. Walt Bohren quietly put his Dingman Firebird behind the FoMoCo pair and stunned them with yet another seamless demonstration of smooth car control ' I was there that weekend, but at that time did not know Wally ; met him via my subsequent involvement with Skip. It was always such a pleasure to see him and his great spirit at a race weekend. Rest in peace, Wally Al Ribskis |
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That is very, very sad news.
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Very sad news indeed, but a life well lived - never a day wasted not in pursuit of his passions.
RIP Wally, you will be missed but not forgotten. |
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Blue Bayou, Wally's fast and beautiful Dean 41 Catamaran. From 10/2008 - Joan and I were in Road Town and spent a lovely day with Wally and Ruth.
<object width="400" height="266"> Full size version on Facebook, can be viewed by everyone . |
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One of a kind. Still miss his presence at the track. Dick's "Life well lived" comment deserves a second. Wally was a fierce driver (just ask Divi!) with an equally amazing capacity for and sense of mischief. His comments and observations at banquets were in a league of their own. :D
I'll always be grateful for Wally's smile. When I started with Skip, Walt's newby feedback was appropriately sparse. He didn't smile a lot, at least not with me, and he was one of the guys who's respect you had to earn with good car control. On my second or third (probably third) visit to Sebring he was observing turn one during one of my practice sessions and after the session he came striding toward me with a big grin on his face. His smile was so broad that I literally looked behind me to see if there was a pretty girl or old friend of his over my shoulder because I'd never seen him point it directly at me before. "That last lap was a thing of beauty!..." he said, almost giddy. He'd watched me struggle with turn one and wanted me know I'd gotten it right. To finally show up on his screen as a driver, knowing his depth as a racer, felt like hitting a walk off home run in the world series. I'll never forget that smile or how it felt to receive it. Thanks Wally. |
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:( :( :(
Gonna miss you Wally.. Especially at the barbeques, the banquets and the parties. |
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While we're still fairly new to the Skippy family, we too have good memories of the instruction we received from Wally, and watching him fly his gas airplane in the parking lot at Sebring was fun too - -
Sad he passed so young - - RIP The Flying Randalls |
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I'm going to miss Wally standing in pit lane after a session in the car, barechested, dripping with sweat, with his Skippy suit tied at his waist and the broadest of smiles on his face. I only know one other person whose style of commentary and observation is in the same league as Wally's, and he was one of the original Merry Pranksters. And in spirit too, so was Wally.
I'm very sad I didn't make it down for a ride on Wally's boat. Kept thinking there'd be time for it in the future. I should've known what Wally knew, that there is only this moment, and it deserves to be seized. And he did, so that he could live a life that he really loved. |
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We will miss you Wally.
Brian Johnson (yes, THAT Brian Johnson) called Virgin Island News Online so that everyone would know how wonderful Wally was: http://www.virginislandsnewsonline.c...-a-regular-guy And SPEED has posted this tribute: http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/artic...en-passes-away |
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This is super sad news.
I will always have great memories of Wally, but they pale in comparrision to the man. We always laughed that he taight me to take a turn at Sebring to perfection and then the turn was removed. Godspeed Wally. Ruth my prayers are with you. |
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This is very sad news. Wally was a great teacher and like Pat said, once you got to know him better you realized he could teach you about life as much as about driving. Great guy, done too soon.
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Wally's not gone. He's just "flown west". Thanks for the memories, my good friend.
I am just one of many who miss you very much. |
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I will never forget the Daytona year end banquet when Wally and Terry were at it... I have to say, as slow as Wally spoke, he was fast.... some of my favorite PG Wally quotes..
"Walter (Irvine), in the battle of witts , you are unarmed" "That guy needs a brown paper bag, look at him breathing in that car" "Does he know this is a racing school?" Expensive dinner bill gets handed to Wally " Jeeeezus, what'd I break"? |
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Here is a thread from Travel Talk website with comments from the sailing / charter world - such a big loss to so many...
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Think they want a link Doug...
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I'll miss you, Wally. RIP.
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Sad news brightened only by good memories and stories from and about Walt. RIP.
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This was a strange and sad weekend for me. 3 people I know died, all linked to the Caribbean in some way. Roy Stout, a Lexingtonian who with his brother Jerry ran a print shop that he inherited from his dad (a popular Lexington fixture for decades, always willing to donate printing services for a good cause), was struck and killed by a car while walking with his girlfriend along a road at a resort in Jamaica. He pushed his girlfriend out of the way but could not escape himself. We worked together for many years on a radio show here, and I stopped by the shop only days before he left to ask his advice about a print job. He was 57. Thirdly, my sister-in-law's dad was returning to his home in Germany from a vacation in the Caribbean, slipped on ice on a train platform, hit his head and died of an intracranial bleed.
Life is a very thin line. |
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Harsha, I posted that pic before I saw your post, not the best placement...really sorry about your friends...the Wally pic after your post seems way out of place, found it on the carib sailing forum.
So sorry for your losses, how terrible, a thin line for sure :( |
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Here's the Wally / Divi Grudge Match vid from 2005 - image quality only fair, wish I could edit the original (full race files deleted, still have the tapes but not the time), close enough I think, length: 6:45
<object width="400" height="266">Pat and Todd shot the additional footage, Susan Auriemma the stills. :bowdown: Larger version on Facebook, can be viewed by everyone . |
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A tuff one... But I can't help but to crack a smile through the tears!! I feel I am a better driver/person for having knowing our favorite captian. I will miss the the commentary.
They don't build them like that anymore !! Live life.... this ain't no dress rehersal. Ron |
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RIP Wally.
It's funny, I never really knew him that well but I find myself thinking of him often. He was one of the true originals. He made me laugh out loud on many occasions. He was an incredible man. When I heard he was going to chase his dream and move to the islands to be a Sailboat Captain I was sad then. I knew I might never see him again, yet I was so stoked for him. I'm so happy he got to go south and chase that dream. I will always remember him. He was a good dude and he was an excellent ambassador for all of us who make a meager living doing what we love to do. I'll for sure dust off my helmet for the Walt Bohren memorial. :crying: |
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I would like to echo Grant's post. Wally reminds us all to do the things we love and be with people we love. I won't miss his memorial.
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Wally cut a wide path! He was truly last of the independents and lived each day fully whether racing, flying, boating or celebrating with his many friends! A life well lived. "Wheels up Captain..."
JP |
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OMG, I drop in here every few months and this was a shocker. I knew Wally since 88 he did my school with Dorsey and we were friends ever since. When I came back in 2006-07 after a 12 year hiatus Wally was right there for moral support. We had dinner almost every night on race weekends and he loved to talk about his dream of sailing. So many stories, memories, good times, he was a special sole who always lived in the moment. I was sitting with him at his last banquet in Daytona, it was special with Terry as host and ole Wally holding court at the table making off color comments, fueding as they were . When you went out with Wally you never really knew how the night would end but usually there were plenty of laughs along the way.
My memories are all good and bring a smile, he lived a full life more than most who live much longer. donv |
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I never got the chance to meet Wally but i did attend his memorial at the hospitality saturday nights. Everyone had a couple of drinks and the tent was full of life and laughter talking about Wally! Wally seemed to be an amazing guy who lived life to the fullest! I spent the whole time there listening to Watts say the funniest stories as well as every single other instructor out there. They all had an amazing story to share and it was a pleasure to hear them! I dont think there was one person in the tent that wasn't crying! not crying from being sad but from laughing so harddd!!! Very glad i stayed till the end! RIP Wally! Lived a life well lived!
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Photo's from the celebration of Wally's life Saturday after racing.
Everyone painted a rich portrait of Wally's creativity as a driver, instructor and full life liver. Keith, Stevie Dee, Peter, Sid, Todd, Randy, Harpollini everyone who spoke and everyone who listened did him proud. Apologies to Randy for the out of focus shot. There was a white shirt in the foreground out of frame that confused the auto focus and flash but liked Randy's delicate balance of footwork and beer as he revealed the nuance of being taught all things about Skip Barber paperwork by Wally. :D We salute Walt Bohren. |
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I really wish I could've stayed for the actual memorializing part of the cocktail party. I had to be in Lake Wales by 6:30pm, so I stayed as long as I could, but no one had started (formally) telling stories by then. I'm glad everyone had fun remembering Wally, though! I just wish I could've been there!
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I guess I'm a little out of touch. When did this happen? Walt was a terrific guy, he was part of my 3 day, I will miss him.
The last time I saw him he was going inside at the bridge at Tremblant to edge Divina in a grudge match. OLDMAN |
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Sid wanted me to post that Wally died of natural causes - apparently a heart attack while taking his dinghy into town for supplies. So sad.
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Email from Peter Argetsinger, asked I post this:
Brenda Johnson forwarded this to me - Wally on stage with a band a few nights before he died - Brian said he was having a big time and had always wanted to sing with the band :o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT0WUu6onME |
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I have not been on in over a year and this is the first thing I see. So Sad ...
-Weldon |
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Found 2 more chapters on Wally from 2006 - some Wally Cleaver voice overs :D and Wally - PLC of the Year 2006
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYKkQ6bFS6k |
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Just came across this shot from the '06 banquet.
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Walt was always at every event I did, whether racing or flagging, and he ALWAYS had time for me. I did my most recent race as a driver at Daytona in April 2007, when Walt retired and he was honored at the banquet. That was the last time I saw him. A man of very good character who will be missed by everybody
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