Losing One of the Great Ones- RUDY THOMPSON

I didn't know Rudy Thompson really well, but we did meet on over a dozen occasions. His son Chris is our business savior, answering emergency calls for us and making our customers happy with fine renovations. But even though I didn't know Rudy really well, I knew everything that he was about.

For most people, sailing was the way they knew Rudy. He had been a fixture in the racing scene for as long as I have been alive. When I lived on St. John in the 1990's, I knew him as a legend and sailing extraordinaire. I looked forward to any chance to beat him, though those chances didn't really pan out the way I had wished. But I also remember his friendly demeanor around the Yacht Club and his storytelling. He was a very warm person willing to help and entertain others.

And though sailing was a big part of his life, the one thing I will remember most about Rudy is that as a family man. He did a phenomenal job of raising his kids, who in turn passed on their love for family to their own kids. Not just that all the family are great sailors, either. They are great people, and it is all rooted in the family patriarch, Rudy.

I wish the entire family and all his friends the best in this sad time. Rudy, you will be missed by many.

Read more about Rudy Thompson in the Virgin Islands Daily News:

http://stthomassource.com/content/community/deaths/2010/04/28/local-sail...