I miss Les - A Radish offseason memory thread

[Hawknight]

So I was going through my PM's trying to delete the 1500 moderator responses I'm CC'ed on (thanks guys) and I came upon the ones from Les that I kept purposely. It hurts my heart to read them, but I wanted to take the opportunity to celebrate his legacy here by asking for those that knew him, either here on .NET or in "real life", to share a memory with us.

And for those that are new to the site, Les was one of only two people on this board that I feel created the "community" feel we know and love (the other being Aros) and he became so much more to those of us that had the opportunity to get to know him personally. He was a moderator for a decade, and was well known for being the grandfather of the entire user base. Plus, he loved his Seahawks more than a lot of us ever will, so I thank all of the higher powers that he was able to see his beloved team win that SuperBowl before he passed.

So with that, I'll ask to please share a memory in honor of our friend. :les: :17:

I'll miss that sense of humor from Les....I use to post here quite often back in the days, Les would always bring me back down to earth when I would get a little out of hand on this forum. He was always kind enough to invite me over for a visit, one offer I wish I would have taken him up on at the time. He would always talk about his dogs and some kind of drink I guess he made personally at his home and was quite proud of ....one of the best people you could ever hope to discuss the Seahawks...and I'll certainly miss his birthday wishes....a cornerstone of Seahawks.net never to be forgotten.

Below a little tidbit from the Radish:


Re: What's the cap hit for cutting T.J.?
Sent: Sat Sep 04, 2010 1:42 pm
From: The Radish
To: Hawknight

Subject: What's the cap hit for cutting T.J.?

Hawknight wrote:
redeye81 wrote:
There is no cap this year as I understand it. It's just flushing Allen's money down the tubes..


I wish I could throw 7 million dollars away and not blink twice

Hell $700 dollars would be an improvement to my financial picture. lol

 

[AROS]

In the formative years of .NET, there was only one person outside of myself that was more invested in this community and that was Les. I don't think he was ever more than a few hour away (to sleep/eat) from the board on any given day. I tangled with him a few times through the years but it was mainly because I didn't quite then "get" how special he was to this place, and would become. In due time, it was more than apparent.

Les had that magical ability to not just patronize you...He was genuinely interested in you and your story. Darlene and him were just lovely people who would open their homes to complete strangers. Those Cheney Training Camp memories will go down as some of my most fondest Seahawks-related memories of my life, and Les - and his open door policy - made them that special.

It's an absolute awful thing that good people are taken too soon. Like Mark said, I am just so thankful that he got to finally see his beloved Seahawks win it all, and in such glorious fashion!

Les, to all the missed ones, happy birdy, and a few commas instead of periods,,,and a toast of Kick-a-poo! Hope you're enjoying your premium seats in Heaven old friend.

 

[ivotuk]

Les Norton, I'm one of the older posters on here, and Les made me feel like I belonged, like my posts were just as valuable as those of the young, sharp, well spoken/written, football fanatics that this particular site attracts.

So I took that encouragement and spent more time expanding my knowledge on the Seahawks and Football so that I could bring more to this site.

Then he made my day by making me a moderator, what a learning experience that was! Even at my age, I was somewhat immature when it comes to board etiquette, and through some poor responses, I was 'fired" as a moderator. But I kept coming back, and after Les figured I had done enough learning, he brought me back on board.

The interesting thing that I learned from Les, is the interaction between real life, and online forum communities. The connection is real, the communities and friendships are real. What you can learn about people, and about yourself is invaluable in addressing problems in your real life, because people are more open on the internet, so you see the relationships between actions and repercussions, emotions, and responses.

You learn things about others that you never would have learned had you known them only in person. And what Les brought, was that this was real. The ideas, and moment's of "ahah!" weren't fantasy, he had seen it before, and had the personal experience of knowing people on here, and in real life to see that the connection was real.

Les was also there for you if you were struggling in some way. He didn't always offer advice, but instead, it was an ear. An ear from someone that you knew was sincere, and that had likely experienced, or seen the same thing. Wow, can't believe I'm getting emotional.

Thanks Mark for starting this thread. Radish was part of the foundation of Seahawks.net, and I'm glad Todd had the foresight to bring him on board early. One of many smart decisions that "young" man made. :th2thumbs:

 

[AROS]

Well said ivotuk!

Especially about the part you called me a "young" man.

 

[Anonymous]

Well said ivotuk!

Especially about the part you called me a "young" man.

It's funny, because you're really old too.

:mrgreen:

Someone could say they want to try to fill Les' shoes, or attempt to be like him, but it would be a fool's errand.

Filling his shoes is impossible. He was one of a kind.

 

[depecheSeahawk]

Crazy you started this thread.
I was going through an old email account that I really never use and I had 3 emails from Les from back in 2011. We talked a lot about Volkswagens. My old user name on .NET used to be depechevw (back in around 2003 when it started. Or sometime after seahawk2k stopped his site) and Les PM'd me back then and we just rapped about VWs since. Lots of fun. Miss you Radish! :les:

 

[Hawkboi]

There's a whole lot of people that miss Les, including Trish (mizhawk) and myself. As many others, we became very good friends with Les and Darlene and after our first BBQ with .Netters at their home after our first Training Camp in Cheney.. Their wonderful hospitality was first class and really added to our Training Camp experience. Also, the Kick-A-Poo was over the top great! Talk about something drinkable and very good that could probably fuel a motor vehicle...

After the annual Training Camp in Cheney ended, (which many of us hated including Les,) we continued to make sure to visit Les and Darlene each time we passed through Spokane. I'm so glad we had the little time we did spend together, it is forever valuable. It was not out of the ordinary to receive a call from Les just to say hello and talk about the Seahawks or whatever else we ended up talking about as friends including; their family, their beautiful blossoming flowers, the weather, or some crazy person driving on the highway that got a little bit of the Pithy angle on things. He was so special in so many ways and always delivered any story or participated in conversation unlike anyone else. He was one of a kind for sure...

Such a brilliant man, great friend, and absolute devoted Seahawks Fan! I'll always remember when he received the gifts from .NET and he posted the pictures of his treasures... He was so happy and so proud and made certain each and everyone knew he was thankful.. I don't think he really knew how special he was to a lot of us...

The other thing I won't ever forget was his off the wall sense of humor. There was hardly a day that went by that I didn't receive an email or 10 with different jokes or humor related items from Les. I really miss receiving his emails I always looked forward to and certainly brightened my days. Just in normal conversation, this was a side of him he didn't show. In fact I just looked and I still have 100's or maybe 1,000's of his emails saved...

Les :les: , you'll never be forgotten as a friend and a great person. Having had the special opportunity to get to know you, respect you, and value your opinion whether we agreed or disagreed will always be remembered fondly.. Here's to you and your wonderful wife Darlene :thirishdrinkers:

PS... By the way I very rarely ever told him when I disagreed, because I knew where that would lead... :180670:

 

[ivotuk]

Well said ivotuk!

Especially about the part you called me a "young" man.

What I meant was "younger" than me..I think

Remember the bad hair thread. I posted my mullet. My friends said I should cut it off, and I said "Well, I'll mull it over."

 

[hawksfansinceday1]

Still have a number of PMs he sent me. Never had the pleasure of meeting him person I'm afraid. He's missed here for sure.

 

[Hawks46]

Les made a lot of people feel at home here, even if he was cranky I loved it. Not to hijack, but Ivotuk you are carrying on his tradition, if not with the same feral grouchiness. :twisted: I've got a couple of PM's from Ivotuk encouraging me and thanking me for certain posts. They're appreciated, even if I don't give a crap what most people think. :thirishdrinkers:

Everyone I've every talked to here misses Les if they interacted with him. It's nice to see that some still carry on the tradition and are doing his good work.

Thanks to everyone who works hard to make this site what it is, either moderators, IT, or posters who make it worth coming here.

 

[Jville]

I too miss Les.

I knew Les Norton only by way of this forum. He was always there thru a PM portal. I regret, to this day, that I didn't carve out the time to visit and meet Les and his wife Darlene in person.

.....................................................................................
Treasure this day ...... cause there will be no refunds.

 

[AROS]

There's a whole lot of people that miss Les, including Trish (mizhawk) and myself. As many others, we became very good friends with Les and Darlene and after our first BBQ with .Netters at their home after our first Training Camp in Cheney.. Their wonderful hospitality was first class and really added to our Training Camp experience. Also, the Kick-A-Poo was over the top great! Talk about something drinkable and very good that could probably fuel a motor vehicle...

After the annual Training Camp in Cheney ended, (which many of us hated including Les,) we continued to make sure to visit Les and Darlene each time we passed through Spokane. I'm so glad we had the little time we did spend together, it is forever valuable. It was not out of the ordinary to receive a call from Les just to say hello and talk about the Seahawks or whatever else we ended up talking about as friends including; their family, their beautiful blossoming flowers, the weather, or some crazy person driving on the highway that got a little bit of the Pithy angle on things. He was so special in so many ways and always delivered any story or participated in conversation unlike anyone else. He was one of a kind for sure...

Such a brilliant man, great friend, and absolute devoted Seahawks Fan! I'll always remember when he received the gifts from .NET and he posted the pictures of his treasures... He was so happy and so proud and made certain each and everyone knew he was thankful.. I don't think he really knew how special he was to a lot of us...

The other thing I won't ever forget was his off the wall sense of humor. There was hardly a day that went by that I didn't receive an email or 10 with different jokes or humor related items from Les. I really miss receiving his emails I always looked forward to and certainly brightened my days. Just in normal conversation, this was a side of him he didn't show. In fact I just looked and I still have 100's or maybe 1,000's of his emails saved...

Les :les: , you'll never be forgotten as a friend and a great person. Having had the special opportunity to get to know you, respect you, and value your opinion whether we agreed or disagreed will always be remembered fondly.. Here's to you and your wonderful wife Darlene :thirishdrinkers:

PS... By the way I very rarely ever told him when I disagreed, because I knew where that would lead... :180670:

My friend, what a wonderful tribute to our dearly loved Les and of course Darlene as well.

I know he would crack some joke right now if he was still among us about how sappy we are getting about him, but that would also illustrate who he was to us even without trying.

I know Les well enough to know that he would tell us to get our butts together again! He SO valued the friendships that .NET built through the years and nothing would honor him more than if we somehow could manage some kind of .NET reunion AND UNION of the newest members as well! After all, Les looked at ALL of us .NET members as family, period.

It didn't matter to him how many months or years you were affiliated with .NET. All that mattered to him is that you were family once you started posting here. Man, that's not something you can buy every day in a person.

This is why so many of us miss him. You can't fake that kind of genuine love and respect, even for a stranger.

My vote is that we have a .NET reunion/union bash in Cheney, WA to honor Les, his lovely wife Darlene, and everything that is good and wonderful right now in being a 12!

My vote is next Summer...June, July or August in Cheney...Just as Les would like it...Suffering fools gladly!

 

[chris98251]

There's a whole lot of people that miss Les, including Trish (mizhawk) and myself. As many others, we became very good friends with Les and Darlene and after our first BBQ with .Netters at their home after our first Training Camp in Cheney.. Their wonderful hospitality was first class and really added to our Training Camp experience. Also, the Kick-A-Poo was over the top great! Talk about something drinkable and very good that could probably fuel a motor vehicle...

After the annual Training Camp in Cheney ended, (which many of us hated including Les,) we continued to make sure to visit Les and Darlene each time we passed through Spokane. I'm so glad we had the little time we did spend together, it is forever valuable. It was not out of the ordinary to receive a call from Les just to say hello and talk about the Seahawks or whatever else we ended up talking about as friends including; their family, their beautiful blossoming flowers, the weather, or some crazy person driving on the highway that got a little bit of the Pithy angle on things. He was so special in so many ways and always delivered any story or participated in conversation unlike anyone else. He was one of a kind for sure...

Such a brilliant man, great friend, and absolute devoted Seahawks Fan! I'll always remember when he received the gifts from .NET and he posted the pictures of his treasures... He was so happy and so proud and made certain each and everyone knew he was thankful.. I don't think he really knew how special he was to a lot of us...

The other thing I won't ever forget was his off the wall sense of humor. There was hardly a day that went by that I didn't receive an email or 10 with different jokes or humor related items from Les. I really miss receiving his emails I always looked forward to and certainly brightened my days. Just in normal conversation, this was a side of him he didn't show. In fact I just looked and I still have 100's or maybe 1,000's of his emails saved...

Les :les: , you'll never be forgotten as a friend and a great person. Having had the special opportunity to get to know you, respect you, and value your opinion whether we agreed or disagreed will always be remembered fondly.. Here's to you and your wonderful wife Darlene :thirishdrinkers:

PS... By the way I very rarely ever told him when I disagreed, because I knew where that would lead... :180670:

My friend, what a wonderful tribute to our dearly loved Les and of course Darlene as well.

I know he would crack some joke right now if he was still among us about how sappy we are getting about him, but that would also illustrate who he was to us even without trying.

I know Les well enough to know that he would tell us to get our butts together again! He SO valued the friendships that .NET built through the years and nothing would honor him more than if we somehow could manage some kind of .NET reunion AND UNION of the newest members as well! After all, Les looked at ALL of us .NET members as family, period.

It didn't matter to him how many months or years you were affiliated with .NET. All that mattered to him is that you were family once you started posting here. Man, that's not something you can buy every day in a person.

This is why so many of us miss him. You can't fake that kind of genuine love and respect, even for a stranger.

My vote is that we have a .NET reunion/union bash in Cheney, WA to honor Les, his lovely wife Darlene, and everything that is good and wonderful right now in being a 12!

My vote is next Summer...June, July or August in Cheney...Just as Les would like it...Suffering fools gladly!

That is a fantastic idea Aros, I know it came up due to this tribute to Les thread, I hope we don't let it slide as things go on and other topics come up. It really would be the biggest acknowledgement of his dedication and involvement with everyone.

 

[Sports Hernia]

The ever-reliable "please check your PMs".

In his honor, I have elected never to delete his PMs from my inbox.

Ditto. I will never delete my PMs with him. He was an incredible man and my husband and I were so fortunate to meet him and Darlene when I came out to see the Hawks play in 2008.

I thought I was the only one. I've kept about 4 of em. The guy was a gem and a great soul, he is missed.

 

[Sports Hernia]

We had some fights via PM, but they always ended with hugs. There was no shortage of kindness and patience in his heart.

Me too, but by the end of the conversation we'd be laughing. He had the unique gift of being able to turn a hostile situation into a free flowing enjoyable situation. When they made the Radish, they broke the mold.

 

[Hawks46]

The ever-reliable "please check your PMs".

In his honor, I have elected never to delete his PMs from my inbox.

Ditto. I will never delete my PMs with him. He was an incredible man and my husband and I were so fortunate to meet him and Darlene when I came out to see the Hawks play in 2008.

I thought I was the only one. I've kept about 4 of em. The guy was a gem and a great soul, he is missed.

Nope, definitely not the only one.

 

[CANHawk]

Lol. Just looked. Last PM conversation I had with him was about Miracle Whip vs Mayonnaise...

Sent from my E2306 using Tapatalk

 

[sekiuHAWK]

I am soooo glad you posted this. I was actually going to post this exact thing and saw your post. After seeing the remarks about our first round pick made by Doug Farrar it made me think about Radish. Doug turned me away from this site many years ago but it was Radish who pulled me back in. I truly thought the world of Radish, which is strange for me as I have never met him face to face. Radish made me feel like he cared about people... This type of person is rare and a true role model. I miss you Radish!

 

[sekiuHAWK]

ps... I will always keep the message at the bottom of my posts.... I put it there once I heard the bad news and I will keep it there until i no longer post here....

 

[sekiuHAWK]

For what its worth, here is one of Radish's last PMs to me:

"I of course remember, glad you're past that. What the hell is throwing clots?

When they were getting ready for my heart cath I mentioned to the nurse I had said a few days before that I could die happy since the the Seahawks won a SB and then a few days later have a heart attack. lol

She told me to be careful in the future what I wished for. how true.

Let me know what they find in your case. I had surgery 2 weeks ago yesterday.

Les"

I always think of Les as happy in heaven... with a Seahawks Superbowl ring on his finger...