I'm totally and completely heartbroken.
Spent the morning at his house a week ago today. As usual, he was doing me a favor. Never had a better friend. So energetic, so full of life. The very,very best Dad and husband.
Buddy was a few years older than me. In the early sixties, I read about him in model magazines. When I joined the Union(NJ) Model Airplane Club in 1965, Buddy was already out of the hobby but John D'Ottavio and Larry Scarinzi spoke of him and his talents many, many times. We formally met 10 years years at the GSCB field . I was happy to become a member of his circle of friends and also rekindle old ties with Bob Hunt, a guy that I've known since we were teens back in the sixties. All of us real brothers, as Bob aptly described.
All I can say is that Heaven is a better place now that Bud Weider has arrived. He's probably either tooling around in his Cobra or burning in a magnificent pattern with his Ryan's Eagle.