Good morning all,
Jimmy (FilterFlo) and I both received the following email text today. We both felt those of you in appliaceville who posted back and forth or had met Jaune would appreciate knowing this. The gentleman who wrote the text was a longtime friend of Jaune and made sure he was at our West Coast Meet car weekend this past July. I think he has put into words what Jaune was all about. Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family.
Mike
Email text below:
I learned today that Great Autos charter member Jaune Smith passed away early yesterday morning. He's thought to have died in his sleep sometime before dawn and was discovered by his roommate/landlord of nearly 35 years.
Jaune had been in extremely poor health of late suffering from congestive heart failure and HIV related problems among, other things. Nevertheless, he usually chose to look on the bright side of life and never lost his remarkable sense of humor. Most of us who knew him considered Jaune to be a genius even if his potential would never be realized. He knew more car statistics and more repair details than almost anyone in the hobby. He was an insatiable reader, undaunted by technical descriptions found in shop manuals, and frequently taught himself how to repair things just by reading the book. His fascination with all things mechanical developed at an early age and extended way beyond automobiles. When he was a child his mother would take him to the laundromat and park him in a basket in front of the washing machines while doing her clothes. As a result he memorized the various cycles of the Norges, Speed Queens, and Maytags and he could still relate in adulthood to friends--complete with sound effects and animated demonstrations. Through the years living at Ralph's he maintained most of the aging kitchen and laundry appliances, many of which were ordered on his advice after researching them in Consumer Reports.
When Great Autos was formed, Jaune was there and was always willing to lend a hand. He had the unique distinction of attending every single West Coast meet from the beginning through this past summer, even though it posed a real challenge on his limited budget. Many of us will remember Jaune from the early days of the first North South Meets, as they used to be called, at the Cambria Pines Lodge. Sunday mornings we were greeted by a breakfast of bacon, eggs, and pancakes and there was Jaune--convincingly dressed as Aunt Jemima--pouring the maple syrup on everyone's pancakes. His quick wit, deadpan expressions, and droll sense of humor were legendary. A few years ago AT&T ran some TV commercials for their newly lowered long distance rates to foreign countries. They showed naturalized Americans from various ethnic groups happily calling their relatives in England, Japan, etc. Jaune complained that while they had just lowered those rates, what they were really doing was raising the cost of everyone's basic service and it was putting a strain on his always precarious financial picture. He turned to me and said, "I was born in Los Angeles and my family lives here. What the hell am I supposed to do--call Nigeria?!"
Jaune's interests were many and varied. In addition to knowing nearly everything about old cars, Jaune loved music and could answer almost any question or identify any song from the last 50 years. Not only that, he could tell you the artist, record label, and probably what was on the flip side of the record. About 3 years ago on the internet he was ecstatic to discover a group of appliance aficionados from around the country. He sent several of us an email with the website link and the comment, "Look at the photos and tell me what else we all have in common!" On the website there were dozens of pictures taken at members' homes with rows of gleaming vintage washing machines lit up and going through their paces. The enthusiastic onlookers were all clean cut guys probably between 25 and 50, marveling at agitators and rinse cycles--and not a woman to be found! Jaune discovered in himself the same feeling most of us had when we joined Great Autos: "Gee, I'm not the only gay guy who's crazy about this stuff!"
Although Jaune had a lot to be miserable about in recent years, he wasn't. There was no longer any possibility of his holding a job and his usual activities were limited because he just didn't have the stamina. Last summer at the West Coast Meet I noticed that his breathing was labored even as he sat resting in a chair. He had medical problems I'd never even heard of and more bad luck (often of his own making) than most people would ever be willing to endure. But he was a trouper and everyone still enjoyed his company whether they'd known him forever or just met him. Though his body seemed to have deteriorated way beyond his 53 years, Jaune's personality was always in shape and ready for anything. Those of us who knew him appreciated his contributions, his sense of humor, and his steadfast friendship over the years.
Jim
Jimmy (FilterFlo) and I both received the following email text today. We both felt those of you in appliaceville who posted back and forth or had met Jaune would appreciate knowing this. The gentleman who wrote the text was a longtime friend of Jaune and made sure he was at our West Coast Meet car weekend this past July. I think he has put into words what Jaune was all about. Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family.
Mike
Email text below:
I learned today that Great Autos charter member Jaune Smith passed away early yesterday morning. He's thought to have died in his sleep sometime before dawn and was discovered by his roommate/landlord of nearly 35 years.
Jaune had been in extremely poor health of late suffering from congestive heart failure and HIV related problems among, other things. Nevertheless, he usually chose to look on the bright side of life and never lost his remarkable sense of humor. Most of us who knew him considered Jaune to be a genius even if his potential would never be realized. He knew more car statistics and more repair details than almost anyone in the hobby. He was an insatiable reader, undaunted by technical descriptions found in shop manuals, and frequently taught himself how to repair things just by reading the book. His fascination with all things mechanical developed at an early age and extended way beyond automobiles. When he was a child his mother would take him to the laundromat and park him in a basket in front of the washing machines while doing her clothes. As a result he memorized the various cycles of the Norges, Speed Queens, and Maytags and he could still relate in adulthood to friends--complete with sound effects and animated demonstrations. Through the years living at Ralph's he maintained most of the aging kitchen and laundry appliances, many of which were ordered on his advice after researching them in Consumer Reports.
When Great Autos was formed, Jaune was there and was always willing to lend a hand. He had the unique distinction of attending every single West Coast meet from the beginning through this past summer, even though it posed a real challenge on his limited budget. Many of us will remember Jaune from the early days of the first North South Meets, as they used to be called, at the Cambria Pines Lodge. Sunday mornings we were greeted by a breakfast of bacon, eggs, and pancakes and there was Jaune--convincingly dressed as Aunt Jemima--pouring the maple syrup on everyone's pancakes. His quick wit, deadpan expressions, and droll sense of humor were legendary. A few years ago AT&T ran some TV commercials for their newly lowered long distance rates to foreign countries. They showed naturalized Americans from various ethnic groups happily calling their relatives in England, Japan, etc. Jaune complained that while they had just lowered those rates, what they were really doing was raising the cost of everyone's basic service and it was putting a strain on his always precarious financial picture. He turned to me and said, "I was born in Los Angeles and my family lives here. What the hell am I supposed to do--call Nigeria?!"
Jaune's interests were many and varied. In addition to knowing nearly everything about old cars, Jaune loved music and could answer almost any question or identify any song from the last 50 years. Not only that, he could tell you the artist, record label, and probably what was on the flip side of the record. About 3 years ago on the internet he was ecstatic to discover a group of appliance aficionados from around the country. He sent several of us an email with the website link and the comment, "Look at the photos and tell me what else we all have in common!" On the website there were dozens of pictures taken at members' homes with rows of gleaming vintage washing machines lit up and going through their paces. The enthusiastic onlookers were all clean cut guys probably between 25 and 50, marveling at agitators and rinse cycles--and not a woman to be found! Jaune discovered in himself the same feeling most of us had when we joined Great Autos: "Gee, I'm not the only gay guy who's crazy about this stuff!"
Although Jaune had a lot to be miserable about in recent years, he wasn't. There was no longer any possibility of his holding a job and his usual activities were limited because he just didn't have the stamina. Last summer at the West Coast Meet I noticed that his breathing was labored even as he sat resting in a chair. He had medical problems I'd never even heard of and more bad luck (often of his own making) than most people would ever be willing to endure. But he was a trouper and everyone still enjoyed his company whether they'd known him forever or just met him. Though his body seemed to have deteriorated way beyond his 53 years, Jaune's personality was always in shape and ready for anything. Those of us who knew him appreciated his contributions, his sense of humor, and his steadfast friendship over the years.
Jim
