Rick Bowles Passes

Sad news to report, Rick Bowles passed away yesterday.

A special talent and Randall knowledge lost for all of us!

The main thing is to keep a good memory of him

his removal from this forum was always a mystery to me...

:-)Rocky

Would I be out of line if I post a picture of two of my knives that hold my memory of Rick?

Steve
I say go for it

Someone's power trip...

Heartbreak. RIP Rick. Your legacy will live on.

Tragic news. Prayers for his family.

Pap

I have a lot of his knives.I never met a randall that I didn't like.may he rest in peace.

The ranks are thinning.

These are my memory of Rick...

So sad to hear this! May GOD bless his family and give them strength and comfort.

Ugh….sorry to hear this. A true artist.

His legacy is all part of the history of Randall Made Knives.
May he RIP..

Well said, Michael. I agree. He was always helpful when I had questions (as is all the others here).
Walker

RIP Rick Bowles. Prayers for his family and friends.

Joining the group to pay my respects to Rick Bowles, his art, his love of country, his love of Randalls, and the incalculable contribution he made to the history of Randall Made knives.

To be sure, Rick was a world-class artist with a world-class artist's temprement, sometimes a bit of a curmudgeon, but always a man of honor, integrity and a patriot. You might not always have agreed with him, but if he said something, you knew he meant it. Rick was never reluctant to let you know where he stood.

Rick was very much a Renaissance man. In addition to his art, he was an accomplished musician and played guitar in a band for many years. He was an adamant supporter of our military and the men and women in uniform who served our country. You may recall the Randall Special Fighters group he organized here on the Forum to support individual warriors and groups of warriors.

Rick loved his wife Kim very deeply and always spoke of her lovingly, with respect and admiration. His was very proud of his daughter Quincy,a commissioned officer and Naval Aviator now serving aboard one of our aircraft carriers at sea, and his son Garrick, retired from the military after serving as a special operator in the brown water Navy and as a police officer with the Virginia Beach Police. When Rick passed he was with Kim, Quincy and his sister-in-law Misty.

Rick was my friend for 30+ years, I valued his friendship, am saddened by his loss, and will miss him.

Doug

That is a great tribute to a friend and a person who is part of the RMK history.

Doug,
great to hear from you!!!

:-)Rocky

Thank you very much, Doug!

I bought 4 or 5 knives from Rick and he was always a pleasure to deal with. When I bought my Bowles Special from him, it came without a thong hole which I had ordered. He insisted that I send it back to him so that he could get it right. He didn’t for one second try to convince me to like it as it was.

I once talked to Rick on the phone for 6 hours. We talked about everything from the evolution of his dealer special to Striper fishing out on Chesapeake Bay. We talked about his family of which he was indeed very proud of. We talked about his art which turned out to be extremely interesting.

As a non artistically person, I was curious about how he learned how to do the spectacular scrimshaw of which he is so famous. In a very humble manner, he explained that it was truly a “gift” from God, and that was it. He also talked about how in each scrim, there was something “hidden”, and sometimes more than one thing. He told me that in a couple of his scrims, there were things, that to his knowledge, nobody had ever discovered.

I severely regret that I didn’t talk to him more often. He knew so much about things that I did not. I always spent many days afterward reflecting on the conversation. He was truly a gift for me to get to know and I will cherish our talks forever.

Coach

I never did any trading with Rick, I messaged with him once or twice, never met him. Regardless, the Randall community is lesser now for his passing. His artistry is undeniable. It's a shame, my heart goes out to Kim, Quincy, and Garrick.

Well said Silverknife…..I’m sure Rick would have been very appreciative of your comments.

May Rick Rest In Peace and know that he will live on through his wonderful art.

Tony

Rick stood by me when many wouldn't. He was a man of principles.

I wanted to report what seems to be the underlying current by the plebs on the fb pages relative to this unfortunate situation. It seems most are only concerned with a mystical price increase so they can whore out their shit.

Whatever you thought of Rick, and he ruffled a few feathers now and again, he was from my experience honest. He had a huge influence in the Randall collecting community, was a helluvan artist, and had a good knowledge of many things RMK.

It is in extremely poor taste that folks discount his contribution to the hobby and seem only concerned about making a few extra dollars off his name.

For the record, I have been informed the shop has not spoken to Kim since Rick's passing, so whether or not there will be any more Rick Bowles Skinners is unknown at this time. She has the option to keep the dealership, and what she chooses to do remains to be seen.

interesting for sure!! I don't have one of his grinds, they do not appeal to me....It comes as no surprise to me the depths of humanity some folks will seek....

:-)Rocky

It’s not just FB Joe:
Remember, the same thing happened when Rhett passed away.
“For sale, from the Stidham Collection”

Yes, you are correct, but I am not certain we had fb then, and if so, no "groups" like there is now.

You would need to go to the psych ward if you paid anything close to that for the sheath you posted

https://vacremationsociety.com/obituary/ricky-l-bowles/

for those who knew him

Peter

Thank you Peter

X 2
Thank-You Peter...

X 3
Thank you, Peter.