Author Topic: House Mountain RIP JIM (Read 5141 times)

Zuma · « **on:** July 17, 2017, 02:02:31 pm »

Ask for your prayers. Jim Vitale a new friend to many at the event and friend to many at
other venues, lost his physical self on his way home to upstate NY yesterday.
An awesome knapper, hell of a cook,smart and ready to help all in need.
Our Tribe, has seen the pall of death many times and assuredly will again.
Our strength through the campfires and strangely (rocks) have bound us
like well hafted axes. Love and respect to all that feel the pain.

Zuma

Outbackbob48 · « **Reply #1 on:** July 17, 2017, 02:44:59 pm »

Don, I was thinking of teaming up with Jim and splitting some gas money and hitting a few of the further away knappins with Jim, last talked to him at Bald Eagle just a couple of weeks ago. Prayers sent. Bob

Zuma · « **Reply #2 on:** July 17, 2017, 05:59:14 pm »

Thank you for being a brother , Brother
Don

Hawkdancer · « **Reply #3 on:** July 17, 2017, 11:22:24 pm »

Sad news indeed! Our condolences to his family and friends.
Hawkdancer

YosemiteBen · « **Reply #4 on:** July 18, 2017, 12:05:41 am »

While I did not know the man personally... enough of you knew him and I offer prayers for him and his and all of you..

bjrogg · « **Reply #5 on:** July 18, 2017, 07:06:20 am »

Zuma I offer my prayers. I never meet Jim but if he's your friend he's mine.
Bjrogg

Pvt Smuckateli · « **Reply #6 on:** July 18, 2017, 08:47:52 pm »

Zuma - classy post.
I never knew Jim's name but I did speak with him briefly at the House Mountain event. It was my first knap in and I had simply too many names and faces to remember. As I was walking to my vehicle prior to leaving on Saturday evening I remember seeing him and he asked where I was going. I informed him that I live on the other side of the state and he smiled at me and said he lived in NY State. In a way I feel sad for not taking more time to chat with him, had I only known; had we all known.
Life is fragile, live it fully.
Prayers sent "From the other side of the state".
Semper Fi Jim

Zuma · « **Reply #7 on:** July 19, 2017, 03:55:04 pm »

Ben BJ and Smuckateli

Thanks Zuma
I'll do my best in another thread to post some photos
This one is for Jim

mullet · « **Reply #8 on:** July 20, 2017, 10:25:23 pm »

That's never a good thing after good Fellowship, prayers sent.

Hummingbird Point · « **Reply #9 on:** July 21, 2017, 10:04:34 am »

So sad. I met Jim for the first time this past weekend at House Mountain. Super nice guy. Very intelligent, very generous. Spoke with him quite a bit. He knapped some of my quartz and quartzite and then even though he only had a few small pieces, he insisted I take a piece of high grade Onondaga from him. So sad.

Keith

Woodland Roamer · « **Reply #10 on:** July 21, 2017, 08:03:52 pm »

I also met Jim for the first time at House Mountain and I couldn't believe the news of his passing. He seemed like such a gentle and kind soul. I told my wife about him as soon as I got home Sunday. I know he will be missed by many and I'm glad I crossed paths with him.

Alan

Zuma · « **Reply #11 on:** July 21, 2017, 09:30:31 pm »

Thank you all for your love of Jim. Yep it's love.

The "Tribe "as Pete Davis calls it, is an entity with no chief but plenty of cooks and bottle washers.
What is the glue that draws us together? Farmers, Doctors, military men and women, EMT's, Native Americans, scientists, government officials, law enforcement , ship builders, naturalists, healers and
the ilk, I could go on. Suffice to say" Those who care about others" I don't know Jim's background
well but I know he is TRIBE. And this is not an exclusive group at the Mountain. I am thinking we all
share the spirit for sure nationally and perhaps internationally as well. Maybe Jim is the glue.
Zuma

Hawkdancer · « **Reply #12 on:** July 21, 2017, 11:16:32 pm »

I will make smoke to that! X2 sq.
Hawkdancer

Zuma · « **Reply #13 on:** July 22, 2017, 09:11:39 pm »

Thank you Dancer-- For Jim If I may?
My sig celebrates my faith
In my opinion Jim validates it's concepts but our web site frowns upon this narration.
FORGIVE ME PA

Zuma

caveman2533 · « **Reply #14 on:** July 24, 2017, 03:22:43 pm »

Jim was a great guy and was a lot of fun to be around. He will be missed greatly. He had a zest for his new found time from his recent retirement as a Nurse practitioner, He worked construction with the Vitale bros. construction in his younger years and then went on to become a nurse and EMT and then finally a Nurse Practitioner. That's a blink away from having a doctorate. He was an amateur archeologist and flintknapper with a special interest in the Genesee Valley, which was where he was born and raised. My boys Michael and Everett each had their own special link to Jim, Michael and he would discuss, early rock and roll musicians and there music and Everett and Jim would spend hours discussing video games, which was one of Jims recent pastimes. We three traveled to the small town of Retsof, NY on Friday 7/21/17 to pay our last respects to this man. I was honored to be one of his Pallbearers, among a group of four of us from the flintknapping community. Gary Reed, Jack Brown, Chris Nichols, from the Genesee Valley Flintknappers and myself from the Susquehanna Valley Flintknappers. The family so appreciated us from Jim's flintknapping friends honoring him in this way. It was an honor to do so. We truly are a family and Tribe, who cares for one another and that's unusual in many hobby communities.

Primitive Archer