MTFCA Forum

Does anybody in the T club know Merle Simonsma from Sacremento Ca. he is the Maxwell man, over the last 3 or 4 months I have been in E-mail contact with him but the last 3 or so weeks I get no answer, I know he is in the early ninety's I hope something didn't happen to him. Rudy

http://www.egcitizen.com/news/shots-fir ... f3885.html

Is this the guy?

edit: oops that was a year ago

Wow! It must be the Merle that I know Placerville is only about 35-40 minute drive east. Sounds like he is O K that is what I was worried about I am sure that shook him up, maybe I will get a answer soon. Thanks Rudy

I guess I was excited and didn't read it all (it happened a year ago) and I didn't know that either. Rudy

Glad the poor guy is OK. It's a wonder he didn't die of a heart attack from the incident. Maybe the lack of his hearing aids helped!
Love the poor grammar of the article author. ...."pants hanged on the doorknob".... good grief.

All,
Merle is still with us. I talk to him frequently and just talked to him on Wednesday. I've been good friends with him for almost 20 years and had the pleasure of having him at my house in West Virginia twice over the years, and in 2018, I drove to Sacramento and spent a few days with him. I made the trip in a 2014 Ford Focus. He told me to bring a truck for hauling home Maxwell parts - which at the time, I didn't have. So, I gutted the interior of my Focus and made the trip with an empty cabin having nothing but a drivers seat. It was the trip of a lifetime.

He's coming up on 95 now and can no longer see well enough to use the computer. So, he has his daughter or son do the typing and he dictates. This means quite often, the emails don't get answered. The story about the robbery on New Years day wasn't as traumatic as you think... Merle slept right through it since he didn't have his hearing aids in. Probably a good thing.

Merle is one of the nicest and most helpful guys out there in the hobby.

Jim, thanks for the enlightening info on your friend. He sounds like quite a guy. So glad, and chuckling, how he slept through the robbery! Sometimes it just pays to be deaf! I feel bad that his sight is going. That's the last thing I'd want to happen to me, or anyone for that matter. It's so precious, like life itself. God bless him.

Thanks James for the answer it is the one that I wanted to hear! I met Merle back in the md 60's about Maxwell parts then too. I have had a pile of o9 A Maxwell parts here since the 60's and though that is was about time to do something about it. Merle had every piece that I asked for. I may still need something but it should not be too serious and I bet Merle would have it. Thanks again