Jump to content

Lost my son, friend, and fishing buddie


Recommended Posts

It is with heavy heart that I must tell you that my son, Ben Foley passed away this morning after a long battle with C.F. He was an avid angler, hunter,trapper and sportsman. He had a great respect for the outdoors and fair chase and started catch and releasefishing as early as 3 years old. Not that we did not keep some fish but he understood that the success of the day was not measured by the quantity of game bagged but by the experiences shared with friends and family. Ben got his first boat which was an old 1958 14 footer that he rigged with riggers and planer boards. That little boat had 22 rod holders! He asked me to fish the Red Cross Derby and I agreed. We trolled From Meyers point to AES and bagged a big rainbow off AES. I netted the fish and to my surprise the fish leaped out of the net. My heart sank but he said "father calm down, he is still on" and I netted him a second time for good. On inspection the fish was 28" long and I told Ben we had to get him to the weigh station as soon as possible. The problem was his boat only had a 5hp Honda and it took 2 hrs. to get back. He missed first place by 1 ounce but it was a still great day. Just like in "Jaws" We are going to need a bigger boat! Soon after I bought our boat "Quality Time" We spent countless hours in that boat over the next few years. It does not have as many rod holders as his old boat but we had some great memories in it. I hope you folks don't mind but I would like to share some pics of him! post-139482-0-36722700-1414015473_thumb.jpgpost-139482-0-63256900-1414015631_thumb.jpgpost-139482-0-64395400-1414015809_thumb.jpg Wes

post-139482-0-27430900-1414025710_thumb.jpg

Edited by quality time
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very sorry to hear of your loss I am glad you have so many great memories to hold on to. I will pray for you and your family to heal fast and strong so your life will get back to some normalcy which I am sure your son would want.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wes - our deepest sympathy goes out to you and your family.  It sounds as though Ben had a full life and that you shared some very enjoyable and important quality time together doing something you both loved. Your post is an inspiration to the rest of us to make the most  of our time together with our loved ones and friends....Thanks for sharing the pics they are real good reminders of what is really important in life. Les

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry for your loss. I had a best friend who had CF and passed away 33 years ago. We were 25 years old and like your son he was always doing his best to enjoy the outside with me when he could. I still miss the fun we had and he never complained and me either when sometimes I would have to literally carry him through some tough terrain.

Your son lives on in you and you will know he is there some times. God speed to your healing. ...

Mark

Cent frum my notso smart fone

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Condolances from the Port Of Rochester. To hear a young man passing at an early age is a tough thing. I'm glad to hear that he was a steward for the enviornment, the outdoors sports, as well as the NYstate Fishery. To say a picture is worth a thousand words is an understatement. A person can tell from the pics that you provided that anyone who had met your son is a better person after.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...