kevbone Posted March 2, 2009 Posted March 2, 2009 On Saturday, February 28th, our friend Kevin Rauch passed away peacefully at his home with his family by his side. Thanks to everyone for their care and support over the past few years. Kevin was a great friend and a great climber, and he will be missed deeply. Please come CELEBRATE KEVIN'S LIFE on March 21st , the first spring weekend at: Lakeside Gardens 16211 SE Foster Road Portland, Oregon 97236 (503) 760-6044 Please come from 11-3 to enjoy Kevin's memory in a beautiful setting surrounded by our loving community of friends and family. There will be accommodations for children (i.e. play area) and food to nourish us. The ceremony will begin at 12:00.. Quote
JosephH Posted March 2, 2009 Posted March 2, 2009 Kev - I was in Seattle for the weekend, but I very much appreciated your call letting me know Kevin had passed. I'm glad I got to meet him, but do wish I'd had a chance to get to climb with and get to know him. My principle 'getting to know' Kevin has basically been observing the fierce loyalty of all his partners and friends and on that basis alone I take it that he was quite a special human being. My condolences to all of you who were lucky enough count yourselves among his good friends... Quote
pink_chalk Posted March 3, 2009 Posted March 3, 2009 Thank you for sharing this Kevin and calling me Saturday as well. My time with (the other) Kevin was brief although the memories and stories of him will last forever. Quote
billcoe Posted March 3, 2009 Posted March 3, 2009 Thank you to both Kevin's for brightening up our lives. Here's Kevin Rauch and Jim Opdycke May 2008 at the Far Side when some of Kevins friends bought him down on a stretcher to watch folks climb there on a warm spring day. Here Jim's showing Kevin some of the lines that had been done. I have a strong reminder of how happy Kevin was all day long that day. Occasionally some of us would pick him up and replace him to a better spot so he'd be out of the sun or could watch a buddy do a climb. Arent's strong nearly recovered back (which had gone out earlier hauling him down to Ozone on his back; ouch!) in particular along with many others was well used that day:-) It's a reminder to us all that our time here is brief, all too fast: and that it is each other and the world around us which make it interesting. I'd like to thank all of Kevin Rauch's buddies for showing the rest of us how we should act when things go south. To friends and loved ones.... Kevin E (Kevbone) and Miles (babybone) same day as above pic...2 good dudes. Bet lil fella has grown some. XXX - see you on the other side KR, my turn will be all too soon I'm sure. I hope that Kevin's relatives find peace... Damn.... Quote
mattp Posted March 3, 2009 Posted March 3, 2009 Wow. I generally don't participate in these "hats hung low" threads when I don't know the deceased, but I find this moving. Kevin, who as far as I know never posted here, is a big player on cc.com and had a lot of loyal friends. Thanks. Quote
ivan Posted March 3, 2009 Posted March 3, 2009 "wise king do not grieve it is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in morning - for every one of us, living in this world means waiting for our end. let he who can achieve glory before death when a warrior is gone that will be his best and only bulwark" the author of beowulf, lost to time, might not have had kevin in mind when he wrote the story of a mythical hero-warrior a millenium ago, but the passage applies regardless. doing something grand before you go is the only way to prepare for going in the first place. it sounds like kevin did just that with his family, his friends, and his climbs. to them, to use the poet's glowing hyperbole, "there was no else like him alive - in his day, he was the mightiest man on earth - high-born and powerful." i hope that time erases the pain of his passing and leaves only the pleasant memories of the time you all had in his presence. at such times, personally for me, i find comfort in walt whitman's assertion - "and to die is far different that what anyone ever supposed, and luckier." Quote
sossity Posted March 3, 2009 Posted March 3, 2009 I knew Kevin for almost 12 years, and though we were never super close, we definitely had some times: climbing at Smith, Frenches, Broughton; hiking Wind Mountain one fall weekend; sipping beers and such over the years at various gatherings. Always friendly and always diving into everything he did with everything he had. I admired his dedication and his devotion. (and his Magnum P.I. Halloween costume a few years back . . .) He leaves a lot of sad and glad hearts behind, but also a legacy that will keep him close by. Quote
kevbone Posted March 3, 2009 Author Posted March 3, 2009 A fond memory I have of Kevin is in 2003 we all found ourselves in Vegas. One of the highlights of that trip was climbing all of Solar Slab in 3 pitches. David, Arent and I on one rope. Mark D and Kevin Rauch on another rope (separate team). We all simil climbed the entire route. We all sat on top for a spell then descended the painted bowl, via the one rappel. I remember being crammed up against Kevin as all 5 of us were using the same hanging belay on the rappel. Since we only had two ropes between five of us we had to pull the rope before feeding into the anchor and rapping. The 3 hour decent was fun and the pool of water in the gully to wash up was a nice treat. I remember talking to Kevin about the view while on top. Pointing out the various buildings we could see on the strip. A side note to that climb was Mark D forgot his shoes at the base and had to walk off barefoot. Quote
crimper Posted March 3, 2009 Posted March 3, 2009 Kevin was the Public Works Director for the City of Troutdale (he wasn't your average dirtbag) and therefore was lucky to have Broughton in his backyard. I would meet him there on those mild April/May weekdays after work and I remember him talking me through the lower crux of "Shoot From the Hip" when I was just about to give up and hang on a piece, mystified. Then he abandoned me as soon as I figured out the move. He wasn't one to hand out beta, so I must have seemed truly pathetic at that moment. He intuitively knew that the truest satisfaction in climbing wasn't necessarily the hardest redpoint, but in knowing that you had faced and handled a challenge on your own. I am not a religious man but I try and make sense of things, and sometimes I rationalized that Kevin had been chosen by someone for this brutal disease because some force out there knew that he could handle it better than any of the rest of us. As if his quiet strength and stoicism singled him out for a sacrifice the rest of us could not withstand. We love you Kevin. Quote
pink_chalk Posted March 3, 2009 Posted March 3, 2009 A fond memory I have of Kevin is in 2003 we all found ourselves in Vegas. One of the highlights of that trip was climbing all of Solar Slab in 3 pitches. David, Arent and I on one rope. Mark D and Kevin Rauch on another rope (separate team). We all simil climbed the entire route. We all sat on top for a spell then descended the painted bowl, via the one rappel. I remember being crammed up against Kevin as all 5 of us were using the same hanging belay on the rappel. Since we only had two ropes between five of us we had to pull the rope before feeding into the anchor and rapping. The 3 hour decent was fun and the pool of water in the gully to wash up was a nice treat. I remember talking to Kevin about the view while on top. Pointing out the various buildings we could see on the strip. A side note to that climb was Mark D forgot his shoes at the base and had to walk off barefoot. I remember hearing this story many times. I love it. Picturing you five hunks of meat on a three hour rapel with only two ropes is classic - and Mark having to rough it with no shoes. You boys were sure in a hurry to get high! Bryan - I love what you wrote... Quote
kevbone Posted March 4, 2009 Author Posted March 4, 2009 Picturing you five hunks of meat on a three hour rapel with only two ropes is classic - and Mark having to rough it with no shoes. Actually it was a three hour decent.... two rappels total. Alot of walking, which was not good for Mark. Quote
pink_chalk Posted March 5, 2009 Posted March 5, 2009 Oh, I guess that makes more sense, huh LOL Never hurts to embellish a story or two... Quote
kevbone Posted March 5, 2009 Author Posted March 5, 2009 Friends and Family, Please come CELEBRATE KEVIN'S LIFE on March 21st , the first spring weekend at: Lakeside Gardens 16211 SE Foster Road Portland, Oregon 97236 (503) 760-6044 Please come from 11-3 to enjoy Kevin's memory in a beautiful setting surrounded by our loving community of friends and family. There will be accommodations for children (i.e. play area) and food to nourish us. The ceremony will begin at 12:00. Quote
pc313 Posted March 21, 2009 Posted March 21, 2009 (edited) Sorry to hear about your friend,we are all short timers on this planet,and for some of us it even shorter,in 2000 i solo climbed Hood in late sprig and was the frist one and only one there,or at least i thought i was,it was deep snow when i got to Crater Rock and it drained me breaking trail,and the Hogs back was a nightmare. As i got to the summit the sun was just rising and i was spent,dogass tired,as i planted my ass on the windy icecap and open a beer i noticed that the snow i was sitting on was gray ash and a lot of it,as i looked around i found two 8" by 10" glass framed pictures a short distance from the ash,one was a young man maybe in his late 20's,and the other was a older man in his 40's or 50's,there were no names,but even in my waisted state of mine,i knew i was not alone,after placing the pictures in a safer upright setting,i tried to figure out why they didn't get a full life,for the life of me i was blown away! Out of respect i said a small prayer and held my beer up high in a toasts to them and headed down and when i got home i realized i hadn't even taken any sunrise photo's and although i have no clue as to who they were i still see their faces when i think of that climb as your freind Kevin will be in my thought's when ever i think of you!! I will soon be 51 and know that my time on this planet is getting shorter and alot of people in my life have passed on but they still live in are memories,I hope this story is not taken wrong because for me,at the time i was 42 it made me want to pay more attention to the small things of life and the people around me and have not talked about it before but am shure someone on CCC know these men and their stories,hope you find Peace with the passing of you freind Kevin. ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE!! Norm Edited March 22, 2009 by pc313 Quote
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