Where have you gone, Brummelbear?

Brummelbear, a gentleman and a scholar

I met Brummelbear in 2013 when he sent me the sweetest email. I had just grabbed several FTF's on his new Detroit MLT geocaches. He loved both Detroit history and geocaching so releasing Michigan Lost Town caches was right up his alley. His congratulatory email was my introduction to his passion for telling long, detailed (and did I say "long") narratives about Detroit. He had been a principal in the Detroit Public School system for 20 years! Typical of this smiling, generous soul, Brummelbear ended his email with an admonishment for geocaching this rough area alone.

Brummelbear was one of the Belle Isle Cachers, who host an annual event and bi-annual CITO. You were guaranteed to find him bellied up to the grill, cooking hot dogs (he always picked out the best for me). He always had a smile and a story to tell - he always gave you his full attention and treated even the newbies as if we'd been friends for life.

Spring Belle Isle Event - 2014

Brummelbear, Rattrak, Caching Fire, and Team Rumble

Fall CITO - 2014

Fall CITO - 2014

But things changed last year. TaGeez had broken his leg so he manned the grill with our late friend Othum. Brummelbear had been diagnosed with the same cancer that struck Othum and would only be paying a short visit to the event he loved so much. At that time, he was still looking robust with that lovely twinkle in his eye, but he was moving slower, trailing behind his lovely golden retriever. He had specifically wanted to see me, and he extracted a promise from me as he unloaded his geocaching supplies from his van to my car. And, in his memory, I will be hosting a letterboxing 101 event in his memory later this year. 

We said goodbye to dear Brummelbear today. 

His service was lovely. Admittedly, one of my favorite parts was the priest eulogizing, “Leo and his son, David, enjoyed taking walks in the woods. They liked to find tupperware. What is this thing about finding Tupperware while in the woods? Anyone know what this is? I don’t understand it.”

After leaving the church, TaGeez and I headed to Detroit to hide a cache in his honor. It is, of course, hidden in the woods and in Detroit in his memory. It's 24 days until the annual Belle Isle event; although someone else will be cooking the hot dogs I know we will feel Brummelbear's presence every step we take.