Haven’t been on LOL for a number of months and just checking it looks as if Monte was not posting much either. Still thought to let you all know of his passing on November 24, 2006.

It really is not my place to advise anyone of this. But I am not sure that Monte’s friends post on LOl at all. The details I would leave to them.

Dzintra Xuereb

My condolonces to his family and friends. Vieglas smiltis.

Andrejs

I’m sorry to hear the news.

What sad news, Dzintra. Monte was Latvian through and through. I will miss his posts not only about the stories from his war years but the recent ones he wrote about his magpies. He loved those birds and enjoyed all the nature around him. He really was special.
Saldu dusu, Monte.

Imants “Monte” Rutkovskis (1928-2006)

Latvia – Germany – England – Australia

You were too young to be a man, yet too old to cry when war and fate took you away from dzimtene and all you loved. Thanks Monte for sharing your memories and stories on LOL. We are all better for it.

Es karāi aiziedamis,
Krustu cirtu ozolā.

Lai nerauda Tēvs māmiņa,
Lai raud krusta ozoliņš

Nevienam es nedošu
Tēvu zemi nicināt.

Uz ežiņas galvu liku,
Sargāj savu Tēvu zem’.

Labāk manu galvu ņēma.
Nekā manu Tēvu zem’.

Negaid’ mani, māmuliņa,
No kariņa pārnākot.

Man saulīte norietēja,
Tēvu zemi sargājot.

T.Dz.

I now you were prepared Monte, your note to Lilita last year in April was, “See You again in a place that has no boundaries.” “At my age losing You it is like losing a daughter, the only consolation is, that I will meet You a lot sooner than Your younger friends.”

Ej pa skujas taku kur saule riet, kur mīt mūsu cilšu gari …

Ivars

Amzina atilsi Imants.

Su nuosirdzia pagarba.

Vidas

Vieglas Smiltas, Monte, Imants, my friend....

I met Monte/Imants through Lilita, to whom he was the dad she always sought.  Monte was opinionated, loyal, caring, and never afraid to be controversial, or wrong!  He and I corresponded over the last years, exchanging information, particularly about Israel and Islamofascism, about which he was never at a loss for words.  I felt he had a bracing effect upon me, and understood, in a paternal way, the teeter-totter of living with illness and embracing life for all it’s joy.  As I did not hear from him via his last email, I assumed, as he always did, that he would emerge once feeling better.  I am glad to have known him. 

Now, as Ivars has said, he’s conversing with Lilita more directly, and probably the stratosphere is reverberating with laughter as those two go at it. 

My sincere condolences to his family, and please understand that I was honoured to know him. He appeared to me a fine example of his generation, a brave man who fought and loved sincerely and well.

My best to all,

Alana

A fine, down to earth, unpretentious man,not to be forgotten, rest in peace “Monte”, LOL will not be the same ...

I’m so very sorry...I’ll always remember Monte, Imants, those fab electronic flowers he sent to all the ladies!

Izsaku savu vis dzilako lidzjutibu gimenei, tuvakiem.

Irena

Sad,

Thank You, thank you so very much for the Latvian Christmas cards in the past Monte.

We were worlds apart but still had things in common.

As all,

Such a dear sweet man, Imants was.  Full of vigour with his words with no pretense, honest and forthright.  When he said he could not spell he meant that plain and simple!  And how he enjoyed all of nature which he captured so well with his great photography skills.  So funny that he had recently bought a digital camera and how he hated it so much, all the electronic buttons and directions would confuse him to no end - but he was so determined to figure out this new digital ‘thing’ and would try and try again to understand, more times than not ending in his frustration with his claim “I give up!!!!”, yet, next week would come unto my email another attempt to tame this digital beast....

But, he would delight me in scanning his old photo’s, pure beauties of flowers and spiders and birds and… Memories.

I will miss you Imant.  I know how great a man you were for in such a short time of our acquaintance your beautiful spirit and heart shone strong and clear.

Alda

http://www.pbase.com/alda_nina/image/61861644.jpg

Good bye, old friend.......
and if you are listening in,
now we find out that the Yanks
and Poms tacitly approved the
Soviet annexation of our lands....

pete

Vieglas smiltis for Monte.

(And Pēteri—the Yanks and Poms did not approve, except in the extremely addled minds of certain Russkies still trying to disclaim all responsibility for everything.)

I’ll miss sparring with Monte! I miss it already.

/P

I will miss Monte and his postings about birds.

Dzintra, thank you for letting us know.

Vieglas smiltis Imantam…
Anita

Well, what else I can say to express my sorrow of hearing “Monte’s” leaving us for better world.  However I shall express my feelings about Imant as I knew him in our own talking.

Imant, kautarī mēs nekad netikam tikušies, mūsu domas vienmēr bija līdzīgas. Jau no paša sākuma kopš es atradu Tevi LoLā, Tu biji mans domu biedrs un vēl vairāk, Tu biji mans „cīņu biedrs”. Mēs abi bijām Gaisa Spēku Izpalīgi, kautarī ne tajās pašās vietās. Mums bija lemts staigāt citādus ceļus, bet mēs cīnijamies tajā pašā pusē pret to pašu ienaidnieku, komunistu. Ir arvien vēl tautieši kas nicināja mūs cīnoties otrā pusē. Bet atceries, mēs dziedājam „Mēs sitīsim tos varenos, pēc tam tos zili-pelēkos, arvien, arvien”. Imant, Tev bija stiprākas domas par mūsu kopejo ienaidnieku, Tu brīvprātīgi pieteicies dienestam pirms Tu biji iesaukuma vecumā. Es vienmēr Tevi apbrīnoju un godinu Tevi. Arī mans laiks tuvojās, kad tas atnāks, mēs varēsim pārrunāt mūsu cīņu laikus un labākās dienas.

Uz redzīti Imant, kad arī tas būs,

Felikss