Passing of Andrew Kirby

[Denny]

sad news indeed...

[Terry McGee]

It's strange, because we don't know, many of us, what the folks
we're corresponding with here look like. And one
tends to create a mental image of that from reading
their posts.

Andrew, for me, was a large Falstaffian
figure with a pot belly, red cheeks, and dark eyes
that darted a bit wildly this way and that. The pictures
Sven kindly posted above reveal an ordinary, nice looking fellow,
looks just like anybody else.

Those of us who had reason to talk to him (or perhaps more accurately, listen to him!) will always recall his voice with pleasure - a booming Santa Claus of a voice. When he mentioned his background in the law, I imagined the character who played Rumpole of the Bailey (was it Leo McKern perhaps?)

When he would ring it was usually morning here in Australia, so late at night for him. Expecting to be on the phone for an hour I'd take the wireless phone out into the garden - he was intrigued by the bird noises he would hear. One day I was surrounded by a flock of cockatoos - big white birds with a raucous cry - wheeling and scrarking so loudly I could sometimes hardly hear Andrew. He was astonished, and asked me about them often in later calls. Do they eat a lot of flutes? he might ask. Have they taken many of the children?

I miss his calls. It would have been a good time for him to ring - the cockies are scrarking this morning.

Terry

[Jayhawk]

Truly a loss for us all...I've missed him on the forum, and the few emails we exchanged were simultaneously warm, witty, and full of personality.

Eric

[Whistlin'Dixie]

It is strange, in these modern times to know someone so well, from email and a few phone calls, never meeting him in person, (though he did consider flying out with Chris Wilkes to Mary’s party in Texas, and offering to fly me there also to meet.)
His photos are just as I imagined he would look.

I was so hoping he would make it!

Meeting Andrew was something I really truely thought would happen one day.
Now that won't happen, and I am so deeply saddened.

I can't believe how I feel I knew him just from correspondences over the internet. I always got the biggest kick out of some of his outrageous posts.... And I looked forward to hearing from him when he emailed me.

A fine, kind man, I'll miss him so much.

Mary

[anniemcu]

Sad to say I didn't know him, but I can tell that he impressed some good folks. May his memory grow in the world.

[pandscarr]

So sorry to hear that Andrew's passed on. I knew he was poorly, but he had soldiered on for so long that I didn't expect it now.

Wonderful to see the pictures - he looks just like I expected.

He once wrote to me that he regretted he couldn't play all of his lovely flutes as well as he would like - perhaps that will change in eternity.

Pamela

[glinjack]

Shocked to hear of his passing, i knew he was ill but i did'nt expect this,
may he rest in peace.

[treeshark]

Just to chime in with what others have said. Very sad news.

[Henke]

I tried unsuccessfully a few times to reach him via email lately .....and had his home phone number on my desk waiting for me to call.....in the past couple weeks. I sensed something had happened.

I'll miss him.

dm

I hadn't been in contact with him for several months, but I think it acctually was last thuesday I suddenly came to think of it, I need to get hold of him.
I tried e-mail him a few times on a couple of different adresses, and I thought about calling him to check, but I wrote a thread here to ask for a current e-mail adress instead just before I heard these news.
Andrew was a great man with a very strong spirit, and I think he affected everyone he was in contact with in a great way. I'm very sad that he had to go now, truly a great loss for us all.

[Steampacket]

I'm very sorry indeed to hear that Andrew has passed away. I only had contact with him via e-mail, and a mutual interest in Chris Wilkes' instruments. I didn't know he was so ill. I always found him to be highly entertaining, and underneath his sometimes crusty exterior found him to be a very kind, and extremely knowledgeable man. My condolences to his family and friends. He will be missed

[Cathy Wilde]

A brilliant, passionate, thinking man whose love for flutes -- not to mention spirited discourse about them -- made an indelible mark on many, many people.

God and universe bless you, Andrew. And as sorry as I am for your passing, it's good to know you're finally free.

[jim stone]

http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php ... t=proclaim

The whole thread.

[treeshark]

Certainly the first mention of the violation of gnomes in chiff I'll warrent!

[phcook]

Very sad news; He was very helpful and patient when I called him from France, trying to buy an antique flute, and always with an exquisite courtesy.

Great man indeed.

[daveogden]

What sad news. Thanks for posting the photos of Andy, Sven. I was looking forward to meeting Andy for the first time on my trip to London next year. When I last spoke with him about 6 weeks ago we had talked about my trip and he'd said something like "I look forward to seeing you, if I live that long." I thought he was joking. He'd called me up to see if I was interested in buying any of his flutes, and there were so many I wasn't sure where to start! He was always so funny to talk with on the phone, he'd be off on an entirely unrelated subject in a heartbeat. He knew an enormous amount about all sorts of esoteric subjects, from groundbreaking medical research to antique silver. We mostly talked about flutes, of course. I first met him when I'd posted an ad on the old WFE "flutes wanted" page looking for a Pratten's Perfected. Andy said Chris Wilkes had kidnapped his and wouldn't give it back so he might as well sell it to me. I met Chris in the process of buying the flute, and between the two I'd get such a wonderful picture of life in old England. Andy was colorful, interesting, highly intelligent and a lot of fun. His passing is a loss for us all. Rest peacefully, my friend.

---------
Dave