Thoughts and Prayers for Dave McCracken

Man, I'm sorry to hear this.... my prayers to his friends and family....

My deepest simpathys to those left behind! His wisdom and insight will be missed on this forum forever!

Rest in Peace.... My condolences to his family and friends.

Dave will surely be missed by many :-(

Mike B

So sad to loose one of our own Lost too many friends and family to cancer, please send my condolences to his family.

I'm so sorry to hear this I learned a lot from him. I will keep him and his family in my prayers.

Dave 's Family Are In My Prayers

I am sorry for our loss & his family will be in our prayers

Terrible loss. RIP.

RIP Dave....I hope the shotguns are sweet and the clays are flying where ever you are!

All, I don't get over her nearly enough these days since having online responsibilities elsewhere, but Al Norris was kind enough to cross post about Dave's passing over there.

Though Dave and I had not seen each other for some time due to my time constraints, he was one of the formative people in my entry into the gun world at a relatively older age of 35 as I stumbled into THR looking for advice on many things back in 03, but specifically on shooting trap.

Dave invited me out to PGC on a cold snowy morning with my freshly purchased 870 and walked me through the game and showed me the ropes of how to hold the gun.

We met a few sessions either by design or happenstance as I was really into shooting trap recreationally at the time. Dave went so far as to give me a better stock for my 870 and a Morgan butt pad for which he refused to accept a penny, thus introducing me to the concept of "passing it on".

It was always a joy to see Dave with his beloved 870 ripping doubles, shooting rounds of "Chinese" as he called it and always giving the guys with their fancy autoloaders a run for their money if not outright besting them.

I hope that this will be an example for all of us, that we are all mentors, teachers and role models and that we never know how far a simple act of kindness, understanding and patience can ripple outward manyfold.

As the years have gone on, while I haven't shot trap nearly as much as I would care to due to time constraints and bad shoulder injury, those few simple sessions together magnified themselves into leadership on the MD forum and directing our state-level political activist group.

Things may have been very different were it not for a cold winter's morning many years ago.

RIP sir.

Gentlemen,

While extending condolences let us also pledge to honor Dave by passing on his legacy of knowledge to others.

I am just seeing this for the first time and am deeply saddened. I spent most of my time in the shotgun section and he was always there to answer any of my questions. RIP Dave.

RIP Dave

My Thoughts and Prayers for the Dave's Family!

My Condolences to his friends and family..

I offer my sincere condolences.

Those of us who are members of a certain generation share a lot of things that young people today unfortunately do not get to experience first hand. Barber shops, for instance. And the magazines that cluttered up such places in years gone by. Magazines like Field & Stream for example, that appealed to a larger segment of the male population back then.

Those magazines carried stories by some of America's great writers. Not just great outdoor writers, but great writers period. One of those was a gentleman named Corey Ford, and if anyone here has yet to encounter his work I'd like to introduce you to it.

When I heard this news, this short story is immediately what came to mind. It brought tears to my eyes yet again when I tracked down its current iteration on the Field & Stream website. Please read it there - http://www.fieldandstream.com/artic...dited-manuscript-corey-fords-road-tinkhamtown.

Thanks so much for all you did for us for so many years, Dave.

I'll see ya on the other side, Friend.....

I am very sorry to hear this and our thoughts and prayers will be for your family.

I am also truly sorry to hear this. I pray for you and your family Dave. May you find peace.

He Was That Rare Commodity in This Day and Time...

A genuine Gentleman.

Prayers for the family and Dave.

God rest you Dave, prayers for the family.

Sincere Condolences to the McCracken family.
RIP Dave Peace be with you.
You were a darned fine Moderator

God Bless and RIP

Jack

I lost my grandfather to cancer a month ago. He is the man that got me into the shooting sports, and taught me the basics. Even before I joined THR as a member I spent time browsing the shotgun section for tips and tricks and I always seemed to go back to his advice time and time again.

When my grandfather passed I inherited a beautiful Remington 870 Wingmaster. When the second dove season opens, it will be my gun of choice. Memories of my grandfather and of the help that I received from Dave will most assuredly come with every shot.

Not only has THR lost a great friend and a wealth of knowledge, the world has lost a great man.

God bless you, Dave, and thank you.

Mrs. McCracken and family, thank you for sharing Dave with us. My prayers are with you, and please accept my sincerest condolences.