[Vision2020] Goodbye my dear friend

[Joan Opyr]

Dear Chris,

I'm so very sorry.  I've written a brief tribute to Phil and put it up 
on New West; it's the lead article on the Northern Idaho node today.  I 
think Phil would have liked that.  But what he would like even more, 
perhaps, are loads of comments and reminiscences about him.  And so, 
Visionaries, you might consider logging onto New West (www.newwest.net) 
and posting your tributes, comments, arguments (since Phil liked 
those), and observations about this very interesting, very complicated 
man.  I'd love to see a comment chain so long it takes hours to read.  
Phil deserves that; he really does.

I'm going to miss Phil.  He was one of those guys that you find 
yourself liking in spite of your initial (and firm!) determination not 
to.  I remember thinking when Phil and I finally met in person, "How 
could I be having such a lot of fun with a damned Republican?"  And yet 
I did.  I did indeed.

A damned Democrat,
Joan

Joan Opyr
Northern Idaho Editor
New West Magazine
www.newwest.net
www.joanopyr.com

On 3 Mar 2006, at 12:24, Chris Storhok wrote:

>
> To all of you,
> As most of you may have known Phil and I were close friends.  As I sit 
> and type this out my heart aches for his family, his sons, Marian, and 
> his parents.  
> Rarely in life do we get the pleasure of meeting a person like Phil. 
>  He was a one of a kind person who truly cared.    I am so glad that 
> many of you have gotten to know Phil and have a beer or two with him. 
>   He respected all of you, he may not have agreed with you but he did 
> respect you.  
>  
> When Phil moved to Moscow in 2001 he came into town with the best of 
> ideals, he came with passion, hope, and a dream of prosperity for 
> north central Idaho.  He spoke of the joy that under-funded schools 
> will receive mineral royalties from the clay project.   He loved the 
> idea of using his talents to restore the Potlatch River to a major 
> salmon spawning ground in much the same way that he worked to restore 
> tributaries of the Salmon River.
>  
> Many of you would point out Phil's short comings; he loved it and 
> lived for it.  Last week when him and I talked for a while he 
> expressed the thrill of debate with many of you, especially Wayne, 
> Tom, and Nick.  This V2020 list serve was very special to him, and you 
> all meant so much to him.   Joan, thanks for getting to know Phil and 
> allowing him to write on New West.  I know when he first read your 
> work he was challenged by you, your stance on many issues forced him 
> to look inside himself and re-examine much of his political and 
> personal thoughts.  
>  
> Mark, I am so glad that you and Phil were able to work together again, 
> no matter what side of the isle you were on, he respected you very 
> deeply and truly loved the challenge you brought to bear. Thanks.
>  
> I know personally Phil always challenged me to dig deeper, examine the 
> situation, and strive for a better solution.  An evening of beer of 
> Mingles was a treat for me, and usually I had to lead Phil home. 
>   Dang it Phil, you were way to young bud.....    
>  
> He was a lover of Idaho, it people, its history, and its future.   He 
> loved Moscow and I have a feeling that he was comfortable dying there. 
>  
>  
> To my best friend,
> Shalom
>  
> Chris
>  
>  
> Chris Storhok
> North Pole, AK

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