Going to miss a double rifle club member and African hunter. More importantly I can call Rusty a friend...

Mike Podwika

Gosh, sadly, we just don't live forever. May Rusty rest in peace! Actually, I hope he's in the Green Hills of Heaven hunting and chasing his dreams.

Never met the man. The only contact was indirectly via a few of my AR posts where he made a comment or two. Always civil and making knowledgeable points.
Obviously from most AR comments Rusty will be fondly remembered. Perhaps in the great happy hunting grounds he and Cal Pappas might meet up and share some happy days afield. RIP gents...

That's terrible! I counted Rusty as a good friend for almost 15 years. He's hosted me at his home range, shooting with other AR members. I would occasionally have lunch with him when I was passing through Houston and we had some mutual business contacts that kept us in touch.

My deepest condolences to his family and may he rest in peace.

Too many of these kind of posts lately. I'm in Houston, but never had the privilege of meeting Rusty. Condolences to his family and friends.

Rusty was indeed a gentleman extraordinaire.

I have several pieces in my reloading room that just showed up in the mail at my office. They were things like a set of .43 Spanish dies that I was looking for and just made a post on AR. That happened 3 times.

Each time I would call him and want to pay but would not accept so I would just post him a fifth of a good single-malt scotch.

No sir…a kinder gentleman the world has never known. Humanity is lesser today without him.

May God rest his soul and render comfort to his family.

RIP

Prayers and condolences.

Man this is happening with a depressing regularity...

Rusty was one of the good guys here. Always positive and helpful. Will miss his posts and wisdom. May God hold him close. RIP.

In the end we are left with memories,good times had in camp,great conversations,the kindness of the man,his passing definitely leaves a void,we chatted on the phone just a few days ago .

Seeing fellow AR members pass away reminds me of my own mortality. I turned 75 today and am exactly 1 month away from touching down in WDH for my sixth Namibian Safari. I’ve only met three fellow AR members, Ann when she lived in Michigan and 2thDoc while deer hunting in NC with Clark Purvis. Other than a heart attack in 2006 I’m in decent health and stay healthy hanging around wih my four grandkids, all of whom are great athletes. My Dad lived to be 91 and of his 8 siblings most lived to their mid 90’s. His sister Tina worked as a nurse until she was 96, and his mother lived to be 94.

I never met the man, but all of the kind things being said say a lot about him.

Condolences to his family and friends.

I'm extremely saddened to hear about this. I spoke to Rusty many times over the years, and he was a truly kind man. When I was still working in real estate, I put him in touch with another agent that helped him buy his small ranch in the Texas Hill Country. As a "thank you", Rusty sent me a box of cigars. He loved his ranch (which used to be part of the original famous YO Ranch), and frequently shared photos with me. He will be missed by many.