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Post by D2o on Feb 22, 2010 14:31:15 GMT -5
(Moved from the Coffee Shop on Jan 13, 2018)
Dear Forum,
It is with sadness that I report the passing of ChrisK (Christopher E. Kikta). His funeral will be held Tuesday morning (February 23, 2010).
This thread is open for comment.
Don’t be shy – if anyone wishes to post a comment / story / fond memory of Chris, I encourage you to do so. I am sure Chris would have liked that.
Many thanks to eyenni, for letting me know about this.
Sincerely, D2o
KIKTA CHRISTOPHER E. Age 57, of Plum, on Friday, February 19, 2010. Beloved husband of Billie L. (McCluskey) Kikta. Loving father of Andrew Kikta (Maya) and Katie Kikta (Josh). Son of Edward and Esther Kikta. Brother of William, Janet and James Kikta. Son-in-law of Charles and the late Elsie McCluskey. Brother-in-law of Larry McCluskey (Susan). Chris currently served as an ACS Engineering Fellow with Honeywell International. Friends received Sunday 5-8 p.m. and Monday 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. at MAURICE L. KNEE, LTD. FUNERAL HOME, 7663 Saltsburg Road (across from S&T Bank) Plum where a Funeral Service will be held Tuesday at 11 a.m. Interment Crossroads Cemetery, Monroeville. Family suggests memorials to, The American Cancer Society , 320 Bilmar Dr., Pgh., PA 15205-4620. Send condolences at post-gazette.com/gb
Vaya con Dios, Chris.
Edit by reTrEaD:Chris's posting history: guitarnuts2.proboards.com/user/33/recentChris was the 33rd user to register on GN2 The In Memoriam board was the 33rd created on GN2 It wasn't planned that way.
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Post by cynical1 on Feb 22, 2010 14:45:40 GMT -5
Wow...that's a kick in the head.
I think the one thing that will always stay with me about Chris was that he was always willing to help you find your solution...but he wasn't going to give it away. I know I must have tried his patience with my little builds, but he stuck with me.
And he was always there with the barbed commentary. Some people may have taken offense to it, but I think it was his way of separating the wheat from the chaff.
I owe Chris quite a bit. His carrot and stick method forced me to get smart. I still have a long way to go, but I'm not intimidated by it anymore.
Following Chris's posting over the couple of years I was able to became a source of enlightenment, confusion and humor. He could stick a pin in your balloon and have you thanking him with a smile for doing it.
You will be sorely missed here, and certainly anywhere else you've touched over the years.
Good bye, Chris.
Cynical One
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Post by newey on Feb 22, 2010 16:18:53 GMT -5
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Post by Double Yoi on Feb 22, 2010 19:14:26 GMT -5
So sorry to hear this news. He has influenced the ones that influence me. So lift a pint for Chrisk! And play it in B for him a couple times. With Great Sympathy, Craig
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Post by JohnH on Feb 24, 2010 5:11:49 GMT -5
I only knew Chris through his posts here. I wish I'd known him better. He could run rings around any of us on electronic theory. He could deal with complicated designs and systems with ease, and was also a sharp and amusing fellow with his wit and words. The things he did here that I like best are the simplest ones though. So Im sticking this design of Chris up on the wall, one from his S-none thread which I think is very clever. He used a standard Stratocaster with its normal switch with one extra push/pull switch to give all the usual sounds, plus 5 extra settings that gives some really good series sounds. Rest in peace Chris
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Post by dunkelfalke on Feb 24, 2010 5:30:20 GMT -5
спи спокойно, да будет земля тебе пухом
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Post by gumbo on Feb 24, 2010 5:54:07 GMT -5
After the disappointments of the last year, I can only hope that he had the chance to realise how much we DID care about and for him. A great loss.
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Post by ux4484 on Feb 24, 2010 12:00:02 GMT -5
A comment from his guest book says it all:
May the Lord Bless you and Keep you Chris.
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Post by Runewalker on Feb 24, 2010 14:27:21 GMT -5
Chris K. Stetson's off to you my sardonic friend.
turns out you can't take it with you.
generosity is. irony is.
__________________________________________
Durn, 57 is scary young.
- till next time. adios.
RW
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Post by ijustwannastrat on Feb 24, 2010 20:55:46 GMT -5
I never really knew Chris, he left shortly after I began to frequent the forum. But from what I can tell in old threads, he is truely irreplaceable. My best wishes to his family.
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katek
Rookie Solder Flinger
Posts: 1
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Post by katek on Feb 25, 2010 11:37:51 GMT -5
Our family wishes to take a moment to thank everyone for the kind words and warm memories about our father Chris. He was truly a remarkable man. Whether it was building guitars, working to make fellow with his company, or coaching us in baseball as kids - everything he did, he did with intelligence, zeal, integrity, and passion. He could inspire greatness in others, because he expected nothing less than greatness in himself. His memory will live on through all that he taught to so many.
Thank you, The Kikta Family
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Post by D2o on Feb 25, 2010 11:52:11 GMT -5
Thank you so much for stopping by, Kate.
Your father was simply exceptional.
I am so very sorry for your family's loss. God bless you and your family.
On behalf of the GN2 community, D2o
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Post by D2o on Feb 25, 2010 14:39:38 GMT -5
By the way, when Kate mentioned "fellow" it reminded me of one of the news articles I had read, which mentioned what one of Chris' co-workers described as his crowning achievement.
I have pasted it in for those who wish to read it.
D2o
Christopher E. Kikta was so knowledgeable about technology and electronics that he was just as comfortable building automation systems for Honeywell International Inc. as he was building electric guitars for fun.
"He was very much into science and technology. He'd read books on math for fun. He valued his intellect," said daughter Katie Kikta of Richmond, Va.
Christopher E. Kikta, 57, of Plum, died Friday, Feb. 19, 2010, at his home. He had battled cancer for four years, Katie Kikta said.
He was born March 19, 1952, in Youngstown, Ohio, to Edward and Esther Kikta, who still live in the Pittsburgh area. His family moved to the Garden City section of Monroeville when he was young and he graduated from Gateway High School.
Rather than entering college and getting a student deferment from the military draft, Mr. Kikta enlisted in the Army at age 17 during the height of the Vietnam War. He served at a missile base in Alaska, Katie Kikta said.
He married Billie L. McCluskey in 1977.
He attended Community College of Allegheny County Boyce Campus, but a lot of what he learned "was self-taught," said his son, Andrew Kikta of Brooklyn, N.Y. He had an "intellectual curiosity and creativity," Andrew Kikta said.
Mr. Kikta joined with a few other partners in forming Innovex Inc. in Pittsburgh in the mid-1990s, where he was vice president of research, said fellow Innovex co-founder Craig Rouse of Greensburg. Innovex was acquired by Novar PLC in 2001, and Novar was bought by Honeywell in 2005.
"He was a brilliant individual. He designed electronic circuits for building automation systems. He had numerous patents for building electronics for building automation systems," Rouse said.
Mr. Kikta, who was based at Honeywell's Cleveland facility, was named an Automated Controls System engineering fellow for Honeywell International Inc.
"That (engineering fellow recognition) was Chris' crowning achievement," Rouse said.
Katie Kikta recalled that one of his father's colleagues once told her that, "Your dad's a genius."
In his spare time, Mr. Kikta enjoyed building electric guitars and had a collection of guitars he played, Katie Kikta said.
"He was the ultimate tinkerer," Rouse said.
In his time away from work, the family would take vacations to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. They were able to take a trip to their North Carolina vacation spot last September, Katie Kikta said.
In addition to his parents, wife and children, survivors include two brothers, William Kikta of the South Hills and James Kikta, and a sister, Janet Kikta, of the South Hills.
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Post by dunkelfalke on Feb 25, 2010 15:33:46 GMT -5
He was truly a remarkable man. Very true. He was so remarkable, that people all over the world sorely miss him.
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Post by ashcatlt on Feb 26, 2010 1:38:44 GMT -5
I have very little to say here that hasn't already been said. I was very disappointed when he left the forum. We lost a rare reservoir of genius.
It occurred to me, though, that I referred to him as "the late ChrisK" a while back. Never would have said such a thing if I'd known this was coming.
The Law of Conservation of Energy states that he cannot really be gone. The folks who study physics without fear (unlike Einstein) know that time and space are imaginary.
Okay, I've had a few...
Thanks for everything Chris.
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Post by wolf on Feb 28, 2010 17:02:33 GMT -5
Well that is quite a shock. I thought Chris K was just giving this board a rest (as all of us do from time to time). I knew he was clever and intelligent but after reading about his life, it's amazing to see what he had done. And he will definitely be missed.
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Post by sumgai on Mar 1, 2010 1:31:59 GMT -5
OK, now I got sumpin' to say......
First, I re-echo those immortal three words that Chris once emailed to me, back when I went on a walkabout. He said: "You are missed". Simple, concise, elegant, and at the same time, most daring. That man read me like a book.
I parroted those three words right back at him, off-Forum, shortly after he left. I'd like to think that he remembered his earlier message to me, and hopefully he got a chuckle out of it.
Next, to KatieK....
Your dad was never afraid to express himself here, and one of the reasons we all miss him is not his vast pool of knowledge, but his fearless baring of his private life, wherever he thought it might do someone some good to hear of his life experiences. For that reason, we all think of you as the main depositor in "The Bank of Dad", and we want you to know that the interest on your account here far exceeds whatever you could possibly withdraw from us. We humbly invite you to visit with us whenever you wish, and to share whatever you have that you think might warm our hearts. I'd like to think his spirit lives on with us, perhaps only a percent less than within your heart, and I think it would surely make folks happy to hear from you once in awhile.
Thanks.
sumgai
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Post by sydsbluesky on Apr 9, 2010 1:58:26 GMT -5
Our little corner of the internet is left a much less intelligent place.
A sincere thanks to the Kitka family for letting us while away his time and energies for as long as we were able. We all learned from Chris.
Too young... He'll be missed by all.
Jesse
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Post by ijustwannastrat on Jun 24, 2010 20:53:25 GMT -5
And, please use capitalization, commas, and periods. There is also a free spell checker available on this site. Word soup, while currently "sick" and widely afoot among the young, tends to annoy in advance those that have made the effort to write well (and who have the answers that you seek).
This is NOT an attempt to offend you, but some life advice. How you speak and write determines how you're perceived, and most often, what opportunity is, or is NOT, offered to you. Opportunities un-offered are opportunities unaware.
You are how you say you are.
This is classy. It makes me wish that I had found this forum much earlier than I had.
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Post by sumgai on Jun 25, 2010 3:37:10 GMT -5
wanner,
You're correct, of course, the man fairly oozed class, when his humor bone wasn't busy stabbing out at the rest of us and our foibles.
But Chris'd also be the first to say that it's never too late to turn the page and start over. It is possible to work your way past those who remember previous behavior patterns, and teach them a "new you". I'm living proof of that one!
sumgai
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Post by gfxbss on Nov 29, 2010 23:02:52 GMT -5
Woah, I have taken a long break from here and am just noticing this one.... I had hoped he was just on hiatus like me.....
Chris,
You will be sorely missed for your undying sarcasm and intelligence. You are one of the big reasons that I really became interested in guitar electronics, and it has let me to co to college for electrical engineering. That being said, I still look at some of your diagrams and get completely lost.
I can say for a fact that this part of the internet will forever be changed by you. Though after reading about some of your accomplishments, it seems that we are just a drop in the ocean.
Tyler
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Post by D2o on Feb 15, 2012 22:48:20 GMT -5
Wow ... it's been almost two years since we lost Chris.
Lost but not forgotten, ol' pal.
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Post by cynical1 on Feb 15, 2012 23:52:33 GMT -5
I don't think we'll ever really lose Chris. He raised the bar here for all of us and you just have to look around here for a short while to see his influence.
Anytime someone comes here with a question or problem and leaves with a solution Chris will be a part of it.
Every time I pick up my guitar or bass Chris is there...because he had a hand in making it work...and he's probably shaking his head wondering why the Hell I wired it THAT way...
Until the next life.
- Scott
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