All who know Dean and Ginger,
Been staying at Armitage Park now for about 2 years whenever DW and
myself come down this way and we have gotten to know the camp host
extraordinaire, Dean Grossman, quite well during this time. This last
visit when we came down to get some work done at the Monaco Coach LLC
factory in Coburg we noticed something was different about Armitage this
time. Dean Grossman and his trusty sidekick dog, Ginger, were noticeably
absent.
In prior visits, he and Ginger would present themselves to your campsite
within 15 minutes of your arrival, and if you had ever stayed here once
before, would recognize you and call you by your name..always friendly,
never had anything bad to say about anyone, and would give you the shirt
off his back if you asked for it. Just the kind of host you want to
greet you, but seldom are. His dog Ginger faithfully accompanied him
first alongside him in his Segue, then when he couldn't stand for any
length of time, beside him in his golf cart, at least 50 times a day in
rain and sunshine every single day without fail, always checking up on
his guests and continually updating the reservations posted at each
site...I think mainly to chat with everyone he had gotten to know over
the short time this park has been open to RVers.
Anyways, got to talking to Jesse, the longtime park caretaker who is
doing double duty as host during this time, told me that Dean was
suddenly taken away a couple of weeks ago by ambulance to the local
hospital where he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. They had found
about 12 pounds of cancer in his stomach area and Dean decided that the
cure, if it even worked, would be worse than the disease, so he has
decided to live out his few remaining days at his brother's place
nearby.
A fine gentleman and a fine dog...no longer greeting old and new RVer's
at his passion as host of the Armitage Park in Lane County, Oregon.
If you knew Dean and would care to send a card, Sam Fox at the Lane
County Park Headquarters in Eugene told me to send them to her....she
would make sure that he received all of them. The address is:
Dean Grossman
c/o Sam Fox
Lane County Parks 3050 N Delta Hwy Eugene, OR 97408
Thanks and Happy 4th to you all!
Guy Ethier
'06 Endeavor
update to the above, 5:25 p.m. PDT
Dean just handed in his park keys this morning to Jesse, so looks like it is final
...Life is funny...Thank you for remembering a very nice man..
We all believe..I just hate when we forget those of us who are not so sure....Jefferson, Washington, all questioned...Thanks again...My thoughts are with you and his family..Whatever the final journey maybe...may it be in peace...D
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