tunahead72 2,518 #1 Posted February 25 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. 3 15 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SylvanLakeWH 27,532 #3 Posted February 25 Rest in Peace... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ed Kennell 40,484 #4 Posted February 25 Rest Easy Mr. Cummings. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wallfish 17,494 #6 Posted February 25 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 1 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nylyon-(Admin) 7,481 #8 Posted February 25 So sad to see this, Duff was a fixture here for quite a while, rest in peace Duff. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rmaynard 15,916 #9 Posted February 25 I always looked forward to his posts. RIP Duff. 2 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rjg854 11,879 #10 Posted February 25 RIP "Duff" with prayers for his family and friends. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stevasaurus 23,065 #11 Posted February 25 RIP Duff !! My prayers with you and yours. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sparky-(Admin) 22,081 #12 Posted February 25 Always enjoyed his posts…been a long time since he’s been on. Rest in peace friend. @Duff 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C-85 726 #13 Posted February 26 I had the honor of working with Duff at Dartmouth College! We were in their security department together and he was great to work with, being that he was a Dartmouth alum, he knew so much about the college and was very smart, and very classy guy! I hadn't known him for long when we discovered each of our love for which was a true bond! I will miss him! C-85 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tunahead72 2,518 #14 Posted February 28 Just a quick update... The Lebanon Opera House is holding a celebration of life for Duff this coming Monday evening on their stage. I know some of you are roughly nearby and might be interested in attending. @C-85 Here's a link for more information: Lauren “Duff” Cummings | Lebanon Opera House Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
