OMG! So its amazing how paths cross. It turns out I DID in fact meet Uncle Ernie. Heres the story...
So I moved to Asheville in November of 2008. I was living in West Asheville in Spring of 09, and I wondered across of Craigslist post for a W650 for sale. It so happened that it was right around the corner from the apartment I was staying in at the time, and would be on display at a yard sale that Saturday. It was a typical Saturday of loafing around the house...honey do's and what not, so that morning I swung by to just tire kick, and maybe talk shop with the owner. Turns out this is one of those yard sales 'old bike' guys adore. There were stacks of bike magazines, tools ect. The W650 was cool. It had a custom aluminium tank on it that the owner (who I now know was Uncle Ernie) explain to me he had ordered from someone in England. I dropped about $150 that day on a grab bag of magazines, old tools, and the prize finds were 4 or 5 hood ornaments from a 30's Packard, and 50's Chrysler.
Its wild because the exchange I had had with UE on this board about visiting him was probably a year prior to this encounter. I just did not put the two together.
We chatted quite a bit that morning. He was getting a divorce, and didn't sound crazy about it, and was 'getting rid of stuff'. This yard sale was at friends place, and he was about to move in with another friend. Kind of sad really.
Does anyone have any info on where he was laid to rest? I check the Citizen Times archives, and found the obituary, but it is officially 'archived' which means you have to pay to read it.
