Celebrating the life of a great husband, father, surfer, community leader
Dusty, a profound farewell......
There are people in this life who seem larger and more influential than life itself even though their own life is not without its tragedies and disappointments. Dusty is one of those people. From the time I was a young Santa Monica surf nazi hanging out up on Point Dume, Dusty was one of those names that I feared. A few years older and definitely tougher, Would he kick my butt because I surfed His spot? Would he let the air out of my car's tires. I was from Santa Monica and he was from Malibu. But not just Malibu, Point Dume. Malibu itself was divided into territories. North Malibu and South Malibu. If I dared to surf little Dume, I entered Dusty's territory. I was the enemy.
My girlfriend was his girlfriends best friend? We had to deal with that. He never kicked my butt and we became reasonably good friends. We had an unspoken regard and respect for one another that has endured the last 40 years. I genuinely, really liked him as a friend and a human being.
He always had a warm smile for me and a friendly greeting. He always made me feel like he genuinely liked seeing me. The years rolled on and the encounters grew less frequent, but still, there was always that warm greeting. We always ran into each other even though I lived far away. I would see him once or twice a year when I visited down there at Westward beach, Silverstrand, Point Dume and Leo Carillo doing what he loved. He loved the ocean. When he couldn't surf, he got into the ocean and boogie boarded.
My life and my history is interwoven with his. His journey here is ended. He was one of my favorite people in Malibu and I will miss him. I will never forget Dusty. If I were of certain American Indian Tribes I would never speak His name again out of reverence for who he was. But as a fellow sojourner on this earth and a kindred soul who loves the sea, I say, Dusty. you will live on in our memories as the awesome unique person you were. We will all miss you, until it is our time to depart this place. Then who knows, perhaps we will meet again..........Steve
My girlfriend was his girlfriends best friend? We had to deal with that. He never kicked my butt and we became reasonably good friends. We had an unspoken regard and respect for one another that has endured the last 40 years. I genuinely, really liked him as a friend and a human being.
He always had a warm smile for me and a friendly greeting. He always made me feel like he genuinely liked seeing me. The years rolled on and the encounters grew less frequent, but still, there was always that warm greeting. We always ran into each other even though I lived far away. I would see him once or twice a year when I visited down there at Westward beach, Silverstrand, Point Dume and Leo Carillo doing what he loved. He loved the ocean. When he couldn't surf, he got into the ocean and boogie boarded.
My life and my history is interwoven with his. His journey here is ended. He was one of my favorite people in Malibu and I will miss him. I will never forget Dusty. If I were of certain American Indian Tribes I would never speak His name again out of reverence for who he was. But as a fellow sojourner on this earth and a kindred soul who loves the sea, I say, Dusty. you will live on in our memories as the awesome unique person you were. We will all miss you, until it is our time to depart this place. Then who knows, perhaps we will meet again..........Steve
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Chris Frost on -
Well said, Grasshopper
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Permalink Reply by trevor anthony paterson smith on
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Steve,
Good to see you haven't lost perspective. Yes I too was from Santa Monica and Dusty let me into Dume to surf and let me hang at his parents compound. Back then we were all great friends and there were waves to spare. I respected Dusty and never once snaked him. I don't think anyone snaked him. We used to go up to Oxnard to surf in the winters. I couldn't think of a better person to hide behind when the Oxnard locals hassled us. I have great memories of surfing Dume with Dusty for about seven days straight on the Southern Hemi New Zealand swell of 1975. Another great memory was when Dusty stayed with me in Utah (1977) and skiied every day with me.
Dusty also was an Eco warrior; fighting the LNG terminal, proposing fish reserves and cleaning up the streams and Oceans. I hope they name the proposed Point Dume fish sanctuary after Dusty.
Great to hear from you, Chris Frost and everyone else ( too many to mention).
I went to the paddle out and was blown away by the number of Dusty's friends and admirers. It was a magnificent event that reunited old friends.
Thankyou Dusty.
See you Steve.
Trevor
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Permalink Reply by Bill Carter on -
Steve,
A remarkable tribute to a gentle, soul surfing giant! The deal with Dusty in the late sixties was, I got him safe passage at P.O.P Pier on more than a couple of epic days, lived in the trailer, knew his brother and family well and in return, he got me respect at the outer reef. When you on your knees, or more often, your stomach, respect was hard to find with some of the locals who took offense to my way of dissecting the waves at the outer reef.
There were those few nights in Hollywood going to see 2001: A Space Odyssey, getting back to the Point at 2:30AM, then off to Oxnard at 5:00AM
Thanks,
Bill
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Permalink Reply by greg white on
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Hey Steve- You still have a gift for words, and well structured for heart-felt rememberences of Dusty.
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Permalink Reply by Steve Rozsa on -
Greg,
Long time no see. I know you have seen Jim off and on. I talk to Jim at least every day. I'm up in Portland now where I've lived for the last 20 years visiting friends. We are currently living in Redding. Life has been an astonishing adventure so far. I suspect there more and better adventures to come. What is up with you life? I got to know Dusty fairly well the last few years. I think I knew him better than I ever knew him before. We had a deep connection, like two travelers on the same journey that from time to time would recognize and wave at each other as our paths drew close.
The last year I had been down in Malibu at last three times and had a strong impression to go and see Dusty. I was down there in the early part of July and I actually looked for him, but didn't find him. Then again later in July I had this impression to go an see him and have a friendly chat. But between family matters and obligations, I didn't have time. So you can see that I was deeply sadened to hear of his sudden passing. I wished I had listened to that little voice and heeded the impression.
Anyway, I would love to hear what is going on with you. Steve
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Permalink Reply by greg white on
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Steve- I too feel a deep and personal loss with Dusty's passing (more so than I thought I would have). My roots with him go way back, but more so in a "big brother" kind of way. I would occasionally see him at church and at the beach where we would always exchange a few pleasantries. For some reason this is a personal loss for me since it is a reminder of my own mortality. I knew the entire "original" Peak family, Maguerite, Howard, Dusty, and my friend Marty. Now, they're all gone, just how we'll be someday. Even though I am a Christian, I can't feel a deep sence of melancholy. So, I'm looking at my family everyday and appreciating them every day. My wife Marissa and I have been married and living in Calabasas for 20 years. My daughter, Kelsey is 18 and goes to Moopark College, and my son Connor goes to Agoura High and plays on the basketball team (he's taller than me!). As for me, I still surf like a madman (including today), and I work for AT&T in Agoura Hills as an ad exec. I kind of lost touch with Jim the last couple of years, but destiny always seems to have a way of reconnecting us! Anyway, I'm glad to hear that you're doing well and I hope to see you in the near future. Meanwhile, feel free to keep in touch. My e-mail address is gregwhite220@sbcglobal.net
Steve Rozsa said:Greg,
Long time no see. I know you have seen Jim off and on. I talk to Jim at least every day. I'm up in Portland now where I've lived for the last 20 years visiting friends. We are currently living in Redding. Life has been an astonishing adventure so far. I suspect there more and better adventures to come. What is up with you life? I got to know Dusty fairly well the last few years. I think I knew him better than I ever knew him before. We had a deep connection, like two travelers on the same journey that from time to time would recognize and wave at each other as our paths drew close.
The last year I had been down in Malibu at last three times and had a strong impression to go and see Dusty. I was down there in the early part of July and I actually looked for him, but didn't find him. Then again later in July I had this impression to go an see him and have a friendly chat. But between family matters and obligations, I didn't have time. So you can see that I was deeply sadened to hear of his sudden passing. I wished I had listened to that little voice and heeded the impression.
Anyway, I would love to hear what is going on with you. Steve
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Permalink Reply by Steve Rozsa on
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Denise,
The grace and love of Jesus Christ is more than enough to cover my blind spots. I know that this same grace and love was more than sufficient for Dusty as well. If we can have confidence in Jesus Christ, we can also have confidence that we will see Dusty again. Malibu will never be the same for me without Dusty. But knowing that he knew the lord, and more importantly, the Lord knew him, brings me a sense of peace. I hope your own faith is growing and the grace of God is giving you peace and assurance as well......Steve
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