Ron Black (l) and Eric Letzler (r)


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Ron Black, manager of the Denver Woodcraft store, passed away suddenly on December 9, 2008, at the age of 44.

I last saw Ron the week before he died, and he greeted me with a smile much like the one in the photo (that's Ron on the left with Eric Letzler, owner of the Denver Woodcraft store). Each time I walked into the store Ron would shout out "Hey Erik's here, double the prices!"

No matter how busy he was, Ron always took time to talk to the customers and never tired of teaching someone about woodworking. He was an avid woodturner and was directly responsible for getting me hooked on pen turning.

Ron may be gone, but his influence lives on in all the woodworkers he touched and inspired. I'll miss you buddy.