Yesterday, the sad message about Stan having passed hit me on instagram, when I saw the post of utah_don. I immediately came here to compare pictures just to make sure although the sad confidence had already kicked in. It was our Stan from the Yards, one phenomenal and truly gifted man and customizer. All I knew about Stanley was how impressive his projects are - I'm especially amazed by his face paintings. Then I went to facebook where I learned about how much impact he actually had on the collectors' and customizing community - joined the group "Modern Vintage Customs" which he had also founded.
My thoughts and prayers go out to Stan's family - especially to his daughter and wife. My only regret is when I look back on this amazing thread of him, is that I didn't comment more. But that's okay, because hardly did I know how big the great community is which Stan gathered on facebook.
I came here yesterday also to leave some words, but I didn't have any. And I don't want to sound dramatic today, but yesterday was a dark day and his family lost Stan and we lost a good friend and role model to this awful virus. This is as close as COVID-19 hit my soul so far and is also part of the reason why I'm mad at the people not following the rules and take care of others by their ignorant behavior. But that's something I'll keep for other places. My thought now is, that we always have to be aware of what we say at any time. Nobody can ever know if it's the last time you talked to someone. It's so much better to say something nice to somebody not about him/her. That's why I enjoy this little community on here so much because everyone is still nice to each other. There are enough toxic places out there in the web.
My thoughts also are with you, Shawn. It's been a tough year, but this year continues to challenge us all. I'm sure nobody of us thought we'd loose a member of our community on here due to the virus. I keep Stan in good memories and I can only imagine how positive the impact he had on everyone in the community and those around him.
May the eternal light shine for him.
