Goodbye, Jon
 

Jon Williams (Otis) passed away from a heart-related issue while riding last night. While he was an informed and knowledgeable contributor here in our little C&V world, you might also know him as the maestro who took drillium to the next level: https://www.flickr.com/photos/54616231@N04/

My heart has been sad and my eyes leaking since I got confirmation. Although I never did meet Jon in person, I spent hours on the phone and sent/received hundreds of emails talking bikes and drillium, sometimes for projects and collaborations, sometimes just to bull****. A good man. A man I'll miss.

He was responsible for the media-blasted Campy NR gruppo on last year's Colnago project:

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/877/39...05eeee1c_b.jpg

My drillium garage queen is a mixture of Jon's stuff and my own:

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/812/41...128ea63e_b.jpg

Please feel free to post thoughts and pics - because I'm really hurting right now. I'd like to hear from those of you who are feeling what I'm feeling.

RIP, Jon.

DD

Heartbreaking.

Thoughts and prayers to his family.

Oh wow.

So sorry to hear this.

I'll certainly miss Jon, great person in every sense. He was about the only one to comment on my Flickr site, usually a bit snarky, which I liked.

I think we first met in person at the 2011(?) CR weekend. Saw him again at BAMF and the last time was 2016. Below is a picture of him when we had dinner. Jon's comment to the picture is "Fashion!" :)

Unfortunately, he lived in bum**** Oregon. It was a pain in the ass for him to travel as we wanted him to join some of us for Cino and most recently a trip to Milan. He was always good company.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7759/...a3f2cb03_h.jpgCR Weekend 25 by iabisdb, on Flickr

Some amazing work in that flickr album. Lots of beautiful shiny bits.

I am sorry for your loss, I offer this in comfort.

We are not here, but once,
and yet that once
is all the tears shed riding in the rain, but not alone
beside them
friendships voice would listen in the hiss of tires
whose presence was enough.
It is the call whose ring tone made you reach
to talk through evening hours,
yet in those hours, you were not there
you were in the hills, the spinning sleet of sunlight
or minding gears with grease and tools familiar as your hands
and each of you a third hand for the other.
It is the broken things, that catch at parting.
What should have, might have been,
but do remember him, as someone who knew you.
Knew in the grime of fingernails,
the taste of life flowing,
and now within the once.

I'm not familiar with the man, or his work, (browsed the 1st page of pics), but condolences to all who did know him.
As he was riding when it happened, it seems God let him go happily, doing something he loved. Hard to beat that. 🙂

Some say....
 

...the afterlife is how you are remembered.

The testimony here bodes well for Jon. People who are respected say respectful things, and we understand.

I will ride and watch a hawk soar for him.

A good guy, gone way too soon. Fabulous work. He will be missed.

Never met him, but saw multiple examples of his work at Wayne Bingham's shop (I think that's the back of Wayne's head in the picture). Beautiful stuff, and according to those who knew him, a beautiful person.

RIP Jon! My condolences to his family and friends.

I was always amazed at how he took non-CNC equipment and created such beautiful drillium/millium pieces. He was truly an artistic person. I’m very saddened by the news of his passing.

RIP, Jon. Your artistry is already missed and will be forever after, but what you left us will long be admired and you will be praised.

Rip

I was devastated by this news. I only got to hang out with Jon twice: once at the Bike Expo in Seattle, and then at the first Eroica California. I really enjoyed his company.

I got to know him a bit before that via email, and the phone. I was a customer, and a huge fan of his work. Most of my bikes have parts customized by Jon: several seat posts, stems, derailleurs, and chain rings.

I love to make things, and consider myself to be a decent craftsman - mostly working in wood. I love to trade with other craftsmen. I made a few things for Jon out of wood, with his logo laser engraved on them: a bike stand, and a parts display stand for shows. In exchange, he modified some beat up Campy Record crank arms into "Mexico-style" crank arms for my Colnago - they are spectacular.

We talked sometime last year about collaborating on a parts display for one of his customers, but that never materialized.

Jon was also very knowledgable about vinyl records (part of his income stream) and vintage hi-fi gear.

We talked many times about visiting him in Grants Pass. I very much regret that I didn't make that happen.

I add my condolences. Thanks Jon, for all you shared here.

I just saw this and I am sad. I was a small customer but a huge fan of his work. I checked his Flicker page almost everyday. I spoke to him on the phone a couple of times and was putting a visit to his shop or a show he worked on my list of things to do. Rest in Peace Jon. You will be missed.

Oh man. Very sad, Eroica California this year will be in very large part a memorial to Jon.

:( Very sorry to hear this. Very very sorry.

https://www.bikeforums.net/general-c...membrance.html

Rest in Peace.

Sorry to read this. RIP

RIP Jon, ride on brother.

This isn't a very good month here at BF. A good friend and moderator [MENTION=190382]PhotoJoe[/MENTION] with terminal cancer, [MENTION=6062]Rowan[/MENTION] in an induced coma from a head injury with brain bleeding, and now [MENTION=50187]Otis[/MENTION] had been called home.

Bill

So sorry for the loss of a friend. That he was riding when it happened is perhaps a bit of light in this sad event.

OH NO!!! Another fabulous craftsman gone. Heartbreaking.

Rip