Russell Woodgates

Geoff and I spent many hours hanging together after school during our senior year, either at his house in Stockdale or hitting Foster's Freeze or McDonald's for a (brand new!) Big Mac.  He was a very bright guy and lots of fun. 

This pic was taken in  1994 when I visited Bako and saw him (doing his best Sean Connery imitation) and his family. Fellow friend and WHS alum Lou Whitfield joined us.

What a shock!

Lou and I were neighbors in Park Stockdale and hung out with other boys from the 'hood (we called him "Baby Louie" because he was kinda short and it rhymed with "Baby Huey").

After he got his driver's license and started obsessing over Plymouth Dusters and later, Road Runners, he would come over often to show off his proud acquisition - no touching allowed!

After a friendly meet-up in 2005, I lost touch with him and his wife, Erin (here's a pic of them circa '19).

I'll post some vintage pics if I can find them...

https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bakersfield/obituary.aspx?pid=196393558

Merrill and I were best friends for awhile at West High. We lived just a few houses apart in Park Stockdale and were in a tight group of neighborhood buddies. 

Merrill and I spent many happy hours riding bikes, listening to records and exchanging deep thoughts on religion and politics while smoking Marlboros on my front lawn. His humor and easygoing disposition were a relief from our friends' more volatile temperaments. He was always welcome at my house. Here's a picture of me from that time (I'll try to find one of Merrill and me to scan later).

https://www.premierfuneral.com/obituaries/Merrill-Hansen/#!/TributeWall

Posted on: Jan 09, 2018 at 4:33 AM