Eulogy for a great friend...will miss you, Darryl, been a part of my hot-rodding life for nearly 50 years, sadly, last saturday, we farewelled a man who contributed so much to our hobby...Built lots of cars for himself and others...he built 4 cars for me, he helped me in so many different ways....a great travelling partner both here and overseas..well liked, he will be missed by his many friends...
Gone, but not forgotten, Rest in peace, my friend........
following is a small snippet of his life..born in 1948, spent most of his years in Toowoomba before semi-retiring to the Sunshine Coast...spent over 50 years involved in hot rods..
His first hotrod, in early 70s, was this Y block powered A bucket..this is around the time that lots of his now Brisbane friends met him, and other rodders from Toowoomba, and these friendships have kept going
mid 70s...many a weekend spent in Toowoomba, going to rodruns, or just hanging out at his home.
next came an A tudor, that won Top Sedan at the Nats....the stories that car could tell in the miles it did..as you can see below, it had a freshen up from Black to Red on Black..
the next 40 years saw an incredible life, of building cars, going to rod runs, going to USA
late 70s and the pickup was the next build....always had a thing for early A models...
so next..built another Tudor, this one chopped..red..chevy..show winner..
then came a roadster..once again, great detail, a different look to most others..winning combo..
his love of Deuces came in the 90s, and this was just one he built to resell..
but he had two favourites...his 3window, small block powered coupe....
and equal favourite was his steel, flattie powered roadster
attn. to detail was always high on his list..
in the last few years, some of his projects didn't quite get finished, like this closed cab pickup...but he always said, he just loved the build-ups as much as driving them...
and the latest...didn't quite get finished before he passed...this is a new 5 window body, and once again, flathead powered..
there were many other projects, some finished, some sold off before they were done, and I think one statistic he was so proud of, was he had built for himself, or customers, over 80 cars , some complete builds, some partial builds, but still, an amazing achievment in his 50 years of building..
Some candid pics below
always happy to take someone for a drive...
road trips were always an adventure, like knocking the oilpan out in Tocumwal..
stopping in to visit people on the way to and from a Nationals..
always tinkering with something..
road trip friends stopped for dinner...this would be 2011, as our US friend Charlie Duran is there..
in the last few years, he loved his annual weekend away with his Deuces Limited members..
late 90s..started a shop called Street Rod Constructions, and spent the next 15 years adding so many more cars to the local community..here he is with the first car I had him build, a 32 roadster.
a dynamo..the average build time for a completed car was around 9 to 12 months..
loved his annual treks to the USA..Louisville and LA Roadster show were the favourites.
my sedan, around 2007-2008...was not long after this, that his health issues surfaced
typical of his work, this was under a coupe he built to resell
he started coffee mornings up on the Sunny Coast, and loved the catch-ups with friends..
must be about 2010 or so..my finished sedan, and his roadster..
same day, his two coupes on display..
we travelled to Louisville, and to the 75th Deuce Anniversary...here taking a ride at Henry Fords Greenfield Village
same trip..gettin' wet at Niagara Falls...
but...he loved the car events the best..nothing better than an Aussie or US National event..
Yep..he loved America, the hotrod scene, drag racing, country music, baseball, scenery.........hand on heart, and tears in the eyes whenever the national anthem played..
loved his music...and he picked the songs for his funeral..sure wish I could have these songs playing in the background now...as below, we celebrate his life, with his final chapter, the service at Buderim, followed by the burial at Kuloongore Lawn Cemetery
Gregson and Weight did a superb job with the service, and topped it off with a last cruise in their newly built hearse.
brilliant..!
his favourite cars..and the FORD logo he loved..
Brendon, who now owns his roadster, brought it along..nice gesture..
Hundreds of people attended...the weather was perfect on the day..
and thanks to the 100 or more hot rod owners who bought their cars along..
May you rest in peace, Darryl, and thanks for the friendship, and the contribution you have made to hot rodding in Australia..there will be a big gap left with your passing, but we will never forget you, and how you touched our lives...
and to his family, wife Dianne, and to Zac and Nicky, and all the rest of the extended family..can I just pass on my condolences on behalf of all Darryls friends, and I'm sure you are aware of how much an impact he made in all our lives.............Gone....but never forgotten...R.I.P. Darryl Kuhnemann.
.......................................................29/1/1948-24/6/2017...............................................
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