DeerMagnet

[bartmanS4]

So I was really curious as to why someone would apparently go through and delete almost all of their prior posts. Particularly the ones that provided info or how to posts. The deletes or post edits occurred in February and I didn't find any new posts after that time. I did a little Google PI work and it lead me to this:

http://wnep.com/2013/05/27/dunmore-man-found-dead-in-river/

Considering that Dunmore, PA is a town with a population of about 14k it isn't hard to believe it's the same Mark Griffin.
Strange huh?

[VXobsession]

.......got a lump in my throat :(

[Mile High VX]

That is so sad...RIP Mark.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thetimes-tribune/obituary.aspx?pid=165130596

[JoFotoz]

Very sad, RIP Mark.

A Big VX salute to you for all the input and advice you shared here.

Jo

[eternal21]

Rest In Peace. But why would someone delete all of his posts?

[Ldub]

Very sad to hear if true...and I fear the worst...:(

He was a known adventurer, and also a bit of a loner, if I was able to interpret his posts as they were meant.
IIRC, he had about a four day work week, and enjoyed hiking/fishing on his own in the wilderness.

Why he would leave instructions to clear all history of his existence, is left to speculation.

If you're out there in the witness protection program...good luck in the rest of your travels my friend.

Know that you were a valuable contributor to our little community/addiction.

If circumstances are of a more permanent nature...Rest In Peace, and know that you were held in high regard by your peers...Thank You Mr Griffin.

[bartmanS4]

Why he would leave instructions to clear all history of his existence, is left to speculation..

This is what I find really strange. The posts were edited in February, he died in May. Could be completely unrelated or...

[Ldub]

Premeditated suicide, or WPT remain the two most obvious options IMO.:confusedw

[VX KAT]

That's def him, cuz I recall he worked at a Wal-Mart distribution center.

Ya know I noticed he'd deleted a ton of posts several MONTHS ago, I'm absolutely sure it's been months. I thought it was kind of weird, but I know in the last year or so before his VX blew up, he was a little pissy about giving up some of his data.

If you recall he wouldn't share his big mega data base of something, and vt_maverick asked him repeatedly for it, IIRC even offered to convert it to a usable format or something like that.

It was about that time that he started the thread "biggest data thread ever" or something like that. That thread popped up on the home page just a few days ago, so somebody bumped it, was that you Scott?

I'd have to search it down, but maybe mav can jump in and plug the gaps in my recollection on what the data was that he got kind of touchy about sharing.

Regardless....sad to hear this news.:(

[Scott Harness]

:( Rip :(

[VX KAT]

Just realized all the edits were made in February 2013 (not 2014), so that was before he passed away. Still don't know why he would have deleted so much info, but that explains my recollection of it being many months ago.

[Ldub]

It was about that time that he started the thread "biggest data thread ever" or something like that. That thread popped up on the home page just a few days ago, so somebody bumped it, was that you Scott? (

My last reply gave it tha bumpy-bump...;)

[VX KAT]

My last reply gave it tha bumpy-bump...;)

Well YEAH! .....if I'd actually opened that thread and read the last few posts I'da been all edumacated on that! DUH! :mbrasd:.....:slap:....:p

[nocturnalVX]

RIP man...

[Y33TREKker]

Sad news. RIP Deermagnet.

[HeckaTrebeka]

If he did join the WPT, we might want to remove his name from this thread so anybody searching it(with ill intent) doesn't come across this and think he's still alive out there.

[mrtew]

"Griffin’s death does not appear to be suspicious."??? What the heck does that mean? That he hit a deer and fell in the water? Seems anything else would be suspicious to me.

[Ldub]

If he did join the WPT, we might want to remove his name from this thread so anybody searching it(with ill intent) doesn't come across this and think he's still alive out there.

There are still a lot of threads out there with mention made of him...would be quite a task.

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/showthread.php?t=17508

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/showthread.php?t=18551

[Anita]

OH... so sorry to see this!

We bought Vx parts from each other in the early days of the site. He was so helpful and after a time the character of his posts changed. Such a tragedy. :(

[HeckaTrebeka]

Mentioning his name in the past is different than this thread.


...RIP

[vt_maverick]

I thought it was kind of weird, but I know in the last year or so before his VX blew up, he was a little pissy about giving up some of his data.
...
If you recall he wouldn't share his big mega data base of something, and vt_maverick asked him repeatedly for it, IIRC even offered to convert it to a usable format or something like that.
...
I'd have to search it down, but maybe mav can jump in and plug the gaps in my recollection on what the data was that he got kind of touchy about sharing.


Well I suppose he may haunt me for this, but here's the story. Mark liked to swoop into troubleshooting threads every now and again and drop some amazing official Isuzu document that somehow only he had. On other occasions he would write posts that simply alluded to something he had in his stash, then refuse to provide it when asked. So at some point I got really irritated at his flaunting and started publicly pushing him to make his stash available to the community at large. In particular he had a CD that contained a program where you could query an Isuzu master VX production database by VIN and see the original exterior and interior colors, date of production (not in-service data but when your VX actually rolled of the assembly line), etc. It would have been absolutely invaluable for establishing how many VX's remain in production, which would have been useful if/when our trucks reach collector status. As an example I spent hundreds of hours compiling an ultimately incomplete list of Foxfire VINs from AutoTrader, eBay, CL, etc., when his CD could have provided a fully comprehensive list in seconds. This is assuming the data on the CD could have been extracted into a list format, but since Mark refused to post the CD contents to his cloud drive or take it to a local data management company (I researched and provided him a list) we'll likely never have access to that data ever again. He did finally provide most/all of the other information to the community, but it took a lot of harassment.

I hope Mark rests in peace but I also hope everyone here will remember his story as a cautionary tale of the consequences of hoarding any VX info you may have. If all you have are hard copies, get them scanned and posted. And even if you only have parts it would be a good idea to make sure a loved one knows of this site and can post them if something happens to you. These recommendations may sound cold but frankly if we don't follow them we may be relegated to "barn finds" as the only path to new info/parts.

RIP Mark.

[VXorado]

He did finally provide most/all of the other information to the community, but it took a lot of harassment.



It's too bad he chose to later remove all of the information that we were "gifted" by his database. Now no one will be able to look back at some of his past posts... all worthless threads that just say "edit."

Oh well, at least he died doing what the obituary said he loved. I'll always remember his stock Vehicross that was pushing 300K miles before suffering engine failure. Might still be the highest mileage VX out there and I wonder what happened to it?

RIP.

[Etfren]

Wow, I was really excited reading his posts about his VX's climb to 300K miles. Sad that they never made it that far.

RIP.

[don moore]

:sadgray:RIP fellow VXer

[blacksambo]

What a sad story. Neat guy. RIP

[SinJin]

Wow

I had wondered why a couple How-To threads were edited to omit his How-To instructions.

*RIP*

[mrtew]

Wow

I had wondered why a couple How-To threads were edited to omit his How-To instructions.

*RIP*

His death doesn't really explain why he edited the threads to delete his posts though and his death doesn't really seem to be explained either. I just have more questions now!

[blacksambo]

I think the VX was a big part of his life and if he chose to end it then VX would go with him. Pure speculation, of course.

[tom4bren]

Wow, that was some sad news. I liked him a lot even though I never met him.

I think that he deleted many of his posts after his VX was put up on blocks since he lost interest in the forum & didn't want to answer a lot of questions while he wasn't driving his. He did have plans on restoring his VX eventually but it just didn't rate high on his priority list.

Yes, he was a very private person but he gave me a lot of valuable advice & I'll always think very highly of him for that.

I pray God met him with open arms, a fishing rod in one hand & a set of VX keys in the other.

[Ldub]

Wow, that was some sad news. I liked him a lot even though I never met him.

I think that he deleted many of his posts after his VX was put up on blocks since he lost interest in the forum & didn't want to answer a lot of questions while he wasn't driving his. He did have plans on restoring his VX eventually but it just didn't rate high on his priority list.

Yes, he was a very private person but he gave me a lot of valuable advice & I'll always think very highly of him for that.

I pray God met him with open arms, a fishing rod in one hand & a set of VX keys in the other.

DAMN....there should be a "LIKE" tab around here somewhere that I could click on...:yes:

Well said.

[nfpgasmask]

Wow, talked to Mark a couple times. This is pretty crazy. RIP, Mark.

Bart