Dear Weavers,

This message comes to you from Mary Scott. As many of you know, Russ Groff has been fighting fibroid tumors in his lungs for many years. He has finally passed away, peacefully, in his sleep on Sunday, January 3rd, 2010. This has been extremely difficult for Gary and I , since Russ spent a month with us at this time last year. He had requested no funeral. His reasoning was not what most folks would suspect, however. Practical, as always, he did not want someone who hardly knew him telling things about him to people who didn’t really know him and wished they were anywhere but a funeral!

As intelligent as he was, he never felt he was an “important” person. He used to tell me about people he felt were important, but he never felt worthy of any titles. In my observations, Russ rates right up there with the greatest of the great ones! He never lost his temper with me and I never heard him speak harshly about anyone else. The only times I ever saw him loose his temper was when someone was trying to take advantage of him.

His Pennsylvania/Lutheran background taught him humility, honesty, and generosity. He bought most of his clothes from Goodwill, insisted on natural fibers, admitted what few mistakes he made and donated more than he spent on himself to those who’s need he saw.

For the past year or so, every time we talked, I would ask how he was doing and he would tell me he didn’t know why, but he was still alive. He never got over the fact that Peter Collingwood got to go before he did. They were very good friends. I would try to assure Russ the good Lord just wasn’t ready for another weaver, yet. He’d laugh and say, “Well, I wish He’d hurry up!” It’s such a relief to know he is no longer in pain and doesn’t have to struggle for every breath anymore.

The book I tried so hard to get published before he passed is ready for the layout work. He was very pleased about that, but I really regret that he never got to see it in book form. He did get to see it on my computer, though, and was fascinated to see the drawdowns actually being “woven”. Russ didn’t own a computer. Shucks! He did all his math computations in his head! That’s just one of the things I’ll miss – being able to call him and find out what sett he would use for something like a 140/1 silk or how many ypp?

Russell loved Louis Lamoure westerns, watching good football games, chocolate with caramel centers, cabbage soup, baked sweet potatoes (loaded, of course!), yarns in every color and size, and weavers! How he loved being with the weavers! From learning to weave as rehab during WWII until just a couple of months ago, Russ loved weaving. He loved everything about weaving, but mostly he enjoyed being with other weavers.

When I asked him if there was anything he wanted me to do for him after he was gone, he said, “Be sure to thank all those weavers who sent me all those beautiful cards and letters. Some days I read them all over again.” He also wanted me to thank all of you who have helped me acquire necessary information for the other publications that will follow. As some of you know, when he was sent home to die quite a few years ago, he dissolved his business, sold what he could, and gave away or threw away tons of things he later wished he’d kept. We have things in place to continue his efforts to preserve and create more instructional tools for weavers. You weavers were his inspiration - the wind beneath his wings!

I think the Portland Guild is going to plan some sort of memorial to him. He considered them his home guild. Madelyn is preparing an article for the next issue of Handwoven. I haven’t heard from HGA, yet. But, if there is anyone who needs additional biographical information for the newsletter, let them know I will help with information for that, please. I’m not happy to be informing you about his death on email, but there are so many people to contact, I can’t possibly do all of this on the phone. Please forgive me for that.

Sincerely,

Mary Scott