 |
Welcome to WaterWolves! Please join our community. It's fast, easy, and free! | Quick Register |
Welcome to WaterWolves. We're glad that you have discovered the premier online community dedicated to rare, exotic, and predatory fish, since 1998! Please take a moment to consider creating a free account with us.
By registering an account, you can take advantage of many features, including:
- The collective knowledge of thousands of expert hobbyists!
- The largest free rare and exotic fish marketplace on the Web!
- Local chapters. Meet other hobbyists in your area!
- Exclusive free contests and raffles!
|
|
  |
 IN MEMORIAM - John O'Malley (Celtic Samurai) |
|
| Ed! |
 Sep 21 2008, 11:23 PM
|
And its something quite peculiar
 Group: Admin
Posts: 7,942
Joined: 6-April 02
From: Under the Milky Way tonight
|
It is with a great deal of sadness that I pass along some news that I was made aware of today. This past Thursday, John O'Malley -- known here on WaterWolves as member Celtic Samurai -- passed away unexpectedly of health complications. He was a participating member and friend of this community as well as a prominent figure in the Aquarium hobby for many, many years. He was passionate about the hobby and contributed greatly as a photographer, writer, speaker and breeder par excellance. He had recently made the switch to digital photography and he and I had been exchanging ideas. I was so looking forward to seeing his photos. I know that he had many friends and I'm sure I speak for them when I say that he will be sorely missed. Our thoughts go out to his family for their loss. Rest in peace, John.  John and wife Nancy. Photo courtesy of Jeff Rapps.
|
|
|
|
|
| DonH |
Sep 21 2008, 11:42 PM
|
Hydrocynus goliath
 Group: Platinum Supporter Mod
Posts: 2,995
Joined: 13-June 02
|
Damn!!!  The hobby has definitely lost a great person. Very sad day... My condolences to his family.
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
|
|
|
|
|
| Scatocephalus |
Sep 22 2008, 12:15 AM
|
"XXXX"_Samurai
 Group: Silver Supporter Specialist
Posts: 1,412
Joined: 24-April 03
|
I knew John for only a few years but he and I would speak often on the phone. He was truely one of the good guys in the hobby that stayed out of the politics and cared only about the knowledge and information that could be shared to better people's understanding.
John was also one of the smartest and most knowledgeable people I have ever known. If there was a fish you needed some info on, John could help out. He was a walking fish atlas. Yet with all of this knowledge he not once rubbed it in anyone's face.
If anyone paid attention to John and mines retorts to each other you will know that I and Seiichi often teased him about never taking pictures of his fish and sharing. Truth be told, John was a very accomplished photographer and many of his pictures can be seen in publications all around the globe. He had fallen out of the photography hobby about the time digital started to catch on and was just staring to take pictures again at the time of his death. He had been sharing pictures with me that he had taken with his new equipment and was just getting ready to share his wonderful pictures again. Sadly, these will probably never be seen now.
John also had one of the most amazing collections of cichlids known to man. Again, he was too humble to brag about what he had in his possesion but sufice it to say, it would have made everyone here salavate. Some of the rarest Cichla and Crenicichla could be seen in John's tanks. Again, sadly I do not know what is to become of these fish. If anyone knows his family personally I should dearly love to make sure that they are taken care of. It would be a shame to let so much of John's life and work go to waste.
John also had a young son that was following in his father's footsteps and was starting to keep fish of his own. John often talked of his son glowingly and with great pride. I wish his son the very best and pray that he is able to get through this time of tragedy. I would also like his son to know what a great friend of mine John was and how much I admired him.
I cannot express enough what a great tragedy this is for the hobby. People of John's knowledge, temperment and caliber come along but once in a generation. He will be sorely missed and I can only hope that I am half the hobbyist he was.
This post has been edited by Scatocephalus: Sep 22 2008, 12:21 AM
14" of raw power... ask me how.
|
|
|
|
|
| Z |
Sep 22 2008, 05:43 AM
|
Iron Chef Habanero Chicken
 Group: Gold Supporter
Posts: 1,523
Joined: 23-April 04
From: Santa Rosa, CA
|
My condolences to the family. I hope he is at peace now, having shed the mortal bonds that keep us planted here.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUOTE(Jesse @ Jun 25 2008, 11:36 AM) 
6.9. A good thing ruined by a period.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 User(s) are reading this topic (1 Guests and 0 Anonymous Users)
0 Members:
|
|
|
|
