NC Angler Forums banner

We lost a good man...

8K views 20 replies 17 participants last post by  CoachKinsey 
#1 ·
I learned yesterday that Kevin Dunphy (known on NCangler.com as Lefty) lost his battle with cancer on Thursday. Kevin served as a moderator on NCangler.com for several years and was a fishing friend of many on this website. He was also a great husband, father and servant in his local church. Kevin will be missed by his family and friends but he has left a legacy of faithful stewardship and an example to all who knew him. We will miss your presence brother but rejoice that you are now in the presence of the living Christ whom you faithfully served.

I wanted to pull some photos of Kevin that he posted on NCangler.com. It is my hope that his family will be blessed by this. Please know that you are in our prayers this coming week. The funeral will take place on Tuesday in Cary.

Blessings
Randy
Administrator



































 
See less See more
18
#8 ·
I met Kevin in 2006 in the Carolinas forum on kayakfishingstuff.com. Turned out that we both lived in the triangle, and were both just getting into kayak fishing. Eventually figured out that we were both active in our churches, and both worked in the same complex of buildings at IBM at the time. We would go on to have a few adventures and a lot of conversation over the next decade.

I hadn't seen him in well over a year, as life changed for both of us, but we kept in touch by email every few months. If you're interested, you can read his story through his caringbridge.org journals - register and search for his name. In short, he had some shoulder pain last summer that turned out to be a tumor in the shoulder blade. Additional scanning showed other bones in the area with tumors also. Diagnosis was Multiple Myeloma - a bone marrow cancer. He suffered through a rough August and September, but rebounded strong with chemo, to the point of a 4.5 mile hike and returning to work some at SAS. Unfortunately the recovery/remission was far too short lived. In his later posts he would describe the proposed treatment plans but frequently repeated the phrase "I'd still rather just be healed". He also referred often to the green pastures of Psalm 23.
- - -

Here are a couple of memories (as best my recollection works now, which isn't as good as it used to be):

Kevin introduced me to NCangler.com. I didn't need another fishing website to pay attention to at the time, but I'm thankful that I followed him over here. This has been way more than a fishing website to me, and he and I spent a lot of time out here through the years as members and moderators.

Kevin did not fish as a youngster. He decided when he turned 30 that he needed a hobby, and it seemed to him that men of his age seemed to like fishing, so he "adopted" fishing as a hobby. Quintessential Lefty logic.

As you can see from the pics that Randy posted, Kevin had a running gag with catching sticks. Only it wasn't entirely a gag - he was exceptional at it.

At the first Ft Fisher kayak event with Ashley Williams, and possibly his first saltwater kayak fishing trip ever, Kevin managed to hook up with a big cobia just as the group was reaching the shore for the lunch (a big deal in those events!). It proceeded to drag him and his too-light tackle around the basin for a couple hours. He had a flotilla of support boats trying to help him land it for the duration, despite everybody missing out on lunch. Eventually the line broke as the crowd tried to drag him to shore and fight from there. I was stuck on the computer that day launching a long-since-canceled work project. Hate that I missed that episode.

The first time I ever got a post moderated it was sticking up for Kevin when somebody ripped into something innocent he had posted. Some kind of strong religious debate, like sit-in versus sit-on kayaks, or equally incendiary nonsense only possible on the internet.

Like a good scout, he was all about being prepared. He took preparation and safety to new levels - always into GPS's, Handheld VHFs, lights, flares and all manner of emergency necessities and worry-reducers. Loading and unloading with him could be a chore, because he was nothing if not thorough. All you could do was wait... and wait.... and smile... and wait some more.

I was with him at Beaver Creek on Jordan lake when he caught his biggest bass up to that point in his fishing career. Pretty sure its pictured above. Spinnerbait in some flooded brush toward the back. might well have remained his biggest ever. Glad I was there.

At one of the GetOutdoors tourneys in Greensboro, his raffle ticket won him a $15 lockback pocketknife that I envied. I won a $90 Native kayak hydration backpack, made out of the same material they used in their kayak seats, and not something I ever would have used. I told somebody at the table - probably Stew Rat - "watch me get that pocketknife from Lefty". He couldn't make that trade fast enough, because that pack was a perfect match for his need to be prepared and for his wife's new kayak. I keep that knife on my desk to this day and remember that trade every time I use it. Best trade ever, because I'm sure he would say the same thing.

- - -
I had the privilege of counting Kevin as a friend, a fishing partner, coastal road tripper, co-worker and co-moderator. We shared meals, prayers, professional, family and faith talk. Nothing new can be said about the family's loss. Its an unspeakable, unthinkable reality and I join in the prayers for their peace now and healing as time rolls on. I take some solace that he no longer faces the pain, the transplants, chemicals, surgeries and such, but much more in imagining how well he knows those green pastures already.
 
#10 ·
Thank you to those who have responded so far and especially to Jeffonc for those memories and personal thoughts on Kevin's friendship. I know it would mean a lot to his family if we filled this thread with as many stories, remembrances and prayerful thoughts as our membership can provide. If you knew Kevin or have a word to share with his family please do so. Thank you!
 
#11 ·
Shocked to hear this news. I knew "Lefty" (Kevin) hadn't been active on NCAngler in a while, but didn't know why. Have fond memories of kayak fishing with Kevin at Ft. Fisher (I was there to witness the famous "Cobzilla" event!), and elsewhere (I think Beaufort, Weaver Creek, Beaverdam, Cane Creek, etc.). I always looked forward to fishing with him again.

I found this thread on NCAngler from Nov 1, 2005, when Lefty introduced himself to the group.
http://www.ncangler.com/forums/threads/658-Introducing-Lefty-novice-angler

Condolences to Kevin's family and friends. I know he will be missed here on NCAngler.

// joel
 
#12 ·
#15 ·
Heck of a nice guy. I had no idea he was sick. May the fish always be biting, the wind light and the sun warm....
 
#16 ·
I noticed numerous NCAngler participants in old threads who are now deceased. (Hesitate to name them, because in some cases they may just be inactive--don't trust my memory.) Might be cool if we had some kind of memorial thread or forum, i.e., where we could post photos and memories of former NCAnglers with whom we've fished or otherwise had a personal connection?

Here's a link to Kevin's CaringBridge space:
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kevindunphy

You'll have to register & sign in to view it, but you could use your Facebook or Google credentials to log in.

FYI - joel
 
#19 ·
Very sad news. Seems like the first thing I remember about this site when joining back in '07 was all the posts from Lefty. Always seemed very helpful and a real nice guy. I think I only got to fish with him one time down at the Robeson creek canoe access after running into him and JeffO. He came across as being a really nice guy, just as he did on here. Think he got his limit of sticks that day. I remember hearing about the cobia hookup and think about it on trips to the Fort. Condolences to his family and friends, very sad to hear this.
 
#21 ·
Kevin was a neighbor and friend of mine and I am going to miss him greatly. I answered tons of questions for Kevin when he was looking for his first kayak and we spent many happy hours talking about kayak fishing, rigging kayaks for fishing, and occasionally actually going kayak fishing. I only wish that we had spent more time on the water together.

In addition to his love of fishing, Kevin was a dedicated husband and father. His family always came first. More importantly than anything else, Kevin was a man of God. He lived a life that let everyone know that he followed the teachings of Jesus. Kevin was a clear illustration of the saying that a man's life should be a sermon ... words should be used if necessary.

I miss him. Our neighborhood will be forever changed.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top