MissBuffDiver

I love it when a smart good lookin' man talks dirty...and I didn't realize you jumped for 50 yrs...gosh I didn't even think you WERE 50......LOL...Congratulations on a life well lived...Friends, skydiving, writing, and a LITTLE WOMAN who has shared it with you...NOT BAD, my friend...I've always known MORE about you, than I've actually known YOU...either way, I'm blessed to know you in any way...

With elegant words, you said it all....Don would love your post Pat.... ***Sometimes it is few words that write a story that is better than the book ~Me~ Sandy

When Don told me that story, I called him a liar. My 1st jump was a water jump into Elsinore due to rods and pins in my femur. My FJM was Vicky Herst. She didn't know it was my 1st jump. Don and Bill Hallam were pretending like I had jumped at Perris and convinced Douris to let me make a water jump cuz they were getting D license requirements that weekend. When I got in the truck and we were going back to the DZ, Vicky asked me how many jumps I had. I put up 1 finger. She said no, not how many water jumps, but total jumps. I put up 1 finger again. She almost fell off the tailgate. Douris was looking for Bill, Don and I, so we snuck back to Perris. Later, I found out from many jumpers that Don's 1st jump was exactly as you explained. He never stopped kidding me about the fact that he was a hero after jump #1 and I was a fugitive. Eventually I made a 2nd jump at Perris. Dean Westgaard was supposed to catch me in the peas at Perris. I still had the hardware in my leg. They put me out under a 32' military round. I was comin' in on target and Dean folds his arms and says PLF. I landed so softly that I turned my ankle and it broke. Phil Christman loaded me in his van and took me to Riverside, ER, got a cast, came back, propped my leg up on a stool and worked the snack shack. Don came over got a soda and said, "you're the hero now." Later that night we went to Tanner Dude ranch next to my house on Grand Ave in Lakeland Village. Danced the nite away. I put a white knee hi boot on and hardly anybody noticed I was wearing a cast on the other leg. I was in so much pain that I got drunk and puked all night. A couple weeks ago, Don asked me how my ankle was. Told him it was pretty messed up, cuz it never healed right. He laughed and said, "even a hero knows when not to dance." Then lovingly called me a dumb ass.....***BOOGIE TIL YOU PUKE Sandy

Thanx Steve...I tipped a glass last night. A glass of chocolate milk. Don's favorite. When he drive up in his green VW van my girls would yell, "here comes Don, hide the chocolate milk." I'm having hot chocolate right now. Too cold for beer....and thanx for the friend request on FaceBook. In the next few days I'm expecting Barry, Don's son to join FB. It will give him the means to talk to his Dad's friends...Did you know Don? Sandy

It is with deep sorrow and a heavy heart, that I must tell you that Don passed away Fri. 12-3-10 @ 5:38pm. His son Barry, grandson and great grandson spent 5 days with him at the hosp. Don had been off all fluids for 10 days, and passed peacefully in his sleep. Even when you know it's coming, it's still a shock. I am very lucky to have had several long phone calls with 007. He was full of piss and vinegar as usual. Telling stories of long ago. I never tired of his crazy stories. I know they were true, cuz I was in some of them. If you didn't know him you'd think they were tall tales. If you did know him, you'd know that this little guy had one incredible life. Anybody remember the green VW Van? Of course you do, it was a legend at the DZ, just like he was. I'm sure gonna miss this guy, with his bigger than life personality. His son Barry will get on FaceBook as I suggested, as many of us are there. He is eager to hear from all his Dads friends. I'm sure if any of you have pictures, he'd love to receive them. Don would have been 73 on 12-28. He is now in the middle of one hell of a party up there. I can almost hear him saying, "no shit, there I was." Being the newbie, I'm sure all eyes are on him. I told him he's goin' where we all want to go, only we don't wanna die to get there. That made him laugh his ass off...Blue Skies 007...RIP....We love you.... Sandy

It is with great sorrow and a very heavy heart that I let you all know that Don passed away at 5:38 pm today. He would have been 73 on 12-28-10. His son Barry, grandson, and great grandson spent the past 5 days with him at the hosp. When Barry arrives home, he'll get a Facebook acct. Please feel free to drop him a line or tell him a 007 story. This yr has been very hard for Barry, as he also lost his Mother 9 mos ago. I'm having a hard time typing this. Don was resting when he passed. He was taken off all fluids Nov. 23. He only received Morphine and Ativan in liquid form under the tongue. This little guy lasted 10 days without any nourishment. Last night Barry held the phone to Dons ear and I told him, " it's OK to go Donny. You put up one hell of a fight. I'm proud of you. You've had a great life and we all love you, and we'll see you again. Go enjoy all the jumpers that are waiting for you. I'll be expecting one hell of a kiss pass when I see you again. Have a safe journey and go easy. See you on the other side Donny. I love you very much."... Sandy

Hey Deli, I wasn't aware when I called that Peggy was being buried that day. Sorry for your loss. Death is hard and living without someone you love is also hard. You are right about cancer. It took my Dad in 86', my Mom in 08'. I beat it in 80', my dtr beat it in 09' and I think my sister is about to kick its ugly ass. I could tell you it gets easier, but I'd be lying. It does get to a point where you are able to deal with it though. Here's hoping you get to that point soon. You have to let yourself feel it, go through all the emotions and one day you'll find that things will be better. I promise..... Sandy

Thanks Dennis...I found out that Jim Dann lives in Palm Desert, CA with Donna Wardean....Dons son Barry has arrived to see Don @ the hosp. He has a little surprise visitor with him. Dons great-grand son. Don has 3 grandkids and 3 great grandkids. As of 11-28, Don is resting, he is unable to open his eyes, but can give hand gestures and a thumbs up. He has not received any food or fluid since 11-23. I don't know how much longer our little buddy will hang in there, but I hope it's at least long enough for Barry to have a decent visit. These past few weeks have been very sad. I spoke to Bill Deli on 11-28, he was getting ready to go to the Church for the funeral services for his wife Peggy, who died on 11-24, after a long battle with Cancer... Sandy

Hey, there you are....I'm sure a pic of the 1st 8-man is your treasure..I have several pics of Don that are priceless to me...Did you read the post from Al Paradowski, SCR# 2 ? AWESOME...

Yep, that's our Donnie. If you said even 1 word to him, you were his friend. That is a rare quality. If I had a dollar for each friend he has, I'd be rich. He is rich beyond belief with friends...So glad you got to meet him. I know you will never forget this little guy with the BIG personality and a heart to match...To know him, is to love him...*** Who said bigger is better? Big things come in small packages.. Sandy

WOW.....SCR #2 checks in....I'm impressed. I was trying to figure out who besides Bill Stage has passed. I know Brian Williams, Bill Newell, Mitch Poteet and Don are still here. I don't know about Gary Young or Jim Dann. Can you give me an update on Gary and Jim? Help....***Inquiring minds want to know!!!! Sandy

11-22-10 Don was moved to Golden Living Center in Fresno, CA. He is in room 226. Phone 1-559-466-4433. He has been taken off fluids and is expected to pass in 7-10 days. If you don't know Don, he's #7 in the worlds first 8-man on 10-17-65. Earlier this yr we lost #5 Bill Stage. Don was also in the 1st 4 and 6-man. He suffered a stroke on 9-30 and a 2nd stroke on 11-15. He's truly a pioneer of our sport. To read more about the SCR awards, go to www.starcrestawards.com this is some really good reading, for those of you that don't know the origin of the 1st 8-man. Well, I'm really sad as are many of us who have known 007 for 40+yrs. You can try to see him one more time if you are near Fresno, Ca. I'm gonna eat some Turkey for him tomorrow like he asked me too. Some pumpkin pie and a glass of chocolate milk (his favorite). 35 yrs ago when my little girls saw Don coming up the driveway in his van, they'd yell, "hide the chocolate milk Mama, Dons here." Love this guy, like many of you do... Sandy

...That's Bill Hallam...Seems he said that to EVERY female student he ever had...Why do you think he spotted them for the other side of the canal?????....That was not a BAD spot! It was THE spot...LOL***YOU CAN"T KEEP A GOOD MAN down!!!!!...and he was hardly ever DOWN.... Sandy

I was there when the plane crashed..Couple of whuffos got out and then the pilot too. We thought there would be fatalities..Amazing they survived.. I remember Fran's Star Ranch very well. That's another story in another post. Actually one of the 1st things I saw when I logged onto this site. Hey, you talkin bout me? Yes, they were. LOL Sandy

Damn...if Gary Douris said it, then it must be right..I haven't jumped in 30 yrs..thought I was getting old cuz of all the birthdays I've had..now that I know it's cuz I stopped jumping, I need to get my ass to the airport, like yesterday...LOL***If you're talking behind my back, you're in a good position to kiss my ass !!! Sandy

Congratulations !!! I seem to remember 2 bros with the last name Swovelin...Pat & Jerry, right? I remember them as novice jumpers, and when they became more advanced, I remember their need to film other jumpers. Who the hell am I kidding, if you were there in the early 70's, you knew these guys. Yep, 1 was mild and 1 was out there a bit. The crazy bearded 1 and the tame 1. Good to know you're still at it, cuz I quit many yrs ago. The memories are very vivid, just like yesterday. Some times are hard to believe, but yes we did do all that crazy stuff. 40 is the new 20, so you've only just begun. Blue skies to you and keep it up Buddy!!! Sandy~ Miss Buff Diver~WSCR 221~Mini-Jumper #44***If I was a bird I know who I'd shit on first !!! Sandy

Speaking of trailers...anybody know what happened to Tom & Jody Owens trailer?..It was painted to look like the Old Howard at Elsinore...My girls and I lived in it 1979-1980 in the Elsinore Ghetto...talk about being cramped... Sandy

I'm sure we all know the difference!!! To each his/her own regarding the nudity though...bet you didn't know you liked to jump til ya did it, huh?...enuff said***TRY IT YOU"LL LIKE IT!!!! Sandy

Don't know about the highest...do you mean altitude? I was pretty high after my nude jump went terribly wrong into a Nudist Camp. Don't want to type it all in again, but I started a thread on apr. 24,2005 entitled Your single most dangerous jump.Check it out here in Skydiving History & Trivia. I was on the highest adrenaline ever...does that count?..yes I was solo except for the pilot, Bob Jones, who totally witnessed it... Sandy

OK NICK!!!!!! How about The Pueblito Bar and Cantina, just down the road from Elsinore? How about the Pizza Place in Perris...they finally got smart and took the carpet up after they figured out what the jumpers were capable of on a Sat. night...we finally got kicked out of there...can't imagine why?...we gave them more business on the weekend than they got all week...guess they just got tired of us walking around with glasses of beer hangin on our lips,(cardinal puff)...Were you at the Melody Inn the night Hallam tore my dress off in the parking lot? I felt like looking like a girl, so I went home, got all dolled up, put on a new dress I bought and went to the Melody...I got out of the car and wam!!! out of nowhere came Bill screaming at me and ripped my dress off. He said I wasn't going in there looking that sexy, so I said OK A-hole I'll go in without the dress on...I found out later that his ex-wife had strolled back into town and was inside...Well, she saw more of me than he planned...and so did everyone else...oops......then there was the time he got into a car with the waitress at the Pueblito...OUCH...that's another story...you just don't want to piss off a little person...we get really big when we're mad...LOL Sandy

That made me happy to hear that..I remember when Becky, (Frisbys' ex) commented to me one nite at the Melody Inn, that she had never seen me so happy...I looked over at Mark and then back to Becky and said he is why I am so happy....So full of fun and a laugh that I am happy to say was so infectious that if I concentrate for a second I can hear any time I want...Miss him alot, even after 30 yr... Sandy

Looking for Jim Buckley, Mike Kvasnik, Alan Richter, and Carolyn, (mailwoman), all were from Perris in the 70's. Checking off my bucket list..find old friends. Oh, and Scooter Jessop...his dad was a glider pilot....if you remember me, drop me a line here or at [email protected]'s journey is not to arrive at the grave in a well preserved body, but rather to slide in sideways, totally worn out shouting, "Holyshit, WHAT A RIDE"... Sandy