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D500Neil Neil Vedder has left us Moderators: Bart_59_Dodge Jump to page : 1 2 3 Now viewing page 1 [50 messages per page] | View previous thread :: View next thread |
Forward Look Announcements -> Family in Fins | Message format |
D500Jim |
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Expert Posts: 1363 Location: Apeldoorn, Netherlands | This weekend I received the saddening news that Neil has passed away, Friday 18th. My thoughts are with Neil's ever loving wife, Norma. Edited by D500Jim 2015-09-20 1:59 PM (Neil-01-Small.jpg) (Neil-02-Small.jpg) Attachments ---------------- Neil-01-Small.jpg (122KB - 712 downloads) Neil-02-Small.jpg (134KB - 655 downloads) | ||
Swept57 |
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Expert Posts: 1622 Location: Seville, OH | Very sad indeed. I was aware of his condition and I had been communicating with Neil regularly, but his communications ended on 9/2. He will leave a big hole in our FL hobby, particularly for us Coronet devotees. Without him I would not be pursuing the restoration of my Coronet. He was an endless source of information and he seemed as excited about it as I was. RIP my friend. (D500Neilr.jpg) Attachments ---------------- D500Neilr.jpg (140KB - 693 downloads) | ||
LD3 Greg |
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Expert Posts: 1906 Location: Ontario, Canada | I too, am deeply saddened by the news. Neil and I had been researching this family of cars since the late 80's. Here is a photo Neil sent to me years ago. A few of us at WPC, Detroit, about 1996. Greg (image.jpg) Attachments ---------------- image.jpg (130KB - 686 downloads) | ||
big m |
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Expert 5K+ Posts: 7805 Location: Williams California | R.I.P. Neil. ---John | ||
My57Saratoga |
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Elite Veteran Posts: 612 Location: Kingston Springs , TN | So sorry to hear; condolences to his family..... | ||
wizard |
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Board Moderator & Exner Expert 10K+ Posts: 13042 Location: Southern Sweden - Sturkö island | That was really some bad news - I came to know Neil as well as it's possible over the net and I appriciated his wittiness and knowledge. May the light shine upon his family and friends and lighten up the dark path. Rest in piece my friend, we'll miss you | ||
1960fury |
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Expert 5K+ Posts: 7385 Location: northern germany | oh no, i'm having tears in my eyes. rip neil you will be missed. we often disagreed but he was a good soul. i''ve known him since the mid/late 80s when he, always very helpful, send me some information just to help me out. for some reason i guessed that when i asked "where is neil" in the d500 thread. now the tears in my eyes are flowing. | ||
Lancer Mike |
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Location: The Mile High City | That is very sad news. He had not posted for such an extended period that I looked him up on Google last week to see if there was some news. I was worried of this. That first image is a great photo of him in his car. He looks very happy. Edited by Lancer Mike 2015-09-20 1:05 PM | ||
BigBlockMopar |
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Expert Posts: 3575 Location: Netherlands | Very sad to hear this. RIP | ||
Polara61_383 |
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Veteran Posts: 158 Location: Ottawa, ON | So sad. What a loss of knowledge for the FL community. My condolences to his family and friends. | ||
Darryl T |
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Extreme Veteran Posts: 425 Location: McCleary WA | So sad to hear about his passing. For some reason I was one of the few he shared his illness with from the beginning. I wanted to post something here so others would know but he steadfastly refused, not wanting anyone's sympathy. His vast knowledge and willingness to share it certainly helped with my restoration, and he will truly be missed. | ||
55CRL |
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Elite Veteran Posts: 907 Location: Magra, Sweden | Shocking news that Neil has left us, he will be missed. He was always helpful sharing his knowldege. R.I.P. Neil | ||
GregCon |
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Expert Posts: 2524 Location: Houston | Wow, that is sad news indeed. I had some offline discussions with Neil about this....you never think it can really be that serious, but this time it was. Great guy, sorry to see him go. | ||
GaryS |
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Expert Posts: 1207 Location: Ponder, TX | Every Mopar forum seems to have at least one such member...sometimes curmudgeonly, occasionally controversial, never acerbic, but always helpful and entertaining, and who possesses a wealth of knowledge and source material. I’m sure many of you knew that several other Chrysler oriented forums lost such a person who went by the name of Mopar Norm...and now Neil. No matter how we remember him, the hobby and the Forward Look faithful are all the worse for his passing. | ||
di_ch_NY56 |
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Expert Posts: 1527 Location: ZH, Switzerland | I have tears in my eyes because I heard this really bad news. As well I learned to know Neil over the net and appreciated his very good knowledge. I think he's a grave loss for the forum. May the light shine upon his family and friends and lighten up the dark path. Dieter | ||
sermey |
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Expert Posts: 1208 Location: SWITZERLAND | A few weeks ago Neil and me had an intensive conversations by mails and in direct calls. The main theme was the meaning of the numbers His recent personal comments show how he was interested, friendly and open minded : ""LOL....I DO try to make my replies and posts as CLEAR as possible.... I'm half Dutch & German...NOT a good combination, for being "easy-going", I'm afraid."" ""Just trying to understand ... you added the "Eye" to your IBM card, right? ""YEAH....I kinda do like the "Eye" inclusion on your IBM card, but really, But, it is 'good' to know that such manipulation is possible! Neil "" Now the more, his passing away comes fully inexpected. My thoughts will especially be with him when going on | ||
toddst |
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Elite Veteran Posts: 726 Location: Some Island called Prince Edward | The FL Hobby will definitely have a vacuum with Neil's passing. He was extremely helpful when I found the 59 Royal D500 and helped me to confirm it's authenticity. RIP Neil. | ||
Royal |
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Extreme Veteran Posts: 444 Location: Sweden Vansbro | That is very sad news. He helped me a lot with my car. Thank you Neil. Rest in peace. Bengt | ||
57plybel |
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Extreme Veteran Posts: 594 Location: Melbourne, Australia | darn thats sad news.... Neil was the first guy I ran into at Tulsa and he was friendly right from the start; we had some personal dealings and correspondance over the years and he was always patient and passionate in his way. Always ready to share his knowledge and volunteer information as we know..... the other qualities didn't seem so obvious in his online persona but he was a man of his word ! I'm glad I met him and I wish him well
RIP mate !
Colin | ||
ram300 |
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Extreme Veteran Posts: 363 | Oh wow, so saddened to hear this news. Neil's passion, knowledge and humor will be missed......... he certainly was one of a kind. So I bet you guys have got some stories to tell about Neil............. | ||
polara61 |
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Extreme Veteran Posts: 417 Location: Bräcke,Sweden | Very sad news indeed. He helped me alot with the buildcard for my car. RIP. | ||
ttotired |
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Expert 5K+ Posts: 8443 Location: Perth Australia | I hope he passed peacefully In the time I have been on this forum, I built up a great respect for Neil I will miss him R.I.P mate | ||
The Chrysler Kid |
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Expert Posts: 1384 Location: Ocala, Florida | RIP Neil, i had just sent a speedometer to him... | ||
Beltran |
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Expert Posts: 1730 Location: Michigan | RIP Neil. He helped a lot with my dizzie improvements and always had good advice to give. We will miss him here. | ||
ronbo97 |
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Expert Posts: 4034 Location: Connecticut | I first met Neil at the WPC Nationals in Portland, OR in 1998. His wife was a bit concerned because they had just driven their 57 Dodge D500 700 miles without brake lights. I fixed the problem and we became friends. He was one of the 'characters' on this message board. And even though his obsessive nature disagreed with some folks, he was one of the most knowledgeable people when it came to 57-8 Dodges. RIP Neil. Ron | ||
Mike McCandless |
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Expert Posts: 1886 | While he and I butted heads at times, he was a wealth of knowledge. We have private communication a few times in which he helped me work through some car questions. Stinks. | ||
moparsteve |
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Elite Veteran Posts: 1155 Location: somerville mass | im shocked and heartbroken about t his he was the go to guy with info on any 55 61 d500 coronets royals custom royals regal lancers. sad. | ||
imopar380 |
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Expert 5K+ Posts: 7205 Location: Victoria, BC, on Vancouver Island, Canada | Wow, RIP Neil, so sad. I first met Neil in 1983 at the WPC National Meet in Reno, NV, and then again in 1987 (the last time I saw him in person) at the WPC National Meet in Burbank, CA. I had the privilege of riding with Neil and Norma in "Horrie" one evening when we had a cruise to a Malt shop, (can't remember where, but maybe on Van Nuys Blvd). While at that meet he found and sold me a 1960 Dodge Polara wagon D-500 emblem that he paid $5.00 for, which he sold me for the same amount. I didn't have a Polara D-500 at the time, but I did own the 60 Polara 4-door hardtop then, which I drove all the way to the Burbank meet from Vancouver Island. I don't have that emblem, I think I eventually sold it for $25.00 in the late 90s. | ||
The Adventurer |
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Elite Veteran,, James Passed away March 2021, He will be Missed Posts: 1028 Location: Melbourne, Australia | RIP to Neil , he sure seemed like he knew a lot about the old Dodges . I didn't know Neil or his background , but from Sermeys earlier comment on here about an email that Neil sent him , and these words "I'm half Dutch & German...NOT a good combination, for being "easy-going", I'm afraid." I have the same problem , and it can affect others sometimes . Now I wished I knew him ! | ||
jade57savoy |
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Member Posts: 29 Location: South Easton & Cape Cod, MA | Rest in peace Neil. I'm a Chevy guy who learned a tremendous amount about Forward Look, as well as other MoPars from this website | ||
christine-lover |
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Expert Posts: 2996 Location: Sept. 1958 | So sad to hear this about Neil. He was a great asset to the hobby and this site. I was told that he wasn't well and noticed he wasn't on this site recently. Never met him, but I can see he was a great man with great tastes. RIP Swept Wing Dodge guru Neil. You will be missed. | ||
soiouz |
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Expert Posts: 3480 Location: Montreal, Canada | I am very, very sad to learn that Neil is gone. My wife and I had the chance, no, the previlege to visit him in Bishop in 2014. Norma and him were incredibly generous, open and friendly and I had a great time chatting with Neil about Dodges and all things Forward Look for hours on end. We also exchanged emails frequently and he was always very eager to share info and genuinely cared about others and interested in them and their stories. I can't believe he passed... Our deepest sympathies go to Norma, all his close friends and family. It was a beautiful sunny day today, and I drove my 58 Dodge 100 miles to meet with a friend who owns a 57 Dodge. I enjoyed it a lot, in Neil's memory! Edited by soiouz 2015-09-21 6:29 AM | ||
C-300 |
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Extreme Veteran Posts: 496 | I met Neil before I knew how to drive. I was inspired by the fact that he DROVE his Dodge everywhere. As a result of that, none of my cars have ever been trailered to a show. Driving them, he said, was the whole point. He was a wealth of information that did more for this hobby that most of us can understand -- especially to 57-58 Dodge D-500 owners. He fought to share accurate information with hobbyists about these cars, even though many fought him right back. That created a lot of unnecessary drama that we all could have done without. Now on to the memories. Aside from looking for Horrie at the WPC national meets, I think my favorite memory was when a small caravan of cars drove back to Califirnia after the 1986 meet in Colorado Springs. I followed Neil's Dodge in my 1965 Valiant convertible. A day earlier, it had won Best of Show - Plymouth. I had no problems driving a near perfect car, and the speeds we were moving made the trip a lot of fun. My best friend at the time, Mitch, was my navigator. He kept saying, "Just follow Neil!" At the end of the night we ended up at a crappy roadside motel in St. George, UT. There were two rooms left. In the lobby, Neil smiled at me and said,"I got you the honeymoon suite." Hahaha. He got us alright!!! It had a round bed, pink shag carpet, and mirrors on the ceiling and on every bathroom wall! I can still hear him laughing!!! I'll miss him a lot... Rest in Peace, Aaron | ||
catman |
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Elite Veteran Posts: 781 Location: Montreal, Canada | I just learned the passing of Neil. Rest in peace. You will be missed. Condolences to his wife and family. Edited by catman 2015-09-20 10:43 PM | ||
JT Vincent |
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Expert Posts: 1493 Location: Jamaica Plain, MA | He was a really good dude. Good guy to me, always. He had conviction, knowledge and, also, kindness. A great loss. | ||
MOPAR-TO-YA |
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Expert 5K+ Posts: 5139 Location: cornpatch county, Southwest IOA | I am saddened and rather shocked at this news. I haven't been on the board much and knew nothing about his illness. Neil indeed was a character . I didn't always agree with him, but he always stuck to his guns--right or wrong. But I met him in person at Tulsa. He and another FL member was sitting in Neils trunk drinking moonshine from a mason jar. Matter of fact, that members avatar was taken right then ! That was in the infamous parking garage where a lot of FL partying went on. I really enjoyed talking with him and he was quite interested in my 56 Chrysler. That guy could handle his shine ! I choose to remember the many good things about Neil Rest In Peace.............................MO | ||
imopar380 |
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Expert 5K+ Posts: 7205 Location: Victoria, BC, on Vancouver Island, Canada | This is Neil and I receiving our respective awards at the WPC National Meet in Burbank, 1987, our respective cars are below at the same meet. The wheel covers on my Polara were actually off Neil's car - he graciously let me try them on to see how they looked on the Polara. Neil's appearance changed a lot over 28 years! I had not seen him in person since 1987. Edited by imopar380 2015-09-21 1:13 AM (Burbank_1987_WPC.JPG) (Burbank_1987_WPC#2.JPG) Attachments ---------------- Burbank_1987_WPC.JPG (156KB - 630 downloads) Burbank_1987_WPC#2.JPG (230KB - 647 downloads) | ||
Doctor DeSoto |
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Location: Parts Unknown | I am sickened by this news. Neil was a walking vault of data. Google for all things Forward Look Dodge. We chatted a lot backchannel. I will miss him and his depth of knowledge. | ||
Chrome58 |
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Expert Posts: 1316 Location: Belgium, 40 miles south of Brussels | Very sad news indeed ... My condolences to his family and friends. | ||
imfinlay |
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Extreme Veteran Posts: 488 Location: London, England | I never met Neil, but his posts here were always informative and he was clearly passionate about FL cars. Condolences from across the pond to his family and friends. | ||
ToMopar |
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Elite Veteran Posts: 1153 Location: D-70199 Heslach | Sad to read that. I was in touch with him and he always gave me a lot of helpful informations. RIP Neil | ||
1960fury |
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Expert 5K+ Posts: 7385 Location: northern germany | it is heartbreaking to see neils comments in an old thread now. this board will never be the same again. | ||
SavoyPlaza |
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Elite Veteran Posts: 1172 Location: Georgia | Neil will surely be missed here on the forum and elsewhere. His posts were always direct and authoritative, if not insensitive at times. It wasn't until I met him in Tulsa that I realized his true nature. He was a great man, always ready to help, and had a special kind of humor. My prayers for Norma and his family, and all those here who mourn his passing. Pete | ||
PolaraPaul |
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Extreme Veteran Posts: 335 Location: California/Wisconsin | Sad news indeed for the Forward Look family as well as his own family. Neil decoded the unknown to us badge-less and wrong engine containing Super D500 car I had just picked up before Chrysler Historical verified it a few years ago. He was excited for us and it encouraged us to find the parts to do a proper restoration. He provided a wealth of information and encouragement on the Forum and offline. My condolences to Norma and family and friends. | ||
firedome |
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Expert Posts: 3153 Location: NY & VT | What terrible news! Neil and I shared a strict view of Mopar restoration that many don't. and we chatted backchannel at times. What a huge and untimely loss for his family and all who knew him. It certainly illustrates once again the ephemeral nature of life. The best way to honor him is to be as helpful to all as he was. Neil you will be missed. RIP. | ||
56RoyalLancer |
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Elite Veteran Posts: 608 Location: Madison, Wisconsin | Rest in Peace friend. You will be missed by me and most everyone on this forum. What a deep well of knowledge, resource and friendship that has been lost. In the end, no one will remember what you did for a living, or how much money you made, or the things you accumulate. In the end, the measure of a man will be counted in the number of friends. You were a wonderful soul. | ||
57burb |
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Expert Posts: 3966 Location: DFW, TX | Shocking news and very sad to hear. It's really hard to think of this place without Neil's information and banter. RIP friend. | ||
DepsilonD |
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Elite Veteran Posts: 792 Location: Buena Park, CA | Just heard the bad news. I had been emailing him up until the end of August but I new things were bad then, he was to the point where his wife had to type his emails for him. When my last email was not responded to, I started to have a sinking feeling. My condolences to Neil and his family. This is a sad for many. -Dave | ||
FIN_NV |
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Expert Posts: 4589 Location: Northern New Jersey | Rest in Peace | ||
57DODGECONV |
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Elite Veteran Posts: 854 | Sorry to hear the news of Neil passing ,I never met him but we all lost a wealth of knowledge and a Great guy .Neil always seemed to be as passionate about the cars as the actual owners of them .One of my very first books I had that featured some foward look cars ,was a small hardcover book ,great cars of the 50s I think it was called featured his 57 Dodge many years ago .I will Miss him on this site . Thanks Neil . | ||
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