Farewell to a friend

My friend, musician and Gardnerville Ranchos resident John "Fingers" Spradley died Tuesday night, according to his wife, Bonnie. I never got to hear him play.

He played with the Coppertunes along with John and Gina Pettinger, and served as master of ceremonies at Buckaroos.

John and I mostly exchanged e-mails and the rare phone conversation, but I always enjoyed his notes. It was good to have someone I could talk to unguardedly about the news.

It was John who took the photo of flames shooting from the top of the Centerville Bar when it burned in 2006.

A late-night scanner listener, John was responsible for more than one tip that turned into a story for The Record-Courier. As a musician he was familiar with our local venues and had a story for each one.

John was also a member of that exclusive club of Record-Courier letter writers. We published his last letter April 10, 2009, about the cutting of out-patient cancer treatment.

John suffered from cancer and worked at home. He'd received a clear test back in January and was out playing again. The last real exchange I had with him was in May after the Mottsville plane crash. He welcomed me back from vacation.

I'm going to miss coming into work first thing and finding a note from John waiting for me.

Kurt Hildebrand is editor of The Record-Courier. Reach him at khildebrand@recordocourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 215