Spaceman Bruce (Robert Bruce Facer)....this is incredible
by Tara Munro on Friday, May 21, 2010 at 9:27pm ·
Robert Bruce Facer,
Blindbear, Amish sailor,
heart of PeaceCamp2010
Died Sunday in Monterey,
Resting In God's
Arms, Now
Rest in peace, Robert.
Robert, Blindbear to Santa Cruz street folk, with attorney Ed Frey, launched PeaceCamp2010 as a direct result of being given "sleeping ban" tickets in the City of Santa Cruz and having to defend himself for sleeping ~ in the courts here.
I last got to visit with him at Occupy Santa Cruz on a Sunday, week before he left to Monterey County. He was very loyal to God, had the integrity of Job. Once, even tho' Facer never gets in a motorized car of any sort, he walked to and visited my place of
worship, Santa Cruz Friends (Quakers). I wasn't there but he got to meet Lenore Diane that day.
When PeaceCamp2010 was under assault from the City of Santa Cruz, for "being" on Center Street together, shortly after those (we, including Facer and myself) demonstrators were ousted from the Courthouse patio by Sheriff Deputies, and with Gary Johnson and Star holding the front line, Robert would read scriptures, old testament often, aloud to me on the Library benches.
A few weeks later, even sitting on that bench reading a Bible after 7 pm became a crime as well.
I am so grateful he was my friend. Grateful, too, for Ronee Webster Curry for caring for him through the transition. More pictures and news at Ronee's facebook page.
I may share some of the stories people are offering about Robert Facer into this blog entry, soon.
Linda
Linda,I was just shown this story on FB..I loved Bruce,he fixed my 1950's Nash Rambler that was called Lips because he loved the car,he had many talents that ppl weren't aware of..he was truly someone that was here to show us love!!He always would share the little he had,this is wonderful.Thank you.Katie Kennedy
ReplyDeleteSorry it took me so long to write something about Bruce. I really had a hard time finding the right words to say.
ReplyDeleteMany people have talked about his life in Seward. How he lived, how he looked and some of the things he did. In my mind I started thinking about how I felt about him as my friend. I would like to call Bruce a Man among Men. A lot of time has gone by since the 70’s when I knew him. I regret not asking more questions, because now I know that I knew very little about him. But I can tell you what I do know. Bruce was a complicated person even back then. I think that I felt genuinely proud that we struck up a friendship that was trusting. He could be funny at times, (and I don’t mean weird) making jokes and pointing out amusing things that were going on in our small little town. We even had a nickname for Connie Bencardino (she was the police chiefs wife) that would make us both laugh out loud when we would see here coming. So I guess what I am trying to say is that when I close my eyes and picture my old friend I see.. A smiling face sitting at a bonfire on the beach, a delighted dumpster diver! (He would come up with some good scores) I see a man so deep in his thoughts that nothing distracted him. And most of all I see a man full of compassion and unfortunately way before his time.
He makes me think of the saying about people coming into your life for a reason or a season. To me Bruce came into my life for a reason. Pretty much he cemented the notion in me that we are all the same. We have the same problems, joys, emotions and even thoughts, just too different degrees. No one is unique. We are human.
So farewell my friend, I know you are up there with no shoes still on your never ending journey. My friend reminded me of this thought her son had when his uncle passed..
"you can measure the value of someone's life by how long a loved one cries" I've learned through the years that that doesn't always mean literal tears. but some cross through our lives that we are crying for and can't wait to see again, each and every day.
Spaceman you Rocked!
Sorry it took me so long to write something about Bruce. I really had a hard time finding the right words to say.
ReplyDeleteMany people have talked about his life in Seward. How he lived, how he looked and some of the things he did. In my mind I started thinking about how I felt about him as my friend. I would like to call Bruce a Man among Men. A lot of time has gone by since the 70’s when I knew him. I regret not asking more questions, because now I know that I knew very little about him. But I can tell you what I do know. Bruce was a complicated person even back then. I think that I felt genuinely proud that we struck up a friendship that was trusting. He could be funny at times, (and I don’t mean weird) making jokes and pointing out amusing things that were going on in our small little town. We even had a nickname for Connie Bencardino (she was the police chiefs wife) that would make us both laugh out loud when we would see here coming. So I guess what I am trying to say is that when I close my eyes and picture my old friend I see.. A smiling face sitting at a bonfire on the beach, a delighted dumpster diver! (He would come up with some good scores) I see a man so deep in his thoughts that nothing distracted him. And most of all I see a man full of compassion and unfortunately way before his time.
He makes me think of the saying about people coming into your life for a reason or a season. To me Bruce came into my life for a reason. Pretty much he cemented the notion in me that we are all the same. We have the same problems, joys, emotions and even thoughts, just too different degrees. No one is unique. We are human.
So farewell my friend, I know you are up there with no shoes still on your never ending journey. My friend reminded me of this thought her son had when his uncle passed..
"you can measure the value of someone's life by how long a loved one cries" I've learned through the years that that doesn't always mean literal tears. but some cross through our lives that we are crying for and can't wait to see again, each and every day.
Spaceman you Rocked!