I am saddened to report that I just received a call from Patty Sheffield in Chula Vista, California, to inform me that my old buddy, Johnny Sheffield, passed away Friday night. Big John fell from his ladder Friday afternoon and suffered a heart attack in the process. Followers of my blog know well how important Big John was to me for many years. I wrote the attached blog on his awhile back:
http://billcainonline.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=79
I’ll do a proper tribute to him in the days ahead, but for now, please keep Patty and the Sheffield family in your prayers. Umgawa, Big Brother! I miss you already.
Rest in Peace, Johnny Sheffield. You were amazing!
Hi Bill,
Bantu mentioned you many times.
We’ve lost a great friend.
I knew John from the about 1995 when we met on an AOL OS/2 computer forum. I helped him get some software running.
These past few years, John and I chatted nearly everyday on Skype, making his absence particularly, repeatedly immediate.
His self-confidence and courage to attack, and doggedly finish!, anything, right up to Saturday 16 October 2010 always amazed me. Computers, software, wireless routers, Internet, fishing, plumbing, carpentry, cabinetry, gardening, home remodeling his Yuma, movie business, home building, real estate, diet, etc, etc. He will inspire me always as enter my later years.
He knew he didn’t have many years left, and was particularly energetic in wanting to leave his house and rent properties in good shape for his family. Quit wasn’t in his vocabulary.
And always the theatrical ham, hitting his marks, and finding great humor in everything.
Oh cruel irony. Boy, Tarzan’s son, was done in falling from a tree.
Umgawa Rules! Bantu Rules!
Rest in peace, Johnny.
Len Conrad
San Antonio TX
Hi, Len. Thanks for your wonderful response. I am still somewhat in shock … hard to believe there will be no more “Tarzan yells” on my phone. Everything you said about him was SPOT ON!!!! In fact, I’m going to use some of it on my tribute to him later this week, if you don’t mind. He was NEVER depressed and always had something uplifting to say. Umgawa, indeed! Thanks so much for your kind e-mail. My sympathies are with us all … Tarzan has lost a son.
Bill,
Please add his passions for food and cooking.
I’ve updated John’s Wikipedia page. Maybe you have more to add.
I tried to update his Facebook page (run by his fans) but couldn’t see how to post a message.
Len
Will do, Len. I’ll include a link to your Wiki page as well, so folks can get even more info on his professional side … I’ll focus on my personal relationship with him. I’ll also see what I can do on Facebook. Thanks so much!
Billl
Hello to both of you. I have met you before Len at the Sheffield home in Chula. I sent an email to you Bill and I’m looking around for the #42 explanation.
I added the date of death on Wiki this morning but it doesn’t look like it stayed there. I’ve never done a Wiki page so perhaps I did it wrong. For correction his date of death was Friday, October 15, not the 16th. To clarify, I am Patty’s brother.
Hi, Jerry. Thanks for the correction on the date. It’s now fixed. As for how John picked up the nickname #42, here’s the explanation from a previous blog post:
>>Today, when I feel blue or need a morale boost, I usually give a call to my ol’ jungle buddy, Big John. We have a code for each other … he’s #42 and I’m #43. That’s a reference to Charlton Heston’s great role, Ben-Hur. In the film, Ben-Hur is assigned #41 as a galley slave. We refer to ourselves as the follow-on numbers, as we’d have been proud to row next to Mr. Heston “any day.”<<
Please let us know if we can help in any way. Please pass our sympathies to Patty again and my condolences to you & the entire family in this sad time.
My mistake on the date.
I got Patty’s brief email Sunday morning the 17th, and assumed she meant the John passed the day before.
Thanks for correcting.
IMDB.com is hard thing to update. Gotta be someone official like the actor’s agent, publicist, etc to upload posters and stills.
Len
Giving a blog talk to beginner bloggers in the not-too-distant future, I’ll be pointing people in the direction of your efforts. Nicely put together dude.