Thread: Randy Tuttle RIP

I met Randy at a Wisconsin meetup at Rolodave's home. It was a great weekend. I was relatively new to straight razors back then. I learned a lot from Randy, Dave and the others at the gathering. RIP Randy!

Sad news indeed.

Rest in peace Randy.

A loss of one of the true SRP Icons

Talked with Randy many times in the early days about the intricacies of honing..

We met up a few times over the years at the SRP Workshops,,

This is a huge loss to our brotherhood, Godspeed RandyDance

Oh No! When I first started out, he helped me with a couple of straight razors and gave me some really good tips on honing that helped me get these razors in shaving condition. It saddens my heart to hear this news, especially at this time of year!

My last pic of Randy in his workshop. He went to Hospice the next day

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I will miss Randy a lot. I learned a lot from him both about razors and about people.

I wrote this about a week before Randy passed. I intended to make changes to it, but I?m not ready to do that yet so I?m just going to leave it as is.

Some time after I joined SRP I eventually attended my first meet up. I think it was around 2009 or 2010. It was at Mike Blue?s shop in Cannon Falls. I?m not good in social settings but I felt comfortable there with all those other weirdos who were so interested in straight razors. I always assumed that that I could not hone worth a damn because everybody talked about tree topping their arm hair and I never could do that. There was a guy named Randy who was essentially holding court teaching a few people how to hone. I immediately noticed that he was using such a calm voice. He clearly was comfortable with his muscle memory using precise strokes on the hone. People asked questions and he patiently answered. When he declared that the razor was finished he demonstrated that tree topping motion on his arm. I immediately asked him if I could try that razor on my arm hairs. I was both shocked and pleasantly surprised to find that this apparently skilled honer?s razor could not tree top my arm hair either. That was my first contact with him, when I discovered that I had the arm hair of a three-year-old girl. That allowed me finally to learn that I did not suck at honing as badly as I thought.
I regret to say that at this point I do not remember my next contact with him. But because he lived in Saint Paul and I had moved to Rochester we eventually ended up riding to some meet up together. He smoked and my wife was very intolerant of cigarette smoke residue. He drove a Cadillac and I drove a prism. For both of those reasons the vehicle for our trip was a no-brainer. Again I do not remember that first trip but I remember that there were many trips that followed. Randy and I drove many thousands of miles together. I do not get along with most people but I always felt comfortable with Randy. I am quick to anger and he is always calm. Yet we got along well. I very much appreciated and enjoyed his company. For some strange reason I was surprised to find that he apparently enjoyed mine.
I have known Randy for 15 years. I have seen him always willing to teach others what he knows. He has always been generous with his time and his possessions. His time is what I have always been grateful for. His possessions were numerous. His mother loved to find bargains and accumulated for more than what she ever could use and Randy was no different. The problem with the straight razor community is we too often get thrown into the curiosity of trying a variety of different razors and hones and strops and brushes and soaps. Randy was guilty of it and so was I. Then a few years ago Randy and I were visited by Roy Davis (Cudarunner) and I decided that I wanted to resume riding motorcycles after a 20 year hiatus. Randy decided that he wanted to learn how to ride motorcycles. I will never forget the video of him riding his first Yamaha around on the grass of his large yard in Wisconsin. Street bikes and grass do not get along well and so he went down a few times but he argued that it was softer than pavement. Eventually when he rode on the street he fell down at a couple stop signs. It didn?t stop him and he continued to learn and he bought, like his razors, more motorcycles and more motorcycles. Like his razors he always sought out bargains but he always wanted to try out different models. He put in the effort to experiment, to learn, and most importantly to experience. Randy experienced a lot. That is what I will cherish about him.
I will miss my friend.

I don't think you needed to change a thing.
I'm sorry for your loss.

Well said. My condolences. Randy will be missed.

RIP Randy.

I spoke with Randy on the phone quite a few times. He was a great mentor and friend. He will be missed.