Randy is one in a billion...
When I last talked with him in February, I told him folks were asking about him on the forum. He said just to say "he's fine". He was not interested getting that kind of attention. He was a proud father and grandfather. A good friend and neighbor. He was a creative, funny, strong, opinionated, and passionate person with a great sense of humor. Above all, he was the type who would most certainly give you the shirt off his back and sacrifice anything for a friend.
Randy and I talked on the phone regularly since I first starting using SoftPlan back at V10. Not only was he a huge design and SoftPlan resource, but he would also ask about the family, life, make comments about current news/events, was always willing to share, and generally just wanted to get to know me. He would send funny emails to lift my spirits, or helpful tips he found. He was a great friend, and often a huge help when running into issues with a project. He would also add in some good symbols to any illustration sample or fix to one of my problems (he had the best library of anything you might want for a 3D presentation). If I needed a 1970 brown Pinto wagon, he'd have one. He was humble too, and would suggest talking to another SP user who had an answer, skill, or solution he felt would be better than his own.
He went above and beyond when I told him I was flying into Sacramento a few days before the Tahoe Seminar that he, Tom, Tim, Robert, and others pulled together to help train the SP masses before SoftPlan had any training of their own. Randy and I were talking on the phone and he told me that he and Robert would be driving up to Tahoe the same day I was flying in, so it would only be natural (for Randy) to stop at the airport and pick me up on the way. I spent a few days with those two sharing insights, talking shop, and enjoying getting to know each other while exploring Lake Tahoe before the seminar started. It was such a typical "Randy" thing.
Then, when I had a job going on in Lake Tahoe over the next year, Randy acted as my local architect and showed up to inspect the project and snap some photos. He jumped in and helped me on various jobs when I needed an extra hand. And, he always called, just to check in. He was a true friend.
I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to rub shoulders with him, to share stories, and to be part of his circle of friends. Randy will be greatly missed! I don't think I could ever say enough to express how great a person Randy (The Dolph) Cohn is.
