Re: Chuck and Linda Dueker, Sad news from FCTSRR

We were told the last day of Session C. I think it shocked all of us, and very little was said. Chuck and Linda had been fixtures at the Antonito work sessions, for the last couple of years. I think I remember them saying something that they had a family event in Nebraska, but would be back for the E and F sessions (later this month).

I've been volunteering with several different organizations over the years, and since I was always one of the younger ones, the math says that those who were at retirement age back then have now passed on. But it seemed like most of the time they were back home during the off-season and died of natural causes.

Very few of the frequent posters here would have known them, while Chuck was very skilled with construction work, he didn't particularly seem to be a "railfan". But he was a great asset for our work. Some of you may remember the videos from last year when we demonstrated the OP Derrick; that was Chuck relaying signals from the ground to the cab. The hand signals were deliberate and precise. I remember helping him do a brake test a couple years ago and while he hadn't done that a lot, his troubleshooting skills were apparent.

Bill Kepner