On Tue, 19 Feb 2002 00:10:18 -0600, Crusty Russ <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

>I hope Jeff's condition will help server as a reminder to everyone that
>life is short - life is precious - life should not be wasted.  My wish
>is that this thought motivates everyone here on our Scuba-SE list, that
>Jeff started, to make an effort to get to know each other better by
>diving together at least once, and hopefully often.

And just think, all this time I've known and dived with Crusty, I hadn't
realized he was a preacher!  :-)  A timely and appropriate sermon.

I don't want this to be read as a premature eulogy for Jeff, but just
a fond memory of a scuba friend with whom I have had the pleasure of
diving many times, in Cozumel; and once, in Redneck Riviera.  :-)


I first met Jeff when we dived in Cozumel, as SOBs.  Jeff started his
lengthy trip report with this narrative:

> TRIP REPORT:  Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico.  July 31 - August 7, 1994.
>
> This is a report of my "excellent adventure" in Cozumel with fellow NED-
> head Bob Ling, aka Reef Fish (Large Nassau Grouper) <[log in to unmask]>.
> We made an amazing 27 dives (29 for Bob) in 6 days, lived to tell about
> it, and didn't spend an arm and a leg in the process.

Go to the "advanced search" section of groups.google.com and search for
Message ID <[log in to unmask]> to find the full text.
(See also below on how to do a general search of Jeff's posts)

That trip either doubled or tripled Jeff's number of dives before the
trip, and there was no question whatsoever about his enthusiasm of being
a Warm Water Wimp in clear water, or that he was hooked from then on.

I've dived with him on several more trips to Cozumel, including the only
trip Sue and I have ever dived, with Jeff and his irregular buddy Pat
Miller, on the Wild East Side of Cozumel.  Of course he is well
remembered by everyone in the Coz99NEDfest for the rattling sounds of
his bones after every dive, in warm water in June, besides all the
other fond memories.   :-)


If you're interested in reading more about Jeff, BY Jeff himself, just
go to http://groups.google.com and give ONLY "Jeff Kell" for author,
and one single keyword for search, "Cozumel", and you'll find over 100
posts by Jeff, since 1994.

Those postings by Jeff will give you a glimpse of Jeff's personality,
sense of humor, and his nice-guy personna, which is no hyperbole, in
scuba or in real life.


Off scuba, Jeff is the most unselfish and generous person anyone can
ever meet.  At the time he volunteered to give Scuba-SE as temporary home
for the Scuba-L walk-offs, Jeff was already up to his ears in WORK (at
least 200% of what his pay and regular time can justly demand), in
addition to managing/owning HP3000-L, Shark-L, and some lesser LISTSERV
lists at UTC.  He gallantly donated his energy and sacrificed his sleep
and performed all his tasks WELL, without a grumble.

When it comes to his generosity with his money, for those well versed
with the blibical stories, his willingness to give whatever he has to
others, whether it's his family members or friends, I can think of no
better analogy than the spirit of "a widow's mite".

I can go on and on about what a nice-guy and friend Jeff has been to me,
and how I wish I had done, or could have done, much more for him, for
which he so richly deserves, but this should suffice as an introduction,
for those who don't know him
well.


This is the kind of comeraderie that reflects cyberspace and scuba forums
at its best, IMHO.  There is nothing unreal about it, to me!

-- Bob.