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Thread: Ideas for non-geocaching related prayer requests, etc.

  1. #261
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Clarksville Arkansas
    Posts
    517
    Morgan, so sorry to hear about your Dad. Prayers.

  2. #262
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Cabot, AR
    Posts
    58
    I'm so sorry, too. Sending love...
    "When life gives you hands...make handmade!"

  3. #263
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Posts
    67
    Morgan and family are in our prayers. The Lord is with you during this time of loss. Keep those memories of you and your Dad close to your heart!

    Bob, of Cachecrazies, you are also in our prayers. I remember when we first met and the multiple JAKE events held in your neck of the woods. The Lord is with you during this time of loss.

  4. #264
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Clarksville Arkansas
    Posts
    517
    JoeGPS (aka Joe Armstrong) died. He was Arkansas' first Reviewer and those of us who knew him were proud to have called him friend. Not only was he Arkansas' first reviewer, but Tennessee, et al as well and he was one of the driving forces behind Geowoodstock and geocaching, making it what it is today. He will be missed by a host of geocachers.

  5. #265
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Posts
    571
    We didn't have the pleasure of knowing JoeGPS, but we are sending our sympathies and prayers to his family and friends.

  6. #266
    I was shocked and saddened by the news of Joe's passing. He was a great geocacher and promoter of the game. His hides were devious, although he was always willing to help out ... to a point! I first met him at the 2nd Clarksville event in January 2005. Later, he recruited me to be a volunteer reviewer in the Summer of 2006 and was my mentor as I learned the process for reviewing. To this day, I still use most of the review templates he provided for the notes I post on geocaches when I identify issues that prevent publishing. He will be missed.

    Following is some information about Joe that was shared with other reviewers today by The Seanachai, one of TN's volunteer reviewers:

    I come before you today with a heavy heart to report that Joe “JoGPS” Armstrong passed away quietly at his home this weekend. Joe’s health had deteriorated over the last few years, but he kept his spirits up and put on a brave front for the world. It was unexpected and we are still trying to process the shock. I feel like everyone here knows Joe, for better or worse, he was a polarizing figure, but he love for this game was only eclipsed by his love of the people in it.

    Joe’s contributions to Geocaching are nothing short of legendary, in fact, I am not even going to try to create a comprehensive list as I am sure I would leave many important things out. Still, I feel like it is important to recognize his service as one of the early volunteer reviewers under the name Tennessee Geocacher, which he later changed to Max Cacher. In addition to reviewing caches all over the world, he also moderated the Southeast and Benchmarking forums, a task that he continued after retiring from active reviewing in 2009.

    Joe was one of a kind, to say the least. He was my mentor in the geocaching world and it was a great honor for me to be his “chosen successor” as he used to jokingly refer to me. Of course, I am not alone in this, when we made the reviewer family tree at Obey a few years ago, Joe’s trunk had a great many branches. He was always quick to help out a fellow reviewer or fellow geocacher and he always spoke his mind, even when it hurt. I have often thought that Groundspeak only brought him on board as a reviewer because it was easier to have him on the team than to constantly fight his search for loopholes, even though he would claim that he actually blackmailed Hydee to get his golden ticket. I won’t bore you with the details, but when I read through the current guidelines, I see his dirty fingerprints in many places. What do you expect from a guy who hides a cache at every exhibit in a zoo, just because there is nothing that says he can’t. Even with all of his cantankerousness, he always had the best interests of the game at heart and I feel like he challenged us and Groundspeak to be better.

    As much as he gave to the game from behind the curtain, he really began his service to his fellow geocachers as a player. He founded the Middle Tennessee Geocachers Club in 2001, making it the second oldest geocaching group in the world, following the Georgia Geocachers Association’s lead. He never served as an officer, in fact he refused to, preferring a position as parks liaison. Which touches on some of his most lasting contributions to the game. Joe worked closely with many parks departments on the state and local level during his entire career, but his early works to create responsible geocaching policies with land managers created a template that many still follow today. In 2001, rather than accepting a ban on geocaches in Nashville’s MetroParks, Joe worked with them to create one of the first official Geocaching positive policies with a major metropolitan parks system. He then went on to replicate this geocaching-friendly system with Tennessee State Parks, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and TVA, and in doing so, helped to create a framework for parks policies across the country.

    You would think that those contributions would be enough, but most people have no idea just how much he influenced the early evolution of the game. Joe is known to most geocachers today for the creativity he exhibited in the caches he hid. When you think of great geocaches in the Southeast (or Brazil) you think of JoGPS, including the most favorited geocache in Tennessee, Geo Mojo 6: Shadow of the Titans (among many other highly-favorited caches) and the last remaining Project A.P.E cache. Not to worry, he laid out a plan to keep his caches alive after he was gone, so they won’t be disappearing anytime soon.

    Joe was a strong believer in geocaching events as the best way to build community within the game and I remember when I attended my very first event, that he was the first person to come over and shake my hand to make sure I knew I was welcome there. That was Joe, always extending a handshake and a welcome to the nervous newcomers. So it comes as no surprise that he was successful when he decided to create an event to bring together folks from several communities. In 2003, Joe put together GeoWoodstock, as a way to bring the “top” cachers from around the country together to share stories and ideas. That relatively small event grew to become the world’s first Mega-Event and it continues to travel across the US.

    As I said, it is not possible for me to recount everything that Joe has done for his fellow cachers or the game, but I hope that this incomplete list will do some justice to his contributions. He was a force of nature, willful, stubborn, but with a good heart and a love for this game and community that cannot be questioned. I hope that as you’ve read this, a few smiles crossed your face. I know many of you have your own stories to tell and memories to share, so I'll sign off with this thought.

    Joe wasn’t the first among us, he wasn't the best at communicating his ideas; but he held himself and the rest of us to a high standard as he explored many paths trying to find what the game would become. He played the game within the game like few others, and even if you didn’t like him, you had to respect him. He was truly an institution and we are diminished by his loss, but he leaves a great legacy within the game and many friends; and that, as the man himself would say, is “Too Cool”.

    There will be no funeral in accordance with his wishes, but his family will host a celebration of life this weekend for close friends and family. The Middle Tennessee Geocachers Club will host a memorial event in Nashville in the next few weeks.
    Also, For those of you who didn't know Joe personally, this video may help. It was filmed in July 2010. https://youtu.be/d1_T9jZ4Vm8

    Rest in peace in that Great Geowoodstock in the Sky, Joe!





    "Volunteering is for suckers. Did you know that volunteers don't even get paid for the stuff they do?" -- Homer Simpson

  7. #267
    I was shocked and saddened by the news of Joe's passing. He was a great geocacher and promoter of the game. His hides were devious, although he was always willing to help out ... to a point! I first met him at the 2nd Clarksville event in January 2005. Later, he recruited me to be a volunteer reviewer in the Summer of 2006 and was my mentor as I learned the process for reviewing. To this day, I still use most of the review templates he provided for the notes I post on geocaches when I identify issues that prevent publishing. He will be missed.

    Following is some information about Joe that was shared with other reviewers today by The Seanachai, one of TN's volunteer reviewers:

    I come before you today with a heavy heart to report that Joe “JoGPS” Armstrong passed away quietly at his home this weekend. Joe’s health had deteriorated over the last few years, but he kept his spirits up and put on a brave front for the world. It was unexpected and we are still trying to process the shock. I feel like everyone here knows Joe, for better or worse, he was a polarizing figure, but he love for this game was only eclipsed by his love of the people in it.

    Joe’s contributions to Geocaching are nothing short of legendary, in fact, I am not even going to try to create a comprehensive list as I am sure I would leave many important things out. Still, I feel like it is important to recognize his service as one of the early volunteer reviewers under the name Tennessee Geocacher, which he later changed to Max Cacher. In addition to reviewing caches all over the world, he also moderated the Southeast and Benchmarking forums, a task that he continued after retiring from active reviewing in 2009.

    Joe was one of a kind, to say the least. He was my mentor in the geocaching world and it was a great honor for me to be his “chosen successor” as he used to jokingly refer to me. Of course, I am not alone in this, when we made the reviewer family tree at Obey a few years ago, Joe’s trunk had a great many branches. He was always quick to help out a fellow reviewer or fellow geocacher and he always spoke his mind, even when it hurt. I have often thought that Groundspeak only brought him on board as a reviewer because it was easier to have him on the team than to constantly fight his search for loopholes, even though he would claim that he actually blackmailed Hydee to get his golden ticket. I won’t bore you with the details, but when I read through the current guidelines, I see his dirty fingerprints in many places. What do you expect from a guy who hides a cache at every exhibit in a zoo, just because there is nothing that says he can’t. Even with all of his cantankerousness, he always had the best interests of the game at heart and I feel like he challenged us and Groundspeak to be better.

    As much as he gave to the game from behind the curtain, he really began his service to his fellow geocachers as a player. He founded the Middle Tennessee Geocachers Club in 2001, making it the second oldest geocaching group in the world, following the Georgia Geocachers Association’s lead. He never served as an officer, in fact he refused to, preferring a position as parks liaison. Which touches on some of his most lasting contributions to the game. Joe worked closely with many parks departments on the state and local level during his entire career, but his early works to create responsible geocaching policies with land managers created a template that many still follow today. In 2001, rather than accepting a ban on geocaches in Nashville’s MetroParks, Joe worked with them to create one of the first official Geocaching positive policies with a major metropolitan parks system. He then went on to replicate this geocaching-friendly system with Tennessee State Parks, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and TVA, and in doing so, helped to create a framework for parks policies across the country.

    You would think that those contributions would be enough, but most people have no idea just how much he influenced the early evolution of the game. Joe is known to most geocachers today for the creativity he exhibited in the caches he hid. When you think of great geocaches in the Southeast (or Brazil) you think of JoGPS, including the most favorited geocache in Tennessee, Geo Mojo 6: Shadow of the Titans (among many other highly-favorited caches) and the last remaining Project A.P.E cache. Not to worry, he laid out a plan to keep his caches alive after he was gone, so they won’t be disappearing anytime soon.

    Joe was a strong believer in geocaching events as the best way to build community within the game and I remember when I attended my very first event, that he was the first person to come over and shake my hand to make sure I knew I was welcome there. That was Joe, always extending a handshake and a welcome to the nervous newcomers. So it comes as no surprise that he was successful when he decided to create an event to bring together folks from several communities. In 2003, Joe put together GeoWoodstock, as a way to bring the “top” cachers from around the country together to share stories and ideas. That relatively small event grew to become the world’s first Mega-Event and it continues to travel across the US.

    As I said, it is not possible for me to recount everything that Joe has done for his fellow cachers or the game, but I hope that this incomplete list will do some justice to his contributions. He was a force of nature, willful, stubborn, but with a good heart and a love for this game and community that cannot be questioned. I hope that as you’ve read this, a few smiles crossed your face. I know many of you have your own stories to tell and memories to share, so I'll sign off with this thought.

    Joe wasn’t the first among us, he wasn't the best at communicating his ideas; but he held himself and the rest of us to a high standard as he explored many paths trying to find what the game would become. He played the game within the game like few others, and even if you didn’t like him, you had to respect him. He was truly an institution and we are diminished by his loss, but he leaves a great legacy within the game and many friends; and that, as the man himself would say, is “Too Cool”.

    There will be no funeral in accordance with his wishes, but his family will host a celebration of life this weekend for close friends and family. The Middle Tennessee Geocachers Club will host a memorial event in Nashville in the next few weeks.
    Also, For those of you who never met Joe or didn't know him personally, this video may help. It was filmed in July 2010. https://youtu.be/d1_T9jZ4Vm8

    Rest in peace in that Great Geowoodstock in the Sky, Joe!





    "Volunteering is for suckers. Did you know that volunteers don't even get paid for the stuff they do?" -- Homer Simpson

  8. #268
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Lower Arkansas
    Posts
    828
    Someone very close to me just received a devistating diagnosis. The doctor called and told then the news. Please say a prayer for our family.

  9. #269
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Hot Springs Village
    Posts
    864
    We will be praying for you & your family Justin!

  10. #270
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Posts
    571
    Justin, we're sending our prayers. Please let us know if we can do anything to help

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