The Passing Of Bob Hudson, USMF Founder

[KASTAUFFER]

Rest in peace Bob.  Enjoyed our many chats. I wish I had gotten to meet you in person.

 

Kurt

[aerialbridge]

I never met him but thank him for fostering this wonderful resource for collectors and history preservation.  Hopefully his legacy will thrive for many years.

[Your local M1 Garand]

He did so much and was a great person, rest in piece.

[USARV72]

Rest in peace Bob, you will be missed. Sad that many of the founders have passed.

[Bugme]

I am so saddened by this loss, not only to this community, but more so to his family. He is the third Admin we have lost on this forum including Craig Pickrall and Greg Robinson along with moderators Gary Mohrlang and Bob Gill. They were here right from the beginning. For those who didn't know Bob, he was the face of this forum when it began and the one who did the most to see this forum happen. You will be missed my friend.

[zk4298militaria]

I never knew him, but his memory and what he helped create will live on to help the new collectors that follow. Rest in peace

[Brian Dentino]

RIP Bob.  So MANY amazing members, Admins, and experts in the last year/two/three!  Sad to see some of these "old veterans" of this hobby of ours passing on now!  Makes me feel older for sure but will cherish the learning, transactions, and conversations I have had with some of these OG collectors from the days before the online gig.  Still miss my friend and passed member Robin.  Loved talking to them, but lots of real gems still around and active.  All who have passed that made this site what it is:  Pickrall, Robinson, Mohrlang and now Bob!  Still have some giants in the field here though so don't doubt going forward we are still in good hands.  RIP Bob, and thanks for helping found this awesome page and group of people to help me along the way.

[MAW]

Never met him in person, but always enjoyed talking with him online.  God bless him and his family…he was a good man.

[ADMIN]

Super good man and friend.  We spent many a night cooking up the crazy idea of an online forum for collectors of US militaria.  Thinking of it makes me chuckle.  We really didn’t think it would succeed at first, but Craig Pickrall and Greg Robinson were certain.  Then one night we thought “why not!”  Bob got a little free website host for the forum and I did the design and coding - off we went.  That free host forum (Yahoo!) lasted less than a month before we got so many users that we overloaded the server!   Bob had an announcer voice and a way with words.  So he easily talked me into more hours of coding and designing on a “real server.”  I guess the rest is history.  The fact I’m posting here and we all get to see people enjoy something that Bob, Craig, Greg, and I created gave both Bob and I immense joy. 

 

I hated he had to suffer like he did.  Thankfully he is now healed and pain free.  He will always be so greatly missed.  My thoughts and prayers go out to all of his friends and family.

 

Chris

ADMIN

[CROC]

Rest in Peace Bob, thanks so much for everything, your messages were always a rainbow.

Adieu mon ami et merci 

LtCol(Ret) Yves "Croc" LE CLAIR

[RustyCanteen]

It's difficult to fit everything that made Bob special to so many, into a single post. I first became acquainted with Bob through another forum roughly 20 years ago. He was a fantastic picker, often pulling out museum quality artifacts from the families and veterans themselves. In fact he'd often meet with them in person, sometimes over a cup of coffee. He was a friendly soul, and well developed through a lifetime of experiences. He once worked in the radio industry, and interviewed Bob Hope via the telephone in a 'scoop'. Bob's voice was a that of a radio personality, it really made an impression on me the first time I heard it. He had a kind heart too, as many who knew him can attest. 

 

I have been thinking of Bob a lot, and keeping him and his wife and son in my thoughts and prayers, and will continue to do so through this difficult time. Bob is a man whose shoes can never be filled. 

 

I know it brought some pride to Bob that so many of his finds adorn collections worldwide. 

Rest in peace Bob, your presence will be greatly missed - but the memories you shared with us will live on. 

RC

 

 

[Salvage Sailor]

Yet Bob lives on via his YouTube channel and the videos of his finds he made to share with us.

 

 

BobHudsonVideo

 

 

Bob Hudson's Military Tribute Videos
by BobHudsonVideo
73 videos Last updated on May 15, 2022

 

[dcollector]

RIP Bob, and prayers to his family.

 

[WW2UsCollector]

Rest In Peace, Bob

[Paddyd00]

Thank you Bob for all the work you did here for the next generation of collectors to learn from and thanks to the USMF members for posting pics and YouTube links of Bob so that those of us who didn’t get to know him can put a name with the face. 
 

Z

[vulcan65]

R.I.P.

 

[stratasfan]

If anyone finds an obit, please post it! I've been looking, but so far can't see anything. 

[0bx]

I never met Bob but I am so thankful for his significant contributions to this forum. RIP Bob.

 

[ArtyScout]

R.I.P. Bob Hudson.🇺🇸

[Bill Scott]

May God Hold Him In The Palm Of His Hand Rest In Peace Bob Rest In Peace. To His Family And Friends He Will Always Live In Your Memories.

[Dakota]

Rest in Peace Bob

[T BIRD]

HOW SAD.  I  READ HIS POSTS WITH GREAT INTEREST. HE WILL BE MISSED.  R.I.P.  Bob.                                                                                                                                     

[Nkomo]

A great man and his passing will leave a huge hole in the militaria hobby.  A sad day indeed.

[MinorInHistory]

My condolences to his family and friends. I have eternal gratitude for this forum, which has provided so much information and entertainment to me and many others. 

[jeeplover]

R.i.p. thank you so much for the wonderful site you created