Phil Spudich has passed...

Tramp Steamer said:

About thirty minutes ago I received a call from one of the young ladies at Billiards Sports Bar and Grill (nee: Billiards of Springfield), and learned that it's owner, Phil Spudich, had died yesterday.
Little else is known at this time, but it appears to be a heart attack..
Phil has owned Billiards since the mid-eighties, as well as other pool rooms in Columbia, Mo. I've known Phil, and his wife Maggie, for some sixteen years and had always enjoyed their company. We were good friends. Although talked about many times, he and I never did get in that round of golf.
Goodbye Phil. You leave many, many friends behind, and by extension, all of AZB.

Click to expand...

Tramp Steamer said:

About thirty minutes ago I received a call from one of the young ladies at Billiards Sports Bar and Grill (nee: Billiards of Springfield), and learned that it's owner, Phil Spudich, had died yesterday.
Little else is known at this time, but it appears to be a heart attack..
Phil has owned Billiards since the mid-eighties, as well as other pool rooms in Columbia, Mo. I've known Phil, and his wife Maggie, for some sixteen years and had always enjoyed their company. We were good friends. Although talked about many times, he and I never did get in that round of golf.
Goodbye Phil. You leave many, many friends behind, and by extension, all of AZB.

Click to expand...

Tramp Steamer said:

Yesterday was a turn-down-day. It was my 69th birthday and I was celebrating by eating a large piece of banana bread and sitting in front of the television watching Oklahoma play Baylor.
Sarah, from Billiards, called and told me the news about Phil, and I immediately lost my appetite. In light of the bad news, and being the sweetheart that she is, Sarah wished me a happy birthday, and hung up.
Little is still known about his passing, but let me say that Teacher was correct. Phil probably was one of the great room owners. Most certainly here in Missouri. He had been successful in Columbia, where he lived, as well as here in Springfield, having only recently renovated Billiards with a new roof, new flooring, inside coolers, and newly remodeled restrooms. My only complaint came when the name was changed from Billiards of Springfield, to Billiards Sports Bar and Grill. We still had sixteen Gold Crowns though, and that was a good thing.
Like alstl mentioned, he was a helicopter pilot during Viet Nam, flying the big twin rotor Chinooks. Phil also owned his own fixed-wing plane. A Piper Comanche, I believe.
What happens now? Who knows. Whether Maggie wants to continue on is anybody's guess at this point. It's way too early.
On behalf of her, their son Adam, and all the employees at Billiards, I would like to thank you for the kind words. We seldom think about room owners as being one of us, but they are.

Click to expand...

Tramp Steamer said:

Yesterday was a turn-down-day. It was my 69th birthday and I was celebrating by eating a large piece of banana bread and sitting in front of the television watching Oklahoma play Baylor.
Sarah, from Billiards, called and told me the news about Phil, and I immediately lost my appetite. In light of the bad news, and being the sweetheart that she is, Sarah wished me a happy birthday, and hung up.
Little is still known about his passing, but let me say that Teacher was correct. Phil probably was one of the great room owners. Most certainly here in Missouri. He had been successful in Columbia, where he lived, as well as here in Springfield, having only recently renovated Billiards with a new roof, new flooring, inside coolers, and newly remodeled restrooms. My only complaint came when the name was changed from Billiards of Springfield, to Billiards Sports Bar and Grill. We still had sixteen Gold Crowns though, and that was a good thing.
Like alstl mentioned, he was a helicopter pilot during Viet Nam, flying the big twin rotor Chinooks. Phil also owned his own fixed-wing plane. A Piper Comanche, I believe.
What happens now? Who knows. Whether Maggie wants to continue on is anybody's guess at this point. It's way too early.
On behalf of her, their son Adam, and all the employees at Billiards, I would like to thank you for the kind words. We seldom think about room owners as being one of us, but they are.

Click to expand...

Dunnn51 said:

Tramp,
In response to yours posted after mine :

2 Things...............

1- Helicopter pilots are in a breed of their own. I had the priviledge to work alongside a dust-off pilot who VOLUNTEERED for his 2nd tour in Vietnam (67-68) if memory serves me correctly of his telling. When I asked him "why," he said it was because he had a GF there and had nothing better to do (presumably state-side) He was the funniest/comical man I ever knew; had many of us in stitches laughing so hard and was capable of doing it in just seconds. He passed 4 yrs ago. (I miss him a lot).

2- My "home" room owner is good people ! He really listens to you. His wife is the same way. Very "people" oriented with strong morals;not because its just good for business.

This puts your friend in some very fine/unique company. There are not many with those two traits going for them.
I don't drink much anymore, but I'll throw one down for Phil tonight.

I hope you wake'd him well my friend,.... he's special people.

Click to expand...