R.I.P. Duff

[tunahead72 2,504]

I received word today that one of our very early members, Mr. Lauren Cummings, known to us affectionately as Duff (and apparently Deereman before that), has passed away.

 

I never met Duff in person, but his work here came to my attention very soon after I joined this forum.  I knew him first as someone who did really nice work on his 300 series tractors, and who enthusiastically shared his knowledge and experiences with anyone who was interested in reading about it.  I learned shortly after that we shared a love of music, and at some point in our conversations I noticed that he was the stage manager for an organization called the Lebanon Opera House in Lebanon NH.  I started receiving their emails shortly after that, and that's how I heard the news this afternoon.

 

Duff hadn't posted here in several years, but his work will live on in his contributions to RedSquare.

 

Here's part of the email from LOH:

 

Last Friday, we lost a beloved member of the LOH Family. Lauren “Duff” Cummings passed peacefully after a long hard-fought battle with respiratory disease, one of the very few things that Duff couldn’t fix himself.

As LOH Stage Manager, he stewarded world-class touring musicians, Upper Valley-based performing arts groups, and thousands of local student-artists. Duff treated them all the same and made sure their moment in the spotlight was truly special. His work with LOH dates back to 1969 when, as a college student, he helped revive the dormant theater and "bring it out of mothballs." Nearly every LOH show for the past 56 years has had his fingerprints on it.

 

And a link to Duff's obituary:

Obituary | Lauren Herbert Cummings, Jr of West Lebanon, New Hampshire | Knight Funeral Homes & Crematory

 

What an interesting guy, I had no idea!  The phrase "life well lived" comes to mind, and I'm looking forward to reading the stories that his friends, family and coworkers post in his guestbook.

 

Rest in peace Duff, we'll certainly miss your presence here.

 

[WHX?? 49,953]

 

[SylvanLakeWH 26,626]

Rest in Peace... 

[Ed Kennell 39,805]

Rest Easy Mr. Cummings.

[parsonsponyz 141]

[wallfish 17,217]

RIP Lauren

It's been many years since we got together at a small event way back when. It was an honor to meet you

[Achto 28,229]

RIP 

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,378]

So sad to see this, Duff was a fixture here for quite a while, rest in peace Duff.

[rmaynard 15,814]

I always looked forward to his posts. RIP Duff.

[rjg854 11,723]

RIP "Duff" with prayers for his family and friends.

[stevasaurus 22,972]

RIP Duff !!  My prayers with you and yours.  

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,772]

  Always enjoyed his posts…been a long time since he’s been on. 
  Rest in peace friend. 
 @Duff