sad news

[tom]

a good friend and great acoustic builder died suddenly over the weekend, lance mccollum. he made wonderful guitars, i have 3, and was a delightfully colorful guy who cared deeply for his family. he will be missed for sure.

[SonicGator]

Sorry to hear that Tom. Thoughts and prayers to his family and friends.

[LearnedHand]

With Deepest Sympathy for the family and friends of Lance McCollum.

[tom]

it's kind or sureal, he was across from us at namm so we saw a lot of each other. i guess we never know, so living life to the fullest should be high on our list.

[enr1co]

Heartfelt condolences and prayers to his family.

He did make some beautiful guitars- I had opportunity to try a few that were owned by friends and they are on par with the finest builders.

[michaelomiya]

tom, our thoughts, sympathies and prayers to the McCollum family. his guitars did play and sound wonderful.

[mdrs]

it's kind or sureal, he was across from us at namm so we saw a lot of each other. i guess we never know, so living life to the fullest should be high on our list.

I went to see The Pretenders with a good friend last night. He's my age (53), and in seemingly good shape.

Joe had a heart attack three weeks ago, out of the clear blue!! Well, he smoked and had high cholesterol, so perhaps not really "out of the blue".

We met in the parking lot, before heading in to see the show. I gave him a big hug, and looked right in his eyes and said "You don't know how happy I am to see you."

And I meant it!!

Another good friend, a podiatrist, who was 54, was buried yesterday. He lost a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.

As a physician, I can tell you that no truer words were ever spoken than to say that you must find a way to be happy, and to express your happiness and love to someone you care about every day. Also, even when things get really sucky, remember, it could be worse.

And, smile!!:D

[tom]

well said don.

[Barry]

I tell my friends i love them all the time . It might not be macho but it sure feels good .

[AndyT]

So sorry to hear this. We saw his booth at the show. I'm sure he was a great man.

My sister in law and her husband moved to Hawaii 3 years ago. It was her dream. Shortly after, she began complaining of digestive tract problems, but as she had strange complaints her entire life, we thought little of it. She had the classic signs of pancreatic cancer, and with the poor level of care in the Islands, she was never diagnosed until she and her husband came to stay with us 18 months later in California at our urging to get better health care. She passed away just a few weeks later, right after being diagnosed. She was 52.

These events make one realize that we have to live each day to the fullest, do the things that we enjoy most, and be with the ones we love every chance we get.

[nick]

Very sorry to hear this!

[huzits]

Sorry to hear the news. RIP Lance.