A great man has walked the line

[Marcus den toom]

It is my sad duty to inform all of you of the passing away of our dear and good friend Michael "the Matchlock man" Trömner.

His good friend Armin König informed me of these sad tidings and told me he died yesterday peacefully in his sleep.

I don't know what to say other than that we have not only lost the foremost firearms expert of our era but also a great great friend and i am glad that i had the privilege to have known him for these past two years, not only as a teacher but also as my inspiration.

My condolences to all of you in these dark times.

JOHNNY CASH LYRICS
"The Preacher Said Jesus Said"

Well with everybody tryin' to tell us what to do
You wonder how are you to know whose word is true
But the preacher just keep on a bringing us a very same word
And from St Paul to Billy Graham the same is heard
And the preacher said of truth Jesus said
(And Jesus said I'm the way the truth and the life)
Well we can see that the world is full of greed
There's so much hate yet there is so much need
What should we do when no one seems to care
What can we do when there is no love there
And then the preacher said of love Jesus said
(Jesus said love Thy neighbor as Thyself)
Well please tell us the road we oughta go in such confusion how are we to know
And if there is a heaven show us to its gates
Oh you'd better tell us preacher before it's too late
And then the preacher said of heaven Jesus said
(Jesus said seek the first the kingdom of God and his righteousness
And all these things shall be added unto you)
Well please tell us we can find a way to climb every mountain that we face every day
And time of troubles what to depend upon to be the truth and help us carry on
And the preacher said of trouble Jesus said
(Jesus said let not your heart be troubled if you believe in God believe also in me
In my father's house are many mansions if it were not so I would have told you
I go to prepare a place for you
And if I prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you unto myself
That where I am there you may be also)

[David]

So sorry to hear this. Thanks for posting the sad news.

[Rick]

I toasted Michael with Jaegermeister tonight .
If Saint Peter has an armory I'm sure he is there setting things straight .

[M ELEY]

A terrible loss to the antique arms community! He will be missed and we are lucky to have much of his knowledge preserved here-

[cornelistromp]

shocked by this terrible news, a very special man is no longer with us.
rest in peace Michael.


honorable contribution in the spirit of Michael Trömner;
Der Tod reitet auf einem kohlschwarzen Rappen;
er hat ein undurchsichtige Kappen.
Wenn Landsknecht in das Feld marschieren,
lässt er sein Ross daneben galoppieren

Death rides a coal-black black horse;
He has an opaque cap.
when Landsknecht march into the field,
he lets his horse gallop next to them.

[kronckew]

sad, he shall be missed. i too shall toast him with a shot of Jägermeister.

auf wiedersehen matchlock. Schlaf gut.

[machinist]

I too will miss him, it is a rare man that can devote himself to gaining and sharing knowledge on a subject like he did.

[Bob A]

I am a newcomer here, and gather only a glimpse of what I have missed from the tributes above. I am moved nevertheless, by this passing and others of my recent experience, to note, with sadness, the truth in the proverb: When an old man dies, a library is burned.

[Matus]

Ruhe sanft Michael.

[drdavid]

Very sad, a great loss, I loved his erudite posts
drd

[Andi]

Chris my wife an I are really shocked and deeply depressed about this sad message.

In our holidays we visited Matchlock at his home in Abensberg only 18 days ago on July 7th and found him in a much better state of health as on our last visit one year ago. He was so active and had planned so many things for the next time. It was such a nice and informative afternoon with him and we exchanged a lot of ideas, information and files. We can not believe that this should have been the last time as we promised him to visit him nex year again.

It is such a great loss which can not be filled. There is so much knoledge passed with him - it is so sad......

Matchlock, may you find your peace where ever you are now!

On our next ocassion we will shoot a salute on him.

[fernando]

So deeply sad that, the end of his long time suffering, only ended with such terrible loss.
We will have the previlege to inherit his endless fount of knowledge.
Rest in peace, dear Michl.

[A Senefelder]

The mans knowledge of early firearms was nothing short of epic. We will not have a resource like him again and the field of study is a fair bit cloudier for his passing. RIP.

[rickystl]

Very sad to hear of Michael's passing. Even though my primary interest is Ethno firearms, I do have a couple of early European pieces. So now, every time I look at my detached, double pawl wheellock lock, I'll think of Michael. His knowledge of 400-700 year old Europen firearms and accessories was nothing short of astounding. I will really miss reading his Threads. A real loss to the collecting community. Thank you for all your knowledge and help Michael. RIP. Rick.

[fernando]

At his best in 2004. A cats lover, as he claimed.


-

[ChrisPer]

Condolences to all his friends and family. A man of learning and generous spirit to share so much.

Thank you Michael.

[Marcus den toom]

I am still in disbelieve about his passing, he was so happy and full of live the last time i spoke with him... and Andi tells that story very well, he was planning to write again on the forum and maybe even plan some exhibitions.

Armin told me yesterday that Michl will be cremated in silence and that his urn will be burried in a service where friends can say there goodbyes.

[ulfberth]

I remember entering the forum by coincidence and started reading Michaels comments.
He drew my attention, I thought "finally here are some people that know what they are talking about"
I would like to join....
Sometimes he got emotional, but I guess that's what's makes us human.
His contributions to the forum and no doubt beyond are without compare.

A warrior is not remembered by a single battle but by the sum of his quest !

[Jim McDougall]

So beautifully worded Ulfberth! and indeed, it is the sum of his work that will stand as his hallmark, here and in the world of arms and armour.

When we began this forum, it was his entry which became a driving force as he tirelessly added incredible art work and showed and compared his amazing collections, a virtual museum of the earliest firearms and ordnance.
In that time, he gave us so much, and helped us all learn on these often very obscure and amazingly important arms. He was very much the quintessence of what this forum is all about.

We are deeply saddened by the loss of this magnificent scholar, and I will always be grateful for his kind friendship, and wonderful sharing.

I wish I could find an appropriate note or image or quote which would stand to represent him in this time of sadness, but it would be impossible as he was the master of so much and so comprehensive.

The terrible suffering he endured in recent times, and in many cases may have clouded perceptions of the man who loved and helped build this forum, is now done, and may he rest in peace. He will not ever be forgotten.

[fernando]

Let there be no doubt about all you said, Jim.

[Norman McCormick]

This is sad sad news indeed. Many will know that Michael was very unwell for some time and one did hope that with time he would return to us and once again give us the joy and benefit of his unique expertise. He gave of his time and vast knowledge freely and with good grace, a truly generous quality which I had the good fortune to personally experience a number of times. I will miss him.
My Regards to All,
Norman.

[fernando]

in principle on the 6th August 11:00 o’clock, Michl’s urn will be buried in his Abensberg family grave.
Peace to his soul.

[Fernando K]

Descansa en paz, Matchlock. Que Dios te tenga en la palma de su mano

Fernando Keilty, desde Argentina.

[Andi]

Matchlock's funeral will take place in his hometown Abendsberg in a view minutes. May he rest in peace.

[fernando]

Amen

[Pukka Bundook]

So very sorry to hear of Michael's passing.

A great man with a wealth of knowledge. He will be sadly missed!
Irreplaceable.

Richard.

[Jim McDougall]

Yesterday, as I knew Michael would be formally placed in his final resting place, I thought of and remembered him, and all the many talks we had.
He loved this forum, and was so proud of being part of it.

As I reminisced, I had beside me his book, published in 2005, which he sent to me several years ago, inscribed to me.

It was as if we were talking again.

Actually he will always be here in the monumental corpus of material and knowledge he shared with us.

Vaya con Dios my friend

[bkp747]

Adios Michael, Vaya Con Dios...you will be missed. Aufweidersehen.

[Cerjak]

It is certainly after I had read some posts about matchlock guns from Michael that I decided to become a forum member’s. Many times in PM I asked about his opinion and he always had the kindness to help me more than expected.
I wish that all discussions opened by Michael will go on…
As all the members I will miss him.

Jean-Luc

[Nathan Robinson]

This is very sad news. Damn. Another one lost. Thank you for notifying the community. The Johnny Cash lyrics are well chosen.

May he rest in peace.