"Mitch" aka DukeRimmer has passed away...

[robspeed]

R.I.P. Mitch and condolences to his family and friends...

[02fanatic]

I will miss seeing his posts for sure. My sincere condolences to family and friends in this time of loss & grief.

Life's too short...so don't sweat the small stuff!

RIP Mitch,

John

[rmoto]

That is such sad news as Mitch was a great guy I had the honor of meeting. I made the long haul to his place up in the wooded area of Scotts Valley where he had his storage shed with 02 parts. He sold me some parts at very reasonable prices and offered me advice. He loved 02's and wanted to keep them on the road, so he offered anyone interested his expert advice. My condolences to his family and may he rest in peace.

[bimmerboy]

I bought my early american turns from him. It was during midterms, and so I was just real busy with a lot on my mind(believe it or not my desire for flush turn signals even left my mind), but Mitch despite other people with offeres, still held my pair which was one of the better and waited for my money a week or so later. I do something much of like what he did with parts, and have modelled my "buisness" deals after how he handled mine.

[Brandon]

I'm sorry to hear about this...I had bookmarked his parts for sale post awhile back thinking I'd probably buy something from his stash of early 02 parts....It's too bad when either these cars, or the people who love them, pass on....

[visionaut]

I've been away for a few days, and just returned to catch up on the FAQ when I saw this post. How very, very sad... His presence will be sorely missed. He was an unselfish and knowledgable contributor and loved these cars, as many of us do. Warmest thoughts and condolences to his wife and family.

Peace be with you DukeRimmer...

Tom

[Chris_B]

Mitch owned a body shop in Santa Cruz in the late '80s. Took my wife's Jetta to his shop twice, and he did beautiful work- he was a real perfectionist. I never knew he was into 02s, so I was surprised to see him posting here. I exchanged some emails with him about something that came up on the board, and he remembered my name after almost 20 years.

I have been watching for an obit in the Sentinal, the local rag. If one is published, I will scan it and post a copy.

[dapbmw]

My deepest condolences to Mitch's family and may he rest in peace!

[andrewro]

Duke was the first person I bought some used parts from, I believe it was some electrical harness stuff when I got my '02. He offered helpful tips to me, as he did to just about everyone here. He also seemed to promote a "sane" approach to the '02 - they're great cars but at the end of the day, they're cars. Don't forget all the other great stuff in life! Goodbye Mitch! Rest in peace!

[Harv]

What a bummer. A friend from work was killed the other day on his Harley...

Seems the older you get, the more aquanted with death you become.

I'll miss Duke here.

John

[NickVyse]

Drive your 02 today for you could be gone tomorrow. RIP.

[jmiller]

I visited his place in the hills outside Santa Cruz a few times; bought several obscure items for very low prices. He always had the parts laying out when I arrived, usually several that I could take my pick from. A great guy with an unbelieveable collection of '02 parts. Gosh, I was just telling a friend of mine about him a few days ago. So sad.

RIP, Mitch

[pkbinplano]

Best wishes for his family. He will be missed.

[omarcenaro]

We will pray for his family. RIP Mitch.

[scottiesharpe]

I am very saddened to hear about Mitch's passing. He was a very kind and honest guy. He was a great asset to our community and he embodied all that makes the '02 community so great: appreciation for the marque, willingness to help others and a total packrat. (I mean that in the nicest way!)

Mitch, you will be missed.