Ray NydahlEight years ago today, my dad, Ray Nydahl, lost his 17 year battle with emphysema. As he did throughout his life, he accepted the consequences of his actions with dignity and integrity.
Up until his death he remained a motor sport enthusiast, reading and watching anything he could find on boat and car racing. His favorite NASCAR driver was Dale, Sr. About 2-3 weeks before he died, his health took a sudden drastic turn for the worst. We all knew, including Dad, that the end was very near. A few days before he died, he told us he was going to “stick around” until Sunday so he could watch Earnhardt win at Talladega. Only half of that prediction came true. Dad died around 9AM and #3 won the race later that afternoon after a dry spell of more than a year.
When Dad started racing in the early ‘60’s, he started with the Midwest Powerboat club. I have memories of many from that club who are no longer with us.
Jack Dodge and his wife, Jeanne, were like uncle and aunt to us. I’m not sure if Jack ever raced but it seemed he was always at the races helping make things happen. Jack raised Dachsunds and occasionally had a litter. He had decided that “Nydahl needs a dog.” One weekend in the spring of ’75, Jack and Jeanne came for a weekend visit and brought Dad’s first puppy with them. He was immediately hooked! If I remember correctly, Jack died in the early ‘90’s. I haven’t heard anything about Jeanne in several years.
Fred Lonsdorf always had a huge smile for everyone. Ralph Stahl was always a soft-spoken gentleman. Dave Shaughnessy was a faithful and close friend. I remember Bob Smith pulling into a race site with a HUGE trailer piled high with boats that he towed with a Trans Am. I can still recall Don Tarnowski, the club announcer, saying over the PA, “The next class of the day is “D” as in dog hydro.”
I am looking forward to attending the reunion at Depue this year. A few weeks ago my husband asked me what I wanted to do for vacation this summer. My reply: “I don’t care what else we do as long as we make it to Depue!” Mom is looking forward to being there, also. Of course, Pete and his family will be there. As a kid, Depue was the highlight of my summer because it meant we would see people that we usually only had a chance to see once a year. Depue was one of our closest races, but it was so great to see people who came from places like California, Tennessee, Washington, Long Island, Florida, Texas, . . .
If Dad was still alive, I’m sure he would love BRF. He would be reading every post! A while back, my husband found me (yet again!!) checking out the action on BRF. His question to me was, “Are you missing your dad?” . . . Yes, I am.
Sandy (Nydahl) Plummer
Bookmarks