Russ Fairfield's Condition

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Jim in Oakville

Jim in Oakville

Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2004
Messages
2,195
Location
Oakville, Ontario, Canada.
Hi All,

As some of you know Russ has been going through some difficult times. Russ has been a teacher and inspiration to many of us in the pen turning world, he is now facing his final days.

News was posted on Woodcentral today about his condition

http://www.woodcentral.com/cgi-bin/...ead/id/242394/sbj/russ-fairfield-s-condition/

Take time to say some prayers for him and family, he's one of the Good Guys...

God Bless
 
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Oh, wow. That is soo sad to hear. I know I learned a lot off his website...He is one of the best turners out there, and I am sure the man behind the lathe is just as good.
 
Russ and I have visited many many times via email and the various pen forums. We finally met each other at the Utah symposium in 2010 where we were both doing pen demos. What a great person he is and such a willing helper when many of us have had questions. He is a great demonstrator and I enjoyed learning from him in person. We have talked about doing a joint demo...dueling CA finishes...at Utah this year. We have different techniques but obtain similar results. He often calls me the "guy who does the CA finish wrong" and I considered that comment a compliment. He will be missed. Thanks Russ for all you do to help the rest of us become better pen makers.

Russ mentioned not feeling well in Utah and told me later he had suffered several small strokes while at the symposium.

Do a good turn daily!
Don
 
When I first started doing CA finish a number of years ago, I e-mailed Russ with a question. He answered quickly and with great clarity.

Additionally, his modifications to slimlines got me started toward kitless pens.

He has always been a great asset to pen makers and woodworkers everywhere. I have missed his valuable contributions to this forum and others.

I pray for "wood turner Russ" and the entire Fairfield family.
 
That is a terrible shame. Russ was my inspiration to begin turning pens. I believe it was in the late 90s I watched his original penturning VHS tape. We were very lucky to have quite a lot of his input when the IAP was in the early stages.
 
This is incredibly sad. My heart goes out to his family and I will keep them all in my prayers ..

The pen-turning world will have lost another great teacher when Russ takes his leave and goes home at last.

Linda
 
its_virgil said:
Russ and I have visited many many times via email and the various pen forums. We finally met each other at the Utah symposium in 2010 where we were both doing pen demos. What a great person he is and such a willing helper when many of us have had questions. He is a great demonstrator and I enjoyed learning from him in person. We have talked about doing a joint demo...dueling CA finishes...at Utah this year. We have different techniques but obtain similar results. He often calls me the "guy who does the CA finish wrong" and I considered that comment a compliment. He will be missed. Thanks Russ for all you do to help the rest of us become better pen makers.

Russ mentioned not feeling well in Utah and told me later he had suffered several small strokes while at the symposium.

Do a good turn daily!
Don
Click to expand...

I also shared a lot of emails with Russ over the years. He helped me a great deal and I always had hoped to have met him. Russ encouraged me a lot and was telling me to get some of my work into the PMG.

I knew he'd had some stokes at Utah this past year, he was never the same on email after that...I am glad you met him and shared some time Don, you are blessed to have had that time with him.
 
Wow, I am at a loss for words. Don originally taught me how to apply my CA finish, but for some reason(maybe Don telling me to go check it out) I went the PMG to check out Russ' CA video tutorial and can remember that he has a wonderful way of teaching
 
This is a sad sad sad day for me. Never met the man but i'm crying like a baby right now. All this adventure in penturning started few year ago when surfing the net to find some woodwork forum because i wanted a new hobby. Came across Russ's site and that's where it all started. He was my mentor all those years, refering to his website on a regular basis.

If you want someone that was freely sharing, he was the reference. Never refusing to answer a question, giving you enough information to keep you going and pushing your limits.

My prayers are with you Russ. Your memory will be in every pen i turn because you started it all.
 
I have never met or emailed Mr. Fairfield. But I also considered him a teacher (in a virtual way). I read most of you tutorials and watched his videos when I started turning pens.

My thoughts are with this good man and his family.
 
OH, how sad! Sometimes you wish you had done something and hoped you'd get the chance. I hoped to someday get to the Penturners rendezvous and meet Russ in person. He has been a huge influence and mentor (though he may not be aware) via his tutorials, articles and website. My hopes are now in a different direction....that his days are better filled with the presence of family and friends and wishes of contentment that he will assuredly leave this world a better place just having been who he is. A great guy.
 
I met Russ at the Utah symposium in 2008, I knew he had lived where I now live, but I hadn't known he and his wife had grown up here. I live near where the grade-school she went to was, and own a part of the "old" Apple Orchard she used to play in.
The trees are now quite old, and nothing I can do will keep them in good condition, I've owned this place for over 30 years, and the trees were very old when I bought the land. I've had to start cutting those trees down.

So, last year I sent Russ a box of dry Apple Wood from the orchard, so he could make his wife a keep-sake that tied back to her going to grade school.
 
I really like Russ and have learned a lot from him. His easy manner and way of teaching made me, as a new turner, unafraid to ask him questions. I have a pen made by him and cherish it and him for giving it to me.
My prayers and thoughts go out to him and his family. I hope that he is comfortable and that his family is comforted by having had him in their lives and all of the memories that will continue to live with those of us whose lives he touched.
 
Truely is and always will be one of the good guys. He has jumped in here many times helping people with many different aspects of finishing and his videos will always be forever. They have helped countless people over the years and will continue to as his legacy lives on. I wish him and his family my prayers and that peace and tranquility find them. This will be a huge loss. Man that hurts.
 
He has taught many through his offering of his time, the most precious commodity in life. I learned how to apply a CA finish from him. As such, he is a teacher, one of the people who influences our lives by giving the precious gift of knowledge. I wish for him the peace that comes from knowing he made such a difference in or lives. By endowing us with his knowledge and wisdom, his legacy will live on through each of us. With sorrow and deepest respect, Doc
 
So very sad, Russ has been there for me in so many ways over the years. not only in teaching, but in encouraging me often. Always there sort of like a shadow. Always present and just knowing that was a good thing. My prayers to him and his family. I was once told that 10 percent of the people are the ones that make something happen. For example forming a club or organizing an office party etc. 10 percent will jump in and make it happen. the other 90 percent will show up, make great conversation, complement all the work and make the party enjoyable. It is just the way you should expect things to be. Russ is by far in that top ten. in fact he is at the top of the heap among the 10 percent.
 
That is truely a bummer.... Anyone on this site who hasn't been to his website is missing things. I've never met the guy, but I know his name comes up OFTEN when it comes to penturning, especially his take on slims.
 
Helped all of is to be better human beings.

Like many others, I also sought his advice and guidance. Russ has been one of the pioneers of our craft. We all learned so much from him.

Most importantly, Russ Fairfield taught all of us how to be better human beings.
 
I cannot add much to what Al has said above except to say that Russ has forgotten more about penturning and finishing than I will ever know.

Russ taught me not to be afraid to fail because if you are so afraid of failure you will never have success.
 
Truly sad news for us all. When I started out as ignorant as could be, Russ gave me what I needed to know to craft my first pen. I learned a lot from Russ. Not only is he knowledgeable but he's gracious and skilled with sharing his knowledge.

Russ... thank you for showing me the right way when I knew nothing about turning a pen. I'll be praying for piece and comfort for you and your family.

Dave
 
Sad news indeed!
My thanks to Russ for his inspiration, insights, and tutorials via his website and elsewhere throughout the years. He and his family will be in my prayers through this difficult time.
For any who may not be familiar with Russ, heres the link to his site which tells of Russ Fairfield, the Woodturner and puts a face to his name.
http://www.woodturnerruss.com/Introduction.html

-- Terry
 
Wow, I will keep Russ and his family in my prayers.

It seems like we are losing a lot of folks lately. Has anyone heard from Dustin?
 
Is anyone here acquainted at all with Russ's family? I'd like to contact them on behalf of the IAP, but I'd like to know the most appropriate person to call. Perhaps he has a brother, sister, children, etc. I will call his wife, but perhaps someone else is in a better state of mind right now.

PM please...
 
I just had a very brief telephone call with Mrs. Fairfield. I conveyed to her that she and Russ and their family are in our thoughts and we wish them the very best during this difficult time.
 
I never had the honor of meeting Russ in person but feel as though I know him through his videos and many articles he's written. I have gained a lot of inspiration from him and will miss reading his articles. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family in what must be a very difficult time.
 
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Sad News,
Never met him, but truly a great loss to the pen turning community.
I will keep his family in my thoughts and prayers.

Next pen i turn will be dedicated to him
 
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