Church of the Good Earth 1963 and Beyond

Important​

Ranger is in bad shape. Like hospice/hospital.
Rita called me to let me know that they took him away today. Veteran's Administration hospital hospice. Severe C.O.P.D. and he's doing really bad. That's all I got.

Hate to think of Rita living all by herself. Please say a prayer for each of them. Thanks.

 

I'm very sorry to hear this about Ranger.

Please keep us updated, Kenny.

All my love to Ranger and Rita.

 

Of course I will, Aerianne.

Happy Thanks Giving to you and your family.

 

About Ranger:

Hard time breathing. Improvement is not at all expected.

 

Bless his heart.

Please continue to update us.

 

Any interest in putting a Ranger tribute on the HF frontpage?

Don't know if that would be the right thing to do. Most important thing clearly is for him to be with his family.

Might bring a smile to his face though to know that folks here are thinking of him

 

We are honoring Ranger in the threads he loved. I think that would make him happiest.

 

Yes.

As expected, Ranger is gone over. Rita called and said he's gone. December 1st at about 3:30 at night he left us. She's crying. Now she's on her own. Very sad.

He is my buddy, brother, family, and long time pardner. I met him and moved into their house maybe about 1974 when I was about 22, on my second move back to San Francisco. We had another house till 80. But that ended. We lived together as a group in about 83 or so, way north of Berkeley and then moved to some friends in the south west of San Francisco. Then I moved on to other places.

He was a Lover and a Free man. The entire time that I knew him he never worked a job working for anyone. A free man. A Brilliant appraiser, sharp business guy, trader, coins, jewelery, antiques, collectibles, and others items. For a while there, we made a good living doing garage sales and flea markets. Before I met him I heard a rumor that he might have been in a wholesale business. Not sure.

He attributes his lung problems (C.O.P.D.) to a very long time ago, back to him running a small gold refining kiln operation in Texas. Breathing poisonous hot vapor acids. Also to fiber glassing boats for a living in Florida for a while.

He was a good man, very giving and supporting, feeding and sheltering many others. Taking care of many who had no way of making money or eating. These things were all casual to Ranger. Just new friends at the table.

The ladies seemed to love Ranger. He was certainly a man's man. He had the respect of all of the guys. And chicks dig the leader of the tribe. (The chief caveman)
Him being kind of dominant, I recently explained to him, that me as the younger guy never wanted to be an upstart challenge to him on any level. I told him that he had to live on past his heart surgery and just keep on being himself. I explained to him that in my book he was the King, and that I was the Prince, and that I had always liked it that way. I told him that I preferred being the Prince. That I never wanted to be a King. That if he wasn't around anymore then I couldn't be a prince anymore.
He smiled at me fondly. I think that his whole body breathed a sigh of relief. I always thought that from the culture that we grow up in and also throughout all of nature, that all males of most species live in a world where there is a pack leader, and that there are always younger challengers to their position. I felt that he had always had this underlying, and maybe subconscious thing going on, all of our lives. Kind of like an invisible wall. A shield. When I told him the Prince thing, he finally seemed to understand and to let go. We knew that we were true friends and brothers in a totally open manner. Equal friends.

Yes, the ladies loved him. He was the natural leader and respected by the guys and the gals, in a hippie culture where no one wants to be a leader, especially him, and in a culture where people don't have leaders. He was warm and understanding. He was like a pa pa bear, and warm and cuddly. Fun and happy with his very own kind of sexy. Like a bear he could be gruff and he had terrific macho protective coloring. No guy would mess with him. He could toss out the meanest biker in the world vibe and appearance with a glance. With good friends he had the nickname, Thud. With the women who knew him the best they called him Thuddles. They said he was a big fun pussy cat. A Love.

We all knew him in different ways and we all knew him to a different extent, but we all knew him. You, I, us, and many others. He influenced so very many people in their lives that I could only begin to guess that I have met maybe a twentieth of them. ​

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I believe in forever. Eternity.​

All of us.​

In my heart I know that it's not good bye but I'll see you again later.​

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He use to wear a real antique Texas Ranger belt buckle. I always imagined that he either got his name from that or that his name came from the Ranger in the "Lord of the Rings" books. That's even better because it makes him seem even more of a mystery. Which he really was. I believe in romantic. He was a truly unique character. One of a kind always. ​

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We'll all always Love you, Ranger.​

I'll always Love you.​

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"...until we meet again."​

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Ranger​

C. M. Craven​

He would sometimes use Mike Craven​

Charles Michael Craven​

 

Yes that would be a real cool thing to do. Would you take the lead on it?

You're awesome.

Ken

 

Oh, hey thanks! I'll look into this.

 

newbie-one

THX

 

On ************ you can look up Ranger Craven

People who where on his friends' list there are posting. It gives a lot more insight. Pretty beautiful.
Well worth having a look at.

Ranger Craven
on facebook

 

Hi Kenny-Im sorry for your loss ,for all of ours loss.It must be particularly hard for you and Im sending you healing energy and white light .We will miss Ranger,yet he we always be within reach in our hearts.I love you and Ranger would want you to remember him and continue to hold him in your heart.He wouldnt want you to be sad.Heres hoping youre smiling and treasuring your memories.Love Audrey

 

You've stated it beautifully and eloquently, Kenny....Ranger was, indeed, our alpha male. As such, he was kind and caring, and ferocious. A true individual with a huge heart.

Spirit on, brother. There is much love in your wake.

 

There's a new Space in facebook called Remembering Ranger

This is new

It was set up by AC Smith a long time friend and family member. You can make a facebook friend request so that you can type stuff there. So, that he knows who you are and clicks to have you join as a friend, mention Hipforums.com and Ranger and or Mary Clanton and or Scorpio Kenny. That should make it clear that you do know Ranger. AC doesn't know all of us. He's from a long time ago. Just name drop, and he should let you in.

No body can let folks into the Ranger Craven facebook space 'cause he (Ranger) was in charge of that. But see that place also.

 

Hey Kenny, tried to email you but it bounced. Tried to text you too but dont know if it arrived. Hope you're doing okay.

 

Yeah, I hate e-mail That's gone.

We need to sit down and bee bel to each other, once again. Been too long.

I'll find your phone number and get ya a call. Cool. Miss you.

 

Audrey, I no longer have a phone # for you. Private message to me or I'll message my phone to you. OK? Love you and wish to be in touch.

 

hi guys.. I've been thinking a lot about Ranger & wondering how Rita will manage.. I wish I could attend his funeral.. so many of us are thousands of miles away..

 

Just read A,C. Smiths posting about Ranger and the need for some kind of tribute. Has anybody thought to contact the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council or the Haight Ashbury Improvement Association? When I first reconnected with him in 1998-99 after a 20 year absence, long after the Nasties had gone their separate ways, he was still very active in Haight community affairs. I remember when the Nasties first started in "69 and the neighborhood was a burnt-out hulk and one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the city to enter at night he was even then very active with the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Development group. He was more than just the Nastie Family Patriarch. He was a pillar of the community as a whole. Look at the Haight today, vibrant, bustling and prosperous yet still retaining the deep counter-culture flavor that can be found no where else in such a rich and profound way. Ranger played a integral part in the change. There needs to be some kind tribute to him, from and in, the neighborhood that he loved so much, and spent the greater part of his adult life to it's benefit. Please feel free to forward this to anyone that might be able to act on it. DCS aka The Chicken.