Barbara "Bobbie" Eldredge - 9/28/1957 - 10/22/2006

[RICK BIRD]

Lost For Words

John
Sorry To Hear Of Your Lose.
I Know How You Felt At The Pro Nats.as We
Talk On Our Rides Through The Flields. My Wife Was Just Told
Of Our Cancer Problems And I Know How You Feel. Life Foe Me This Past Year Has Been A Toilet That Wont Flush. So If I Can Help Are Do Anything You Let Me Know. Your Friend And Race Family.



Richard J Bird
Meanstreak/leftcoast Racing

[F-111]

Thank you

Thanks to everybody in our extended family for your warmth and care, It's meant a great deal to us. Mom loved you guys, I'm sure she'll be looking down on all of us smiling. We'll miss her a bunch, but she will always be with us in our hearts. Thanks again, we love ya'll.

Jon

[Nicole Adkins]

Jon, Marshal, and family,

We are so sorry for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Nicole, Jack and Jackie

[zolkar]

To the Marshall Family,

It is a sad day to hear about the loss of Bobbie. It was so much fun to run ASH against her and Debra in the early 80's. I will always remember her kind spirit. Barbara and Marshall, Thankyou for bringing your beautiful family into the world of boat racing. Bobbie will be missed.

Joe Zolkoske

[spud62w]

Sorry for your loss. I'm glad Miriam and I got to know her when we lived there. RIP.

[treadguy]

Bobbie...............

I am saddened by the loss of Bobbie. She will be missed by all of her Region 5 family. To take a quote from Gene East.............."She is racing on Lake Paradise and enjoying every lap."

[WFR1318]

Memories Of Bobbie

"like A Bridge Over Troubled Waters..."
I Heard That Old Song On The Radio Sunday Evening, Oct. 21st, And Immediately Thought About Bobbie....
It Was The Summer Of 1980, Jimmy Carter Was In His Last Few Months In The White House With Ronald Reagan Poised To Enter, Nearly 400 Americans Were Still Being Held Hostage At The American Embassy In Iran, And Wakefield Was Hosting Its First Stock Outboard Nationals. I Had Driven My Fiat X 1/9 From Seattle To Wakefield With My Dsh On Top(great Ride!) And Was Ready To Race!
"i Will Ease Your Mind..."
I Had Met And Talked To Bobbie Before At Florida Winter Races---a Quiet, Pretty Young Woman Of Only 22 At The Time, Who Seemed Distant But Not Aloof, Always Watching The World Going On About Her, With Her "uniform" Of Blue Jeans And Long Sleeve Flannel Shirts That She Always Seemed To Wear--even If It Was Hot!
For Some Reason---i Never Knew--she Was Unusually Stressed At Wakefield. Maybe It Was The Pressure Of A Stocker In A Mostly Pro Family Who Had Won Her Ash Divisionals And Was Expected To Do Well In The Nationals. So She Leaned On Me As A Calming Influence. I Don't Think That I Did A Very Good Job, However, Racing Wise. She Made Her Usual Great Starts But Was Passed Fairly Quickly By 'burners" On The Long Run To The First Turn----in Both Heats. Although Disappointed, She Blamed It On The Racer's Universal Excuse: "not Having The Right Props!"--but Was Much Calmer Afterwards And Enjoyed The Rest Of The Nationals Experience.
And We Became Better Friends, Talking About Everything Imaginable, Exploring The Michigan Backroads In The Convertible While Singing Along To My "bridge..." Tape, Taking Hikes Along Various Trails Including One That Took Us All The Way To Lake Superior When The Wind Was Blowing The Races To A Halt, Watching The Races When It Wasn't! Just Hanging Out.
I Got To Appreciate The Person She Really Was And Wanted To Be: Very Family Oriented, A Loving Mother (to Jon And To Her Future Children)and Daughter; Someone Who Really Wanted To Help People, But Felt She Lacked The Training To Really Be Effective; And Her Dream Of Moving To The Northest, To Find Greater Seasonal Change And Cold.
But The Nationals Came To An End And We Each Headed Back To Our Separate Corners Of The Country. For Awhile, We Exchanged Letters, Writing About Racing And Children Mostly, And I Occassionally Sent Her Treasures From The North(pictures Of Custom Homes That I Had Designed And Built Or Giant Pine Cones From Pacific Forests That Could Amaze Someone Who Had Lived Her Life In Florida But Wanted To Move North. We Talked Briefly Again At Ocoee In '84. I've Always Felt A Little Guilty That I Didn't Keep Up With Her. I Knew That She Had Married And Had Other Children As She Told Me She Would; And Fulfilled Another Dream By Finally Moving North To Massachusetts.
I Never Knew That She Was Sick Until Another Racer Sent Me A Note About Her Passing. Maybe That Old Song The Other Night Was Her Way Of Saying Goodbye Just Hours Before She Was Gone.
"sail On Silver Girl; Sail On By."
With Shared Sorrow To Her Family And Other Friends For Their Great Loss....BILL RUSSELL(2*R)

[racer121M]

I didn't know Bobbie Eldredge although I had heard of her through the HR message board and was saddened to read of her passing a few days ago. Now, thanks to Bill's beautifuly crafted tribute I feel that I knew her (at least a little). It isn't often that part of a person's personality can be so sensitively captured in print. Thank you Bill for "introducing" me. I'm sure her family found strength in reading your words.