Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Our friend Dick Bennett has passed away

...I turn on the computer to check my emails and... damn...he and I were messaging back and forth Thursday evening, before I left work...

...my sincere condolences to his wife and family...his contributions to this site, and the hobby in general, are immeasurable...he was always ready and willing to help me out with any questions I had...I really, really hate that I never got to meet him in person...Rest in peace, DB...

In my short time on this site, I had very little interaction with DB. He went out of his way to offer me suggestions on where/how to find pumps in the wild, and even passed along a few eBay listings that were fairly close to my house.

His contribution to the hobby cannot be replaced, and his love for this site was boundless. In no way will I ever be able to replace any of the knowledge that this site lost with his passing. However, out of respect for his contributions, I am going to make a donation to help keep this place running, It's the least I can do.

Jeff

Just got on the site and couldn't believe the news. It is most obvious that Dick was a well respected gentleman on this site. I was blessed with an opportunity to visit with him at his home a few years ago and you could not find a more gracious host. His knowledge of gas pumps just amazed me and he was always willing to share with anybody. I could always send him an email with a "what is this part" and he would nail it every time.
Let us all remember that tomorrow is not promised to any of us. My heart goes out to his family and to Gas Pump Rob, his close friend.
God Bless Dick, you will be missed.
Tom.

Wow very saddened to hear this.. I chatted with him once when I first joined and he was very helpful and welcoming to the site. RIP DB..

The narratives where he included oldgas usernames into the stories were classics.

Dick and I had our differences, but you have to respect the man's incredible knowledge on all things petro.
The George Jones song "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes" comes to mind, but there is nobody evenly remotely capable of filling Dick's Shoes.
He was the Spark Plug that made the OldGas hit-n-miss engine go.
OG will never be the same...... RIP Dick.

When I joined the site back in 2008, I did not post for almost a year because I wanted to know who is who on the site.

It did not take me long to know several senior "Veteran members" & db was one of them. I was lost with all pump questions, especially, Tokheim 36 vs 36B vs. 36BDP.
I sent a PM that I wanted to talk to him about these pumps. db called me right away & explained in detail the differences & made it clear that 36BDP with "real" clock
are hard to find! I will never forget how organized db was when going over the history of Tokheim "computer" vs. "clock face".

I wish I had met db. I was hoping to meet db at last Escalon bash, but work would not allow me.

Thank you for all the education "professor".

R.I.P.

This outpouring of love and respect for DB reminds me of a funeral I attended years ago, where a man got up to speak. He stood up and said "Joe was my best friend, but from everything that's been shared today, it's obvious I was not his best friend"
Well, it's obvious DB has touched us all. I've known DB for many years. Not as many as some, but many. When my 20 year old grandson was 3 years old, he attended his first Roy Reed gas bash. DB made sure that the 3yr old didn't leave the show without his first oil can. He did the same for the next two grandsons that followed. DB was to be my wife's 1st phone call after I passed, to help her figure the best way to dispose of my collection. He would kid me all the time about being in my will, and I did the same with him. He was honest to a fault. Not one time have I heard of a "deal" gone bad where he was involved. He was not a braggard, however he did like to remind you that he had been playing this game for many, many years! When I learned of his passing, still in shock, my wife asked me, "so who are you going to call now?" "Who is going to rise up in his place on old gas?".......Dick you were not suppose to do this. Rest In Peace DB.

Though I have posted on this already, I keep going back and reading more responses.

It seems that many of us were having PM's going on with him when he died so hopefully he was enjoying coming up with another "DB" for one of us when he passed as he enjoyed sharing them so much.

This is VERY sad to hear. It really hits you when someone suddenly is called by the heavenly father. I will try my hardest with collecting, preserving and proceeding with the hobby as DB would want, RIP.
-Anthony.

rest in peace Dick.

Very sad news, condolences to his family and friends.

He was a great personality with lots of knowledge.

His contributions here will always be remembered.

Very sad news. Condolences to Judy, from another Judy.

I am shocked!
oldgas will never be the same without DB.

My condolences to his family.

Thank you for all your help over the years.

You will never be forgotten...

RIP my friend!

Oh no!!! Just an amazing guy, I enjoyed reading his posts and he was always there for helping out. DB you'll be missed!