0
mnischalke

Waldo Morales

Recommended Posts

MAN, this sucks; got the call from Iowa this a.m.

I knew Waldo from his earliest days skydiving in Brooklyn/Iowa City ... in fact I picked him up at the airport in Des Moines for his first ever Couch Freaks boogie.

I had more late night conversations with him than I can count, and he touched and influenced me deeply. He ended up in VA and I ended up in NC; somehow we always stayed in touch over the years, though not as much as I would have liked.

I am SO thankful I got to see him at Bridge Day just a few short weeks ago, to relive some old times and do some catching up.

THANK YOU, thank you, to everyone at Orange for being such good friends to him. He talked about you guys extensively, and he truly considered you to be his family. He kept trying to get John and me up there to meet you all; just could not say enough good things about the vibe you have going on up there. Maybe someday ...

I'll be up there tonight with you guys in spirit as you remember our brother; my thoughts are with you, as well as with our Couch Freaks family.

Best regards,
Dawn Larsen

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Don't anyone forget that Tigger's a pirahna killer!


Let it be known that El Tiggerifico was feared by many a Guyanese river creature, but none feared him more than the Piranha -

COOOOOOOZ Tigger's a Piranha Killer, Tigger's a Piranha Killer...

I forget the rest of the lyrics, so I will have to look if I can find the song on tape somewhere.
Waldo, I will miss you, we will miss you, Earth needs more of you. A truly selfless, amazing, always cheerful man with a great sense of adventure and an energy that radiated beyond his body.

Andreas
"Bodygolfing" isn't as much fun as it sounds. People get pissed when you don't replace your divets.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
That's the song - just sing it over, and over, and over "Cuz. . . Tigger's a piranha killer, Tigger's a piranha killer. . .!" - while doing a jiggy dance that Waldo would do: head down, arms out, hips swinging, fingers darting out like John Travolta, smiling - clothing is optional.

Don't forget the other campfire song that started with "Rum, rum, rum, rum. . ." (too many lyrics to post, but unforgetable) and one of many hilarious moments with Tigger. The rainforest will never be the same and it's a lot more quiet, without his world-class belching. It would be something else, if it were on video.

Karen

See you later. . . sometime, somewhere.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Waldo was my closest friend. We have shared some pretty amazing adventures over the years. His no prisoners approach to whatever he undertook was an inspiration. He touched the lives of so many people. His light burned so brightly and wherever he went people wanted to be near him. His blunt honesty, and his passion for having fun was the catalyst for many an eventful night. I could tell Wally anything. He never passed judgment...unconditional love is hard to find. I am so blessed to have had a friend like Waldo. I will miss him terribly. I hope that when my time in this world is over I will get to see him. Until then I will keep him in my heart and strive to live life by his example. Fly free my tiger striped friend. I love you

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I've been away from the computer the last couple days and just heard the news from a friend.

I first met Waldo at Couch Freaks years ago, still a student, but was easy to talk to and gave me a lot of advice. As a year passed and then another, I became more interested in freeflying and tubes. I gave him a call and he spent a good hour or more talking about the tubes he'd made, how to make them properly, advice, what to do and not to do and offerred to send me one that he had made already.

Just last year we met up again at freaks as usual in his bus, he lent our club some of his tool to fix our packing tent and also gave us the inspiration to buy and refurbish a school bus of our own.

Then once again last September I ran into him in Orange, suprised to see him there as well as he was to see me out east. We bs'ed and sat around and he invivted us to his float party the next weekend.

A great guy, all around, open heart friendly and never selfish. He spent hours helping myself and others. He has left us with very large shoes to fill on this earth.

Blue skies brother:(
<--- See look, pink dolphins DO exist!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Waldo representing everything that was good in skydiving and good in life. He loved the lives of others with the same fierce passion he had for his own. The man had character that knew no strangers. I going to miss him as a Couchfreak and a fellow freak. We would all do well to be a bit more like Waldo...

xxx, Hixxx
death,as men call him, ends what they call men
-but beauty is more now than dying’s when

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I attempted to tell this story this weekend but had a very hard time getting the words out. I thought I'd try again.

I started jumping in 1998, and I believe it or not, I was painfully shy. I met Waldo and that changed everything. We quickly became inseparable. Every night before bed we would talk on the phone for about an hour or two, sometimes longer. When he was running rescue he would tell me about his day. Unlike many medical-types, he never referred to the patient by disease/condition/diagnosis, he referred to them as people. He would tell me about each call he made that day/night and how it impacted him. He remembered every little detail about each person he treated. (of course, he never broke confidentiality) But he had a story and had made a personal connection with every single one. It was never "just a lady with a car in a ditch", instead it was "a terrified single mom with 3 small children at home who was comforted by Waldo holding her hand and the stories that he told her".


Waldo had this compassion inside of him that I have not seen anywhere else. Just recently, following the earthquakes in the middle east, he wanted to see about heading over there to help. He had not been back from New Orleans very long and had felt very deeply about what he had experienced. Despite the heart ache he felt over the tragedy he had just experienced, he was willing to do it all over again.

Waldo was bigger than life and he had a heart to match.

I don't even have words to describe how much I am going to miss him. This thread is keeping the spirit of Waldo alive and that gives me some comfort.

I haven't been home in a few days, but will share some of my pictures with you once I get home.

My heart goes out to all of you.

I love you WallyBear!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Me and mine found out about this tragic event on friday and were both deeply saddened. When we got to couch this year we were looking forward to a lovely weekend complete with many Tiger adventures. When he left early to help with Katrina, we missed him a great deal but knew that he was too big souled of a person not to have to share with those who needed his help just for the sake of our good time.
He had the kind of power inside that made you like him right off without even knowing him very well. You only knew you wanted more of that and he was happy to give. I have some very special memories about him and a few souvineers that I will keep close. I aspire to be a person like he was, that fun, that generous, that free with his love.
We were lucky to have him for a friend & will miss him.

You say, what's that sound coming out of the hole in the wood?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Waldo Friends, Family, and Co-Workers,



This is Will Stephens, and I have been attempting to take care of a great many things over the past few days in an effort to keep Waldo's parents from having to go through it. Waldo's services dates have been set:



Celebration of Life

Friday November 18th 2:00 pm

United Methodist Church

13000 Gayton rd

Richmond, VA

(west end)



Video memorial contact Joyce or upload to sage/website



Wally's Home Church ceremony

Saturday Nov 19th 11AM

Idylwood Presbyterian Church

7617 Idylwood Rd

Falls Church, VA 22043



For those wishing to send condolences, flowers, cards to Wally's parents, here is their Contact Information:



Teo and Virginia Morales

7911 Clifton Rd

Manassas, VA 20109



Information regarding videos and pictures:



Please forward all pictures and electronic video you want to Sage [email protected] You can either e-mail directly now, or you can wait until later this evening when the website is up and running (an e-mail to follow). The website is being set up to allow anybody to upload/download Waldo videos and pictures. Whoever else is working with picture items, please coordinate with Sage so that there is no duplication of efforts.



The celebration of life video is being coordinated by Joyce Rusincovitch [email protected] . This will include both Skydiving and Professional Waldo pictures and video. If you have a video to send, please make a copy of it and FedEx it immediately. Please either only copy the appropriate segment, or list the cue time so that the person creating the video can go directly to it. If you have pictures or video in electronic format, please send to Sage.



Please send a copy of the video to

Life Evac - Waldo Videos

Dinwiddie County Airport

23301 Airport Rd

Petersburg, VA 23803



If you send Joyce an e-mail please include Waldo in the subject line. If you send video tape that you must get back, please include a note with your information. She would prefer that video you send be copied segments that they can then give them to Wally's parents when they are done.



Somebody please kindly forward this e-mail around to everybody and post it on dropzone.com . I am also taking care of all of Wally's posessions, so if you have something I should take care of, please let me know. I have compiled a list of e-mails to send correspondence to. If you know anybody to add to the list, or need something coordinated, please contact me.

Home 540-907-4490

Cell 571-228-7020 (doesn't work at home)

[email protected]
1704 Sherwood Dr
Fredericksburg, VA 22405


Wally's life, passion, and compassion have impacted the lives of thousands around the world. He will be missed beyond words.



Fly free my brother.



Will Stephens

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
For any out of town people that may be coming for the Richmond,Va Service for Wally. I have enough space for 5 people to sleep comfortably. It doesn't matter if we've never met. I live about 3 miles from where the service is. If you'd like a place to stay just let me know.
Karen G

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Waldo reached out to me when I needed help, even though he had never met me before.

It happened when I got injured at Orange a couple of years ago. Waldo took charge of the situation on the ground and rode with me in the ambulance to the hospital. He stayed there while I got fixed up and arranged a ride for us both to get back to Orange.

When we got back to the bonfire at the DZ, he even got a couple of those beautiful Orange ladies to flash sympathy boobies!

All this for someone he didn't even know. Thank you, brother.

Doug

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
As a longtime member of the couchfreaks, I got to know Waldo slowly over the years at Dollar Daze. Probably to Waldo I was just an acquintance, but he knew everyone's name and made you feel like you were a best friend.

I saw Waldo last at bridge a few weeks ago. About five of us rode a shuttle up from the landing area together, along with my wife and my two year old son, Sam. Waldo and Sam really took to each other. When Waldo heard Sam do a relatively good rendition (for a 2 year old) of "You are my sunshine", Waldo declared Sam a Babe Magnet.

We got off the bus and before I knew it, Waldo was off pushing Sam in his stroller into the crowd to test out his "Babe Magnet" theory. That night at the party, we had Sam on one of those kid leashes. Waldo took the leash (Sam didn't mind a bit) and the two of them went to work the crowd. Waldo taught Sam to substitute "Hot Chick" for "Sunshine" in "You are my sunshine."

For two weeks after we got back, thanks to Waldo, Sam was singing "You are my hot chick, my only hot chick. You may me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my hot chick away." Needless to say, there was some explaining to do to grandma, grandpa, etc.

We thought we finally had Sam trained back to "Sunshine" when, just a day or two before I heard the news about Waldo, Sam spontaneously sung Waldo's "hot chick" version. It brought a big smile to my face and made me laugh almost as hard as when I first heard it at the bridge party.

Perhaps it is those in whom the fire of life will be the shortest that, necessarily, it must burn the brightest. Waldo, you were a bright light beside which many of us pale. We are humbled by the thought of what you accomplished in so short of a life. If the measure of wealth is not in gold or land or power, but in love and friendship and respect, you left this world a wealthy man.


Steven Lawyer
Couchfreak

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
update from Will & Sage:

From Sage,

fyi http://waldo.mindcrime.net is up and running.
its about as basic as it gets for the moment. photo uploading is available right now and does work. I do have to approve photos before they get posted...the only security i could impliment so that i didn't get DoS'd. videos are soon to come. there is a chatbox of shoutouts, and news posts can be submitted and approved

/sm

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Thank you all for the stories and kind words for Wally. I am will Stephens, and have known Wally since the mid 90's. Over the years, I have lived with Wally, he's lived with me. He has worked for me, and he has taught me. Wally and I dared each other into our first skydives together. From that point on we could not seem to stop getting each other into more dangerous and fun situations - thus Team Tigger was born! I built the interior of Cecil (his bus) along with his friend Dave. I also went to fire school with Wally and volunteered with him at Lake Jackson. As a result of being his friend for nearly 10 years, I had a hand in getting him into two of the loves of his life - saving people, and skydiving. I also had a heavy hand in the third love of his life - PARTYING!
Wally's Mom and Dad are both thankful that you are all part of and have been touched by Wally's life. I wish that I could express the honor I feel in knowing that he called me his best friend and that he was involved in my life. I also wish that knowing him so long I could express what and who Wally was in an eloquent phrase. I have never been very eloquent and there is nothing to say that you have not all already said. While Wally may have been a man of two worlds - skydiving and rescue, he was the same take no prisoners kind of man in both and never hid who he was or what he felt from anybody. Wallys life, passion, and compassion have touched thousands - I will miss him beyond words. I will be speaking at his funeral services, if I can handle it, and I hope you all dont mind if I use some of the words or stories you have used in these posts to express how Wally left his mark on this earth.

P.S. All of the relevant information about services has been listed in a previous post. Steven Lawyer - please send me a direct e-mail at the e-mail address listed on my profile.

In addition, the Waldo pictures website is up and running. - here is some info from Sage - another member of Team Tigger.

http://waldo.mindcrime.net is up and running.
its about as basic as it gets for the moment. photo uploading is available right now and does work. I do have to approve photos before they get posted...the only security i could impliment so that i didn't get DoS'd. videos are soon to come. there is a chatbox of shoutouts, and news posts can be submitted and approved.

/sm

Will Stephens

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Wally's parents have asked that those who would send flowers instead make a charitable contribution to one of the following:

Remote Area Medical Foundation (non-designated funds)
1834 Beech St
Knoxville, TN 37920

These are the guys that Wally worked with and went to Guyana to make the runway.

or

IPC (Idylwood Presbyterian Church)
Deacon's benvolent fund
7617 Idylwood Road
Falls Church, VA 22043

This is Wally's church, who just so happened to sponsor Wally on his trip to Guyana

Dont forget - the Waldo website is up and running - lets see some classic Wally pictures! http://waldo.mindcrime.net

--
Will Stephens

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I met Waldo when he and a busload of overly enthusiastic skydivers who were on a bachelor party, came to the hospital to visit my brother. Needless to say, it was quite the spectacle. Waldo set himself apart by promptly handing me his business card and telling me to contact him for any reason. With both of us living in Richmond, we became friends, and I had the pleasure of spending time with him in between his rescue missions and his skydiving, bridge jumping, and other numerous excursions. It became our thing to "do lunch" or hang out whenever possible. I still can't believe that just two weeks before his passing we were strolling (more like racing) with my two-year-old around the petting zoo at Maymont. (He of course was dressed in full flight paramedic garb, having just returned from a mission 45 minutes earlier.) In the short time I knew Waldo, I was given a glimpse at his diverse personality. I saw that he was a devoted son, loyal friend, and never shied away from the chance to help people in need. I only wish I could have known him longer. I'm certain he is in a better place now. Rest easy Waldo...

Tricia

If you're interested in checking out his profile on friendster.com just search for his name.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Will, Don't know if you remember me (Kirby)...I have known Wally since I think even before you..but over the years kinda lost touch with him.

Anyhow if you have the time it would be great to talk with you again. I am trying to round a few of the old manassas crew up to go.

I had told Jon Wade what had happened and he was able fin this information out about all this, so I am greatful of his sleuthing skills. Needless to say I wanted to express my apologfies to you, I know how tight you were with Wally, I remeber the days back at Grimesy's Place and all the fun we had.
I hope you are doing well.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
There is no additional information and probably never will be. I'm sorry this is not the answer most people want to hear.

We will just have to focus our energies on celebrating the life of an extraordinary individual who gave so much to so many people. He was just too big for this world.



"I'm a Waldo popsicle, would you like to lickkkkk ME?"

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

0