167 entries.
I remember the anticipation we all felt 4 yrs ago when John was coming to San Diego for the first time. We had heard so much about him from Tom and Linda that we all felt as if we already knew him. We knew of his struggles with fighting cancer and spending months in a hospital room and we just wanted to give him the best time possible. We spoiled him so much in a week, that he went home to Virginia and came back again the following week with his girlfriend Cynthia and then again and again because as John use to say "San Diego was paradise."
There are no words to describe the sadness that I felt when I heard John passed away. As a parent myself, my heart goes out to Johns parents for their loss and unimaginable pain they must be feeling. I hope they can find some comfort in reading the beautiful tributes said about John on this site. They are a true testament to his character and through their gift of John, he enriched the lives of all of those that he came in contact with.
My heart also goes out to Cynthia, who I had the pleasure of meeting many times. Cynthia, you are in my thoughts and prayers at this time. Last but not least, to Tom and Linda, thank you for giving me the opportunity to know John through his many visits out to San Diego. I know how special he was to you guys and my deepest condolences to you both as well.
Whenever I think of John, I will always remember his positive upbeat attitude he had in spite of all he was going through. I will also never forget the eternal smile that he had on his face every time I interacted with him. It was a true honor to know him.
There are no words to describe the sadness that I felt when I heard John passed away. As a parent myself, my heart goes out to Johns parents for their loss and unimaginable pain they must be feeling. I hope they can find some comfort in reading the beautiful tributes said about John on this site. They are a true testament to his character and through their gift of John, he enriched the lives of all of those that he came in contact with.
My heart also goes out to Cynthia, who I had the pleasure of meeting many times. Cynthia, you are in my thoughts and prayers at this time. Last but not least, to Tom and Linda, thank you for giving me the opportunity to know John through his many visits out to San Diego. I know how special he was to you guys and my deepest condolences to you both as well.
Whenever I think of John, I will always remember his positive upbeat attitude he had in spite of all he was going through. I will also never forget the eternal smile that he had on his face every time I interacted with him. It was a true honor to know him.
Dear Cynthia,
I remember the week you and John came to San Diego and stayed with us at the Marriott Marina... and the surprise party that we had for him...We all got so happy to see him smiling... I had a blast that night.
I am here for you and I admire you very much for everything you did and went thru for and with him. I really think you are both unique and very special.
You both have place in my heart forever.
I love you very much and miss you. I know you are a very strong woman and John wants you to be happy,so please try to do that for him. He is in my thoughts and in my prayers.
Love,
Ali
I remember the week you and John came to San Diego and stayed with us at the Marriott Marina... and the surprise party that we had for him...We all got so happy to see him smiling... I had a blast that night.
I am here for you and I admire you very much for everything you did and went thru for and with him. I really think you are both unique and very special.
You both have place in my heart forever.
I love you very much and miss you. I know you are a very strong woman and John wants you to be happy,so please try to do that for him. He is in my thoughts and in my prayers.
Love,
Ali
Dear Mary and John, word just reached us that LJ's battle was over, and we all feel such anguish for your tremendous loss.
I've been reading the comments, and like several of the writers, I did not really get to know LJ on a personal level. This is primarily due to distance. But you are so dear to me, and I have followed the saga through updates between our families. Your loss saddens us deeply.
My most solid visual memory of John is as a baby boy, looking over his daddy's shoulders while he was being carried by big John, and I followed behind. I can still see that beautiful face and remember so clearly looking into the smiling eyes of little John Whitney Rust, Jr.
However, I've heard so much about LJ, the young man in these recent years. I've heard stories and seen pictures-- and I have been so inspired at how well he has handled all of this, and at how much he chose to enjoy life to the fullest as long as he could. That is a tremendous legacy that I think has affected many people, and will continue to do so whenever any one of us faces trials of any magnitude.
My impression of John is that he not only loved life (and loved skiing, and loved bass fishing, not neccesarily in that order), but that he had wisdom, acceptance and maturity beyond his years.
His story has definitely had an impact on me. Some may take a point of view that the cancer defeated him, but by the way he lived out his days, I'd say that John ran the race well, crossed the finish line, and won!
John and Mary, I hope and pray that the pain of your loss will soon give way to the joy of the memories you cherish, peace in the knowledge that he no longer suffers, and gratitude for the time that you shared with him.
Cynthia, we've never met you, but we are so very thankful that you were there with him through the journey, and we are sorry for this tremendous loss to you, as well.
God bless you all-- John, Mary, Cynthia, Julie, and all the aunts, uncles, cousins and other loved ones who share in the loss of LJ. You remain in our hearts, in our thoughts and in our prayers.
Love,
Clint, Christine and Willie
I've been reading the comments, and like several of the writers, I did not really get to know LJ on a personal level. This is primarily due to distance. But you are so dear to me, and I have followed the saga through updates between our families. Your loss saddens us deeply.
My most solid visual memory of John is as a baby boy, looking over his daddy's shoulders while he was being carried by big John, and I followed behind. I can still see that beautiful face and remember so clearly looking into the smiling eyes of little John Whitney Rust, Jr.
However, I've heard so much about LJ, the young man in these recent years. I've heard stories and seen pictures-- and I have been so inspired at how well he has handled all of this, and at how much he chose to enjoy life to the fullest as long as he could. That is a tremendous legacy that I think has affected many people, and will continue to do so whenever any one of us faces trials of any magnitude.
My impression of John is that he not only loved life (and loved skiing, and loved bass fishing, not neccesarily in that order), but that he had wisdom, acceptance and maturity beyond his years.
His story has definitely had an impact on me. Some may take a point of view that the cancer defeated him, but by the way he lived out his days, I'd say that John ran the race well, crossed the finish line, and won!
John and Mary, I hope and pray that the pain of your loss will soon give way to the joy of the memories you cherish, peace in the knowledge that he no longer suffers, and gratitude for the time that you shared with him.
Cynthia, we've never met you, but we are so very thankful that you were there with him through the journey, and we are sorry for this tremendous loss to you, as well.
God bless you all-- John, Mary, Cynthia, Julie, and all the aunts, uncles, cousins and other loved ones who share in the loss of LJ. You remain in our hearts, in our thoughts and in our prayers.
Love,
Clint, Christine and Willie
I think of you often, and you will always be with us in our hearts in our memories. A gentle and loving spirt. As I look at the empty boat in the sunset I know you have gone on to another shore where one day we will all meet again..
I had the pleasure of meeting John in Zapata Texas while he was fishing Falcon.
When I first met him, I realized that all of us have some problems at times. But when you compare them to the battle that John faced, it makes our issues minor in comparison.
John, I enjoyed meeting you in December, and I hope you'll be the first to greet me when I too make that final journey.
When I first met him, I realized that all of us have some problems at times. But when you compare them to the battle that John faced, it makes our issues minor in comparison.
John, I enjoyed meeting you in December, and I hope you'll be the first to greet me when I too make that final journey.
What a blessing that John's life journey brought him through my life. Our friends had so much fun helping plan the great fishing adventure for Phil & John as they journeyed South with stops in Bama, Mississippi, Houston, Corpus Christi and even a storybook Christmas on Lake Falcon. Those who helped plan each new day of surprises were like little kids anxiously waiting on someone to open the next gift.
John made lots of new friends, got loads of cool fishing toys, fished legendary bass waters with generous guides and gained a huge fan base who begged for the chance to help fulfill his dream of fishing the South. My favorite part was the few days they spent in my home...and sitting up at night as he and Phil relived that day's fishing experiences.
It’s good to be reminded from time to time of our own mortality…otherwise we tend to get engulfed in the urgency of the moment and lose sight of the things that really matter….the things that last beyond this life.
Thanks for raising such a fine young man. He made his mark on many folks down South. On my desk stands a framed photo of Phil & John each holding a nice Falcon Lake bass. It brings a new smile every time I see it.
God bless you!
Jerry deBin
John made lots of new friends, got loads of cool fishing toys, fished legendary bass waters with generous guides and gained a huge fan base who begged for the chance to help fulfill his dream of fishing the South. My favorite part was the few days they spent in my home...and sitting up at night as he and Phil relived that day's fishing experiences.
It’s good to be reminded from time to time of our own mortality…otherwise we tend to get engulfed in the urgency of the moment and lose sight of the things that really matter….the things that last beyond this life.
Thanks for raising such a fine young man. He made his mark on many folks down South. On my desk stands a framed photo of Phil & John each holding a nice Falcon Lake bass. It brings a new smile every time I see it.
God bless you!
Jerry deBin
I was one of the lucky individuals to be able to participate in John and Phil's fishing trip of a lifetime. John and Phil visited Rockport, Texas on their way to Lake Falcon and the short time that I and a co-worker spent with John and Phil will forever be remembered and has made a lasting impression on my life.
John is a saint, he has spread his wings, he touched all our hearts with his present and smile.
I wish you well on your new
journey, you are one of a kind,We will see you in our dreams.Your spirit will live on forever.
I wish you well on your new
journey, you are one of a kind,We will see you in our dreams.Your spirit will live on forever.
Wow i've known john since we played little league together. Never got to know him as well later in middle and high school. Always knew him as a good guy though, seemed to always have a smile on his face. He'll be dearly missed by everyone, worlds not as bright a place without him.
I was lucky to know John these last four years. Our relationship was borne of the whirwind of his disease, my memories of him are of his deep love of nature, his wisdom in appreciating what is valuable in life and his generous good spirit. His journey was shorter than most but his reach was far. Thank you John.
what a great loss it breaks ones heart, and he will live forever in our memories
It was a pleasure meeting John. I'm sure he was an inspiration to all that met him, his spirit and strength are always something that I will strive towards as a person, and something that will always inspire me. He always had a smile on his face, and if he were in pain you would have never known it. It was a pleasure having him here at the hotel with his fiance, Uncle Tom, and Aunt Linda. We had many great chats over chocolate chip cookies and great vies of Coronado. I remember he loved Reggae music and I really wished he were at the Ziggy Marley concert I was at last week. He sure would have enjoyed it. You sure will be missed John, and your memory will live on in all of us.
Chris
Chris
John was such a remarkable blending of his parents. He had Mary's tenacity and John's quirkiness. But he also seemed to have all of their good features. And those he put to good use. He loved his parents and Virginia but craved his independence. Just as his parents carved out their perfect home, he and Cynthia probably would have done the same thing probably in Utah. LJ did not live a conventional life and he was all the better for it. I knew him as a boy and even babysat him occasionally. I saw him every Christmas for years. I loved him and I will always miss him. My love and sympathy to Cynthia, John and Mary.
As of today (9/19/2009) there has been 21,622 page views and 2,727 visits to this website. That means a lot of people are coming here and spending time to go through this site, read the essays, view the pictures and listen to the music that John loved.
Thanks to everyone for your support
Thanks to everyone for your support
I never met John, but Aunt Linda an Uncle Tom have told me so much about him. When I found out he died, I felt so bad. I Give my sympathy to all who knew him. I hope he is happy now that all his suffering is over. I hope he is now in happier place and that he is looking down at all of us today.
I did not really know john all that well, but i felt like i did from all the nice things i heard about him from linda and tom. i have linda and tom's wedding piture with my sons and john in the wedding party. they were all just young boys then and no one would ever have believed that this would have happened to john. i just want to express my sincere condolences to all of john's family and especially tom who had a very special relationship with him. i genuinely feel that with all of his suffering, john is truly in a better place.
When I think about my nephew, I inevitably recall his enviable passion for life. His quest for a career in ski racing, his love of fishing, and the richness of his friendships; in these, he accomplished more of what is fundamentally important in life than many of us do in a longer lifetime. His friends, particularly Philip Kreutzer, his true love, the very special and remarkable Cynthia, and his passion for ski racing that he so loved so much and excelled in - and, in all these things, the love and devotion of his parents, John and Mary
I don't really know what to say. I went to elementary school and middle school with a good friend john rust. we played baseball together as well. i still think of him as nails like josh (G-Man) said in his input. we lost touch when i left school as i did with most old friends. I am deeply saddened by what happened and even more sad that i didnt know john as a man like i knew him as a boy. although he always seemed rather grown up. i will miss him and the memories i did have. my favorites being the summers he'd come up to the dock on his boat and just say hey. Ill miss you Nails.
-Stu (Soup)
-Stu (Soup)
It is difficult to put into words the sorrow I feel for all of you. I new Little John as a young boy and after looking at all of the pictures, reading John's essay and all of the wonderful things said about him I feel that I truly missed knowing a very special person. My thoughts and prayers are with the family. I must say that the photographs truly showed a very special person with a wonderful family, friends, and a beautiful women Cynthia.
May God bless you with his love and peace.
Our condolences. May God bless his soul.
I didn't know Little John very well personally, but from all the stories that my Aunt Linda and Uncle Tom have told me over the years, I feel like I've known him forever. I was so sad to hear the bad news and I wish to send my condolences to his whole family. He was such a special person, people like him don't come around very often. I'm just glad I had the honor of meeting him.
John:
Our condolences are with you and your family. We wish you peace.
Our deepest sympathies.
Our condolences are with you and your family. We wish you peace.
Our deepest sympathies.
My thoughts and prayers go out to you, your family, and your wife Cynthia. I am so greatful I had the chance meet and get to know you during my senior year at Brooke point HS. Without you there pushing me with your competative spirit. I would have never improved enough to be the tennis player I am today.
You will never be forgotten John Rust. Thank You.
You will never be forgotten John Rust. Thank You.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you Mary and John. What a wonderful spirit LJ had in living his life to fullest during his years with us. Love, Marty and Tom