Pyracy Pub's Dearly Departed

[Stynky Tudor]

Over the years, a lot of people from our community have passed away. I've added the few people I knew to the Pyracy Pub's Dearly Departed group/list. If anyone from this hobby that you know has passed, please feel free to add their name to this thread.

A Symms
Susie Oleson
Steve Johnson
Portside Tom
Master Bart
Mark Moss
Paddle Monkey
Maddog Mason
Bloodthirsty Barbara
Leatherback
Capt. Bo of WTF
Gary 'Royalist'
Hugh 'Callenish Gunner'
2012 Joe ‘King’s Pyrate’ Osteen
2017 Maria ‘Mariah Myth’ Hortado
2018 'Cap’nPern' Taylor
2018  Cindy 'WilloughbyCaught' Warner
2018 'El Diablo' Valefor De Ambershay
2018 Captain Bad Jack
2018 Dani Sherman
2018 Deborah Chambless
2018 Cal Cotten
2020 'Captain Red Ned Lynch' Michael Noles
2021 Arthur ‘Cascabel’ Whittiam
2021 Skip Henderson
2021 Kenny 'Crimson Corsair' Miller
2022 MaryAnne 'Silkie McDonough' Fleckenstein
2022 Mallory Janus
2023 'Mad Davy Flint' Williams
2023 'Silas Thatcher' Bob Mrazik
2024 'Rumba Rue' Shari Land
2024 'Sir James Vincentio' Logan Spencer
2024 'Chaos Carol' Nelson
2024 'Red Maria' Blumberg
2022 'Captain Michael Fishbones' Michilli
2024 'Lady Schatzi' Bettina Hillier
2024 'Captain Sebasation' Allen Malloy

[michaelsbagley]

Callenish Gunner (Hugh)

[Stynky Tudor]

13 hours ago, michaelsbagley said:

Callenish Gunner (Hugh)

Thanks Michael, I'll add him to the list.

[Duchess]

It's been 20 years and I know it's unreasonable to believe that none of us would sail on. But I find I'm willing to entertain quite a bit of unreasonableness if it means that folks I've known are out in the world  simply carrying on with their lives.

For whatever reason and all the reasons, this hits hard today.

[LadyBarbossa]

I understand that Mad Davy Flint passed away back in November. No doubt he'll be sorely missed. 😔🏴‍☠️

[Stynky Tudor]

11 minutes ago, LadyBarbossa said:

Mad Davy Flint passed away back in November

Thanks for reminding me, I'll add him to the group.

[michaelsbagley]

Silas Thatcher also crossed over a few weeks ago.

[Stynky Tudor]

1 hour ago, michaelsbagley said:

Silas Thatcher

Damnit, thanks - I've added him as well.

[Halfpint]

We'll be sure to raise a rum for our lost comrades this holiday 😢

[Stynky Tudor]

On 9/7/2023 at 1:18 PM, Duchess said:

It's been 20 years and I know it's unreasonable to believe that none of us would sail on. But I find I'm willing to entertain quite a bit of unreasonableness if it means that folks I've known are out in the world  simply carrying on with their lives.

For whatever reason and all the reasons, this hits hard today.

 

19 hours ago, Halfpint said:

We'll be sure to raise a rum for our lost comrades this holiday 😢

Raising a toast to our fallen friends, comrades & family!

[madPete]

Yup - got a whole bottle of Apple Pie from DB Couper (bought at the Ft Gaines Auction before the mast).

I think thats perfect to toast our fallen brothers and sisters.

[Mary Diamond]

Ah, such sadness… may they never be forgotten.

 

Perhaps the loved ones

who go on ahead of us

are waiting for us now…

waiting in a place

where every moment

is happy and peaceful.

Perhaps they are waiting

to tell us a story,

one with the happiest ending of all…

and what seemed to us 

to be the ending

is really only the beginning.

[Stynky Tudor]

I've added another handful that I either known personally or from events.

Anyone that can help with dates or the names of folks I've neglected to add, please sound off.

[michaelsbagley]

Silas Thatcher - Nov 2023

Silkies McDonaugh - Spring 2022

Edited June 20, 2024 by michaelsbagley

[Stynky Tudor]

21 hours ago, michaelsbagley said:

Silas Thatcher - Nov 2023

Silkies McDonaugh - Spring 2022

Thanks Michael...

[William Brand]

Silas Thatcher was Bob Mrazik in real life.  The most amiable of mates and an expert candle maker.

[madPete]

Silkie McDonough was MaryAnne Fleckenstein, artist extraordinaire.

[madPete]

I just received this forwarded from Nita Treasure...

[from Geoff Klein]

Dear friends and shipmates,

It is with great sadness that I report the news that our mate Barnacle Beau has crossed the bar.

I talked with his brother Michael who relayed the sad news. Michael recalled how Beau told him that his years in Key West were the best years of his life. Here are a few of my memories...

- - - - - - - - -

I met Beau together with Stitch when I encountered them one evening in 2010 as they were busking downtown. I don't remember which chanty they were singing, but they got stuck on the words. I stepped up, uninvited and perhaps rudely, to sing the verse and continued with them till the end of the song. Beau asked "You know that song? How? Why?" I explained that I was a sailor and my home port was Mystic, CT and that I had a long history with traditional sea music. Beau said that if I could find some garb that I was welcome to join them. I mentioned that I had a retail job at West Marine, but they were still generous and counted me into the share-out. Here was my first lesson: Pyracy can pay!

- - - - - - - - -

Beau was one of the founding members of Captains of the Devil's Triangle and was the musical cornerstone. His guitar playing kept us all on key and in tune. Absent his playing, the only key we would have been in was "Key West". The steps next to the old Fairvilla location provided us with a stage and we had some tremendous nights entertaining tourists and locals alike.

- - - - - - - - -

The genesis of our pyrate trio was formed New Year's Eve of 2013 as we all drank rum, celebrated, and played music together. I asked, "Why don't we form a band?" thus Rachel, Beau and I started our musical career in Key West. Rachel quickly came up with the name "Tricorn" - best pirate trio band name ever. We went on to play gigs for the next four years in St. Augustine, Cedar Key, and Key West.

- - - - - - - - -

I learned so much from Beau, but there is one thing that stands out as being so important. He explained to me "... yeah, you're a musician but you need to learn how to be an ENTERTAINER!" He took me under his wing and taught me the Craft and the Trade of making people smile. I'll pass along a few of those lessons here:

... if you hit a wrong note, NEVER apologize - SELL IT!

... if you miss a note or lyric, keep going forward - never try to go back and fill it in...

... if you're not having fun, the audience won't... ... you start by having fun and others will follow...

... never be offended if people are talking and not listening - you are sometimes just "audio wallpaper"

... "The singular of 'audience' is 'audient'." Yep, when there's only one person listening to you, thank them for being your 'audient'.

... pirates can never have too much bling on their hats. His hat must have weighed 6 or 7 POUNDS!

... the more pirate bling and weapons you wear, the bigger the tips. I called him the "Clinking, clanking, clattering, calamatous corsair!", sort of like what the Wizard called the Tin Man in Oz.

- - - - - - - - -

I remember Beau leading tour groups around Old Town. I would often see him at his Schooner Wharf Bar stop where he let people try to blow a conch shell. I would pause my work on schooner Spirit of Independence across the dock, walk over, then loudly announce to his tour group "Tip him good! He owes me money!!" (which, btw, he didn't really.)

- - - - - - - - -

I have HUGE respect that Beau could earn a living as an entertainer in Key West, given the fixed demand and nearly infinite supply of musicians. Lol, how many incarnations of Beau were there in his "Shows by Beau" ??

- "Rodeo beau" (western swing)

- "Bo Do-dee-oh-Beau" (20's 30s swing jazz)

- "Coconut Beau" (playing the Uke that used to drive his brother crazy!)

- "Barnacle Beau" (our pyrate shipmate)

- and the for the Christmas show we played with "Jingle Beau"

For all these memories, for his friendship, and for all he taught me I will always be grateful.

Blackheart Charlie

(I will post more pics and vids of which I have many)

[William Brand]

Fair winds, Beau.  Your voice was one of the finer threads of many a pirate tapestry and a main stay of Fort Taylor.