Merlyn Plumlee, 1951-2007. image by brian j nelson

Merlyn Plumlee's funeral service is today in California.

The death of anyone so widely known is difficult for those left behind, but made ever more soul-rattling when the departed, like Merlyn, was so massively respected and admired by his colleagues and friends. To say that Merlyn will be missed and his death leaves a gigantic hole in the sport is just scraping the surface of what his passing means both today and what it will mean in the future.

Merlyn's private service will certainly be heavily attended, but those numbers will be small when compared to the number of lives that Merlyn Plumlee touched in his time with us. Those that knew him, his friends in Italy to New Zealand and back to the US, know Merlyn Plumlee wasn't just someone who lived a good life, did good work and will be missed. He was a man whose example made people realize that honesty and a quiet dignity are as valuable—or moreso—as those human qualities that our sport focuses on so much: speed, bravery, skill.

Honda crewchief Al Ludington recently said, "He showed by example the kind of person everyone should aspire to be. He wasn't just the best mechanic, really that was such a small part of what made up his being. He was the guy that always jumped up before everyone else to help the older woman put her bag in the overhead bin on the plane, who shook the hands of his rival after being beaten, who worked hard and strived for fairness. You looked at him and thought, 'That's the kind of man I want to be'".

Here is a page of images Brian Nelson shot of Merlyn over the years. Like all great photos, they need no captions.