Blue Skies, CRWMIKE

[boinky 0]

I've waited for days for someone to post something. Perhaps no one knows. Perhaps no one cares. It's not my story to tell, but I was informed that he is no longer with us. Personally, I hope that I was misinformed.

Most folks thought he was a grumpy old bastard. And he got himself banned from here because of his sick, twisted sadistic attitude.

I don't really care how the rest of the world feels about him, but he's been my friend ever since I got bit by the "CRW"bug. We talked on the phone together, played poker together and skydived together. I'll never forget when, on our first in person meeting, he said, "Why, you're a doll!" Or when he pretended he was a 'cattle prod' and randomly poked me on our way to altitude saying, "zzzzt" just to get my mind off of my claustrophobia on the plane.

Damn it, Michael!! I'm going to miss you terribly.

Nina

Are we called "DAWGs" because we stick our noses up people's butts? (RIP Buzz)
Yep, you're a postwhore-billyvance

[BillyVance 34]

I did post a thread last Saturday, but someone felt it was too soon... so I took it off.

He was a good friend to me as well. Sure, we butted heads on here on a couple of issues, but when I met him in person, he was as nice as anyone to me.

I happened to be his guinea pig for his first ever top-dock attempt, which he executed perfectly. I thought "damn, he's good" and asked where he learned to do that. That's when he admitted it was the first time.

He had problems with his hearing aid a while back and found out that that particular brand wasn't made anymore and asked me for help. I got my wife, who's a vocational rehab counselor, to gather some hearing aid info and send it to him. I remember him being grateful, but don't know if he ever acted on the info...

Blue Skies, Mike Fedak. I'll miss your warped sense of humor and acidic posts on here. Hope you're finally at peace now.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[Vallerina 2]

He took me on my first CRW jump....#666.

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

Ah, the same guy who used to incessantly post on wreck-dot... Sad.

[livendive 8]

I hadn't heard anything of it. I, for one, appreciated his posts here and over on rec.skydiving. I thought his sense of humor was great, though he did sometimes get a bit too emotionally invested in his arguments. The love he showed for his dying cat was palpable. Not knowing how he died, all I can say is I wish he hadn't. Blue skies Fedak.

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[wmw999 2,447]

Pretty much what Dave said. Blue skies, and peace.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[Madison 0]

Second CRW dog I ever met. 9 yrs.ago.
He was always especially good to me and Razz. Always.

Few pics attached from when we last saw him at a CRW camp at Z-hills. He had really helped Charlie out when he got busted up there.

I'm done typing, this year sucks.

Blue Skies Fedak,
April

Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want.

[homer 0]

I personally didn't know him But I sure do remember him as I was at that CRW camp. I can still see charlie tumbling in a cloud of dust after his collision. It is always a sad day when we lose a skydiver but when we lose a dog as experienced as him in our community it seams to hurt a bit more. He will be missed. Just glad I got the chance to jump with him. BSBD

CSA #699 Muff #3804

[stl135 0]

Mike, hope you can rest now - bsbd

[Genn 0]

My most memorable time with Mike was in 2001. We did a 17-way at The Ranch, late sunset load. My wingman on the right side came around and the whole formation went to shit-fast. Knowing I was the young pup on the load, the first thing he said to me when we landed was" It was all your fault!!" He was kidding - but man that was funny.

He gave me some great advice on how to continue holding heavy formations with a bad knee. You were a good man, Mike. Thanks again for that.

I hope you've found some peace.

BSBD

[crwslut 0]

Mike was my best friend for over a decade. He was extremely intelligent and kind, and was willing to sacrifice to help others in their times of need.
In his professional life, he was a nurse at one of the busiest emergency rooms in the country. When I met his family and one of his co-workers a couple of weeks ago the co-worker (Cindy) told me that he was the most competent and compassionate health care worker she had ever met in the 23 years she had worked with him. She also told me that he insisted on working in the hospital that had one of the worst reputations in the country for patient care, and couldn’t ever figure out why, considering his abilities. I told her that I was sure that he felt that he found that he could do the most good for the people who needed it most in that situation.

Cindy also told me that he would frequently go out of his way to make sure that those most unfortunate got the attention they deserved, even going so far as to stay in touch with them months after they had left the hospital.

She also said that he was the only one that would tell the patient what was really going on. While the other nurses were running around updating charts and changing bedpans, he would take the time to make sure the patient got the truth.

Unfortunately, his penchant for honesty also could be a double-edge sword. He would tell his fellow skydivers how he felt about them – right or wrong. He knew that others hated him for this, but he didn’t care. The truth hurts, but he thought that he was helping people.

This facet of his personality is what made his life so difficult for him. He truly believed in his heart that what he was doing was for the better good, and he could not change who he was or his convictions.

His first attempt to escape his pain resulted in his reaching out for medical assistance, but this failed him. The medications made him sick, and he kept finding fault with the professionals who were trying to help him. (See “Irony” in Webster’s).

Mike is now staying with me until the “Freeze Your Buns Off” boogie in January at Lake Wales, where we will make his final jump together.

We miss you Michael.

What could possibly go wrong?