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RE: (erielack) John Willever
This is a true loss to the railfan, and rail
historian, communities. I regret that he has
passed on.
Schuyler
- -----Original Message-----
From: Robert Bahrs [mailto:rrbahrs_@_gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 29, 2017 9:53 AM
To: A new EL list <erielack_@_lists.railfan.net>
Subject: (erielack) John Willever
The Lackawanna Railroad lost its most honored and
knowledgeable historians last night. John
Willever came home from the assisted living
facility he had been in for three weeks to die in
the house he had lived in his whole life. With
johns passing goes more knowledge of the
Lackawanna than anyone can possible image.
John and Alvin Smith are the two individuals that
brought the Lackawanna glass plate negative
collection to the attention of the world, with
their many trips to Syracuse University, and their
sharing of the prints they purchases, with the
world. When I visited John last week I brought a
lap top with a thumb drive of the Glass Plates.
We looked at more images in two hours than John
could on a weeks stay at Syracuse. His mind was
sharp, and he picked out some places in NJ that I
had no idea where they were.
John grew up and lived his whole life in
Washington, NJ. He and Alvin would spend evenings
in the old tower there, hang around the station,
and polish the brass on steam engine 988 as it
laid over in the yard at night. Both were die hard
steam fans, who never took to diesels. At 98 John
certainly has done all he could do to every group
and individual that ever asked for his assistance.
He was my mentor, and a cherished friend, who now
leaves a void in my heart and an absence in my
brain when I will need a Lackawanna question
answered.
Bob Bahrs
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