I have known him and had the privileged of being his friend for almost 30 years.
Rusty was a hemophiliac and sadly had contracted hepatitis G from a blood transfusion in the 70's that was not discovered until about 12 years ago. He successfully went through treatment to cure the hepatitis but the disease left his liver extremely compromised.
A few months ago he was diagnosed with late stage liver cancer but because the liver was so damaged the cancer treatment was unsuccessful.
For the past few weeks I had been in denial of the severity of the situation and being so consumed with demands from Netonix I wasted several opportunities to spend some quality time with one of the few close friends I have.
Rusty was 60 years young but he had the demeanor of a much younger guy.
Let me tell you a little bit about Rusty. He was a conservative which often found us at odds on political conversations. In his younger years Rusty raced cars on a semi professional level racing everything from drag racing cars to dirt track racing which was his real passion where he won many races and championships.
Rusty was also a gun nut and his knowledge of firearms was extensive along with his collection of everything from small arms up to well, lets just say VERY LARGE GUNS. It was nothing for him to burn through 10,000 rounds in a single day. He also built guns from scratch that you would think came from an armory.
He was an extremely talented with metal fabrication and went to school for mechanical engineering.
He scared many people with the way he looked and carried himself (sorta big and bad ass) but if you had the privileged to know him and be his friend you soon learned he was one of the most caring and giving people you would ever know but my advice was to NEVER EVER piss him off.
It was my friendship with Rusty that taught me that friends are rare and true friends are even rarer and you should never give or call someone a friend unless you mean it. Friends can argue and even fight but once you make a real friend you should never give up on them.
Rusty never married or had kids so it will be up to his friends to carry on his memory.
So with that being said if you felt that RF Armor shield kits helped you out in anyway then the next time you have a beer raise it up and tell Rusty Ross thanks, he would really appreciate it!
Service will be Friday so RF Armor will be close in his memory the day of service.
Service will be at Furman funeral home, 59 West Main Street, Leola, PA 17540.
I will miss you Rusty.
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