Buddy passed away yesterday at 2:30 PM from a sudden heart attack. His wife, Bette called me around 4:30 PM to inform me of his passing, and told me it was very sudden.
I could not bring myself to post here about it last night. I was - and still am - devastated by this news. I've known Buddy since around 1959, but in recent years we had become as close as brothers. He was my best friend in the world, and we spoke nearly every day on the phone. I cannot fathom not having Buddy around; he was an integral part of my life.
I've never known a more devoted husband and father. I've never had a more giving and loyal friend. Buddy was always there for me no matter what, and I tried to do the same for him. Buddy was, well, my buddy! I will miss him for the rest of my life, but i will always cherish the hundreds of days we spent together building, flying, golfing, fixing cars, painting rooms, traveling to contests, watching the Yankees (there was never a more avid Yankee fan than Buddy... except for maybe his wife!), busting each other's chops about our respective favorite football teams (I am a lifelong Giants fan, and Buddy was a lifelong Jets fan), and much, much more.
Buddy was a gifted flier, and back in the late 1950s and early 1960s, he was the top Senior flier on the East Coast. In 1962 he placed second at the Nats in the extremely competitive Senior division after having done a maneuver out of sequence and not getting pattern points. He would have easily won had he not done that maneuver out of sequence. Then he quit flying for nearly 45 years. He was also a prodigy baseball player, and his teams won many regional and state championships. Buddy was even invited to tryout as a short stop for two major league teams. He didn't make the cut for pro ball, but went on to become an outstanding high school baseball coach, with his teams winning many titles in New Jersey and the eastern region. Many of the players that Buddy coached went on the become major league players, and he was extremely proud of them. And, they all kept in touch with him for the remainder of his life. He touched so many people in such positive ways...
When Buddy returned to flying around 2002, I immediately saw that the amazing talent he had as a Junior and Senior flier had not diminished a bit, and offered to help him get back up to speed building, and also offered to coach him in flying. From that point on we were inseparable friends, and along with Tom Hampshire, Frank Imbriaco, Rich Giacobone, and John D'Ottavio (Buddy's mentor when he first started flying), we became a group that hung out together and flew on an almost daily basis. We called ourselves the "Brothers," and we had tons of fun flying, building and busting each other's chops (It’s an East Coast thing...).
I've left to last the relationship that Buddy had with his son, Ryan. At the age of 2, Ryan contracted the dreaded disease Epilepsy. The symptoms disappeared for several years but then returned at age 7, and would continue from that point on. Ryan would get as many as 400 seizures a day. In the morning Ryan would get a few Grand Mal type seizures that many associate with the disease, but for the remainder of the day he would get Absence seizures. This type of seizure causes the person to seem to stare aimlessly out into space, and Ryan experienced hundreds of these every day. In many cases while he was having an Absence Seizure he would lose his balance and fall. He broke several bones because of this affliction, and either Bette or Buddy would have to walk close by Ryan to prevent him from falling. To see the love and care that Bette has and Bud had for Ryan, and their infinite patience and understanding, was totally inspirational to all who were around them. Ryan and Buddy were best friends and did everything together. I think of Ryan as my third son…
The above only scratches the surface of how I feel about Buddy. He was one of God’s very special creations. I’ll miss him dearly for the rest of my life.
Godspeed my good friend and rest now in the Peace you’ve earned.
Bob Hunt
Topic: Bud Wieder Information (Read 2050 times)
