The upside of having played bridge for many years is a myriad of fascination and fun, tons of great bridge stories, and truly amazing friends.
The downside is the sadness when we lose one of those friends.
Brian Weikle, Russ Weikle's son, sent me an email today with the news that Russ died this morning. After years of battling Alzheimers, Russ' fight finally ended.
I am sharing Brian's caring words about his dad here - and also a remembrance from long time friend, partner and teammate, Ron DeHarpporte.
Many of us have fine stories about Russ, and I have a special one of my own. Though Russ and I were not frequent partners, we did play now and then - especially when I was in my more "formative years." More years ago than I care to recall, Russ did the honor of playing in a Duluth sectional with a then non-Life Master ... and after our game, Russ had done his all to help me win my Life Master status!
Goodbye, Russ. You had a positive, wide ranging and always entertaining impact on bridge in Minnesota! You will be missed by many.
My father passed away this morning at the age of 81. He had been suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease for several years and his condition took a sharp turn for the worse in the past few months. I am very grateful for all the support, thoughts, and prayers that have been expressed to me by the bridge community during this difficult time.
The funeral will probably be early next week; I will pass along details as I have them. Thanks to you all.
Brian Weikle
[email protected]
Fifty seven years ago this month, Russ Weikle, Dave Setterholm, Hugh McLean, and I cut classes at the University of Minnesota and went down to the Leamington Hotel to play in our first Regional tournament. It was a specially awarded Regional to celebrate the Centennial of Minnesota’s statehood. I remember walking in and seeing what seemed like hundreds of tables ready for play – probably the high point of attendance for MN bridge tournaments. We did not come close to winning an event, but we did capture a few “red points.” They were only awarded at regionals; we were all hooked!
Russell was one of my favorite partners and we played as partners and team mates for many years. Some would say that he could be a difficult partner and I would be the first to say that he was not shy about suggestions of how his partner might have made a better play or bid. Nevertheless, I truly enjoyed played with him, and Russ and I won many events over the years.
There are an endless number of stories involving Russ at the bridge table. And there was no one better at telling bridge stories about himself and others than Russell. But one of the best stories is only tangentially about bridge.
Russell was a pretty good tennis player. He often played Art Weimer, who had been the State Amateur champion, in mornings prior to bridge at out-of-town tournaments. One day after I knew the two had played, I asked Russell how he had done against Art. He said that he had lost but only 6-3, 6-3. Since Art was so good, I thought that was not bad at all.
Later that day, when playing against Art at the tournament, I told him that I heard that Russell had given him a pretty good game, winning 6 games in two sets. Art smiled and asked if Russell had reported that he had been spotted 3 games a set!
Russell suffered a long time with Alzheimers. But those of us who have been around awhile will remember him as a director, teacher, and fine player for whom bridge was an important part of life. In many ways, Russ contributed a lot to our game.
Ron DeHarpporte