Topband: VE1ZZ Jack Leahy

[Peter Voelpel]

Sad to hear that.
Jeff, please pass my regards to both Opal and Jeff with my best wishes for
their health when you contact them again!
Jack was always the first NA station to call me during the 160m contest, at
least two hours before the next one, must be at around 1500 his local time. 

73
Peter, DJ7WW

-----Original Message-----
From: Topband [mailto:topband-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of k1zm---
via Topband
Sent: Freitag, 10. November 2017 10:57
To: topband at contesting.com
Subject: Topband: VE1ZZ Jack Leahy

Hi All


A few friends have asked about VE1ZZ since he has not been on Topband much
lately.


I gave him a call yesterday on the phone and he said he is nearing his 82nd
birthday but has been slowed down by age and other things.


He said he has COPD and cannot get around very well these days - antenna
work in his woods is no longer possible.


His main AMP is down as is a backup amp and he hopes to get on a little now
and then if he can fix one or both.


Hi great wife - OPAL - fell down the cellar stairs not long ago and is
slowly recovering at home after a long hospital stay.


I was saddened to hear these things but expected something was amiss over
there.






Jack has long been the BEACON here in Canada on the lowbands and his absence
has been missed.  He lives about 120 miles to the SE of me here in CANADA.


He was largely responsible for my emigrating to Canada in 2000 and creating
VY2ZM here on Prince Edward Island.  Jack once told me "Jeff, Cape Cod is a
pretty good location..... but IT IS NOT AS GOOD AS HERE!!  You should come
up here and see for yourself." ..And boy was he ever right!


BTW - I noted Opal his wife.

We ALL might wish for a wife like Opal.


When I first met her in 2002, we talked about HAM RADIO and Dx'ing and about
how much Jack has been a fixture on the lowbands since the mid 1950's.

What she said I will never forget - as it was memorable:


She said:


"JEFF - WHEN I MARRIED JACK, I KNEW HOW MUCH HE LOVED DX'ING AND HAM RADIO
AND I REALIZED THAT THE ***BIGGEST*** MISTAKE I COULD EVER MAKE WOULD BE TO
HAVE TRIED TO GET BETWEEN HIM AND HIS LOVE FOR RADIO!!
  IT IS A BIG PART OF OUR LIVES!!!"



Anyway, I thought I might pass on what I knew - sure hope to hear Jack on
now and then again soon.


73 JEFF  VY2ZM


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