Wacky Packages Forum

Wacky Packages Discussion => General Wacky Packages Discussion => Topic started by: mikecho on April 22, 2021, 04:05:35 PM

Title: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: mikecho on April 22, 2021, 04:05:35 PM
Can someone please contact Rusty (if he's still even on this forum) and ask him what happened to lostwackys.com, why it hasn't been updated to modern times and most important of all, why isn't it functioning properly? Every time I try to look up things, say on the Lost Wackys page, for example, most of the time I end up getting a blank white page with a short note in the upper left hand corner basically telling me that what I want to look at is, for some reason or other, unavailable.
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: Paul_Maul on May 03, 2021, 11:08:35 AM
I came across this account of Rusty’s medical problems when I was looking for wacky info. I assume this is the reason he hasn’t tended to the site and probably will not. I’m not sure if anyone in the hobby was aware of all this, I was not, but I sure hope he is making progress in recovering from these serious issues.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/rusty-erpenbeck-and-familys-brain-injury-journey?utm_campaign=p_cp_url&utm_medium=os&utm_source=customer
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: mikecho on May 03, 2021, 11:36:13 AM
I came across this account of Rusty’s medical problems when I was looking for wacky info. I assume this is the reason he hasn’t tended to the site and probably will not. I’m not sure if anyone in the hobby was aware of all this, I was not, but I sure hope he is making progress in recovering from these serious issues.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/rusty-erpenbeck-and-familys-brain-injury-journey?utm_campaign=p_cp_url&utm_medium=os&utm_source=customer
Wow, I didn't know about this. Please give him my best and tell him I really loved his website.
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: Paul_Maul on May 03, 2021, 11:46:22 AM
Wow, I didn't know about this. Please give him my best and tell him I really loved his website.

I am not in touch with him, I actually have never even spoken to him. But I do feel his situation deserves some hobby acknowledgement given all his contributions.
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: bandaches on May 03, 2021, 11:58:10 AM
I came across this account of Rusty’s medical problems when I was looking for wacky info. I assume this is the reason he hasn’t tended to the site and probably will not. I’m not sure if anyone in the hobby was aware of all this, I was not, but I sure hope he is making progress in recovering from these serious issues.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/rusty-erpenbeck-and-familys-brain-injury-journey?utm_campaign=p_cp_url&utm_medium=os&utm_source=customer
I posted about this months ago, it just wasn't in a thread highlighting the issue. 
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: Paul_Maul on May 03, 2021, 12:35:17 PM
I posted about this months ago, it just wasn't in a thread highlighting the issue.

Never saw it, but I probably never look at the majority of threads here.
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: All-Brain on May 09, 2021, 08:54:26 AM
I came across this account of Rusty’s medical problems when I was looking for wacky info. I assume this is the reason he hasn’t tended to the site and probably will not. I’m not sure if anyone in the hobby was aware of all this, I was not, but I sure hope he is making progress in recovering from these serious issues.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/rusty-erpenbeck-and-familys-brain-injury-journey?utm_campaign=p_cp_url&utm_medium=os&utm_source=customer
Oh my goodness. I had no idea. His website is one of my favorites to look through.
We will pray for Rusty and his family for sure.
Thank you for letting us know.
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: The Collector on May 09, 2021, 10:56:04 AM
Try Google Chrome. Seems to be working for me.
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: g.u.e.s.t. on May 19, 2021, 08:55:40 AM
I came across this account of Rusty’s medical problems when I was looking for wacky info. I assume this is the reason he hasn’t tended to the site and probably will not. I’m not sure if anyone in the hobby was aware of all this, I was not, but I sure hope he is making progress in recovering from these serious issues.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/rusty-erpenbeck-and-familys-brain-injury-journey?utm_campaign=p_cp_url&utm_medium=os&utm_source=customer

I had no idea. Thanks for sharing. It looks like the last update was Feb 2020. Does anyone know how he's doing now? He has been a huge contributor to our hobby. I wish him and his family the best.
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: mikecho on September 04, 2021, 10:18:02 AM
Is there any way we can ask Rusty's family about possibly reactivating the currently unavailable pages in lostwackys.com without sounding too presumptuous?
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: Paul_Maul on September 04, 2021, 02:26:58 PM
Is there any way we can ask Rusty's family about possibly reactivating the currently unavailable pages in lostwackys.com without sounding too presumptuous?

No.
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: mikecho on September 04, 2021, 02:50:03 PM
No.
I thought so.
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: drono on September 04, 2021, 06:50:19 PM
Look up lostwackys.com on the Wayback Machine Internet archive: https://archive.org/web/.  Then choose an older date of the site and see if the pages that aren't working existed at that time.  I'll bet that with a little work, you can find them all.
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: bandaches on September 05, 2021, 05:22:51 PM
Site seems to work pretty well with some dead end links, what specifically is missing?  He was in the middle of moving content to other domains so it seems stuff is scattered all over the place.
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: bandaches on September 05, 2021, 05:44:57 PM
Is this page linked to anywhere on lostwackys?  Looks like Rusty has content out there that wasn't pieced together

http://www.lostwackys.com/CHRISTMAS/JAY-christmas-5.htm
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: mikecho on September 05, 2021, 08:03:08 PM
Is this page linked to anywhere on lostwackys?  Looks like Rusty has content out there that wasn't pieced together

http://www.lostwackys.com/CHRISTMAS/JAY-christmas-5.htm
You found it! Thanks!
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: bandaches on September 05, 2021, 08:16:12 PM
You found it! Thanks!
Had no idea you were looking for that there seems to be several of them
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: mikecho on September 05, 2021, 08:18:13 PM
Had no idea you were looking for that there seems to be several of them
Yes, a lot of pages doing it the other way were completely unavailable.
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: bandaches on September 05, 2021, 09:01:14 PM
Yes, a lot of pages doing it the other way were completely unavailable.
I don't know what you mean by the other way but most of the links on the page are good now
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: mikecho on September 06, 2021, 06:59:21 PM
I don't know what you mean by the other way but most of the links on the page are good now
What I meant was looking up lostwackys.com normally.
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: bandaches on September 07, 2021, 05:49:49 AM
What I meant was looking up lostwackys.com normally.
Most of the links on lostwackys are good now but not all content is refernced by lost wackys likevthese lynch xmas cards.
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: All-Brain on January 04, 2022, 05:05:12 PM
Has anyone heard any more about Rusty?
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: mikecho on January 04, 2022, 05:40:31 PM
Has anyone heard any more about Rusty?
That's a good question. Is Rusty okay? I just looked up the website and nothing comes up at all.
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: mikecho on November 01, 2023, 08:54:15 PM
Well, now I found out why Rusty hasn't answered my email.

I just sent another message tonight and it sent me a message saying that nothing can be sent to him because his mailbox is full. It also said that this is a permanent error.

I don't even know if he's all better after I last heard he was sick, or even if he's still alive.
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: bandaches on November 17, 2023, 11:26:40 AM
Rusty has passed  :sad:

From Tory Erpenbeck

Well, it seems everyone who needed to be told directly knows now.
My dad Rusty Erpenbeck died today unexpectedly in his home twelve days before his 60th birthday.
Usually I’m good at writing words but I think I’m still in shock and it doesn’t feel real, so I’ll just do my best.
As you all know, my dad had a brain aneurysm and a stroke in 2019 that by all odds should’ve killed him. We were blessed with an extra 4 and a half years. While we lost a lot of parts of him from his brain injury, his personality, sense of humor, stubbornness, and interests never changed, he was still my dad at his core and for that I am grateful.
My dad was a special guy who lived life by his own rules. He loved weird old sci-fi movies, building and fixing things, Christmas music, antiques, and he was a prolific genealogist.
I am more grateful than I can put into words for his genealogy work allowing me to connect with my Ancestors. Most people don’t have names, birth dates, and places for their Ancestors dating back hundreds of years. I’m privileged that I do.
He designed and built the beautiful house I grew up in. He was a gifted architect and a generally creative human being. My favorite story to explain my dad to people is when he tried to build a perpetual motion device (which only exists in theory and isn’t a real thing) in our family room.
He wasn’t a man of many words, not unlike myself, and he showed his love for me by giving me strange objects that his tenants would leave behind, filling up the gas tank in my car, and randomly handing me cash.
Many of my favorite qualities about myself I think came from my dad. My humor, intelligence, creativity, height, and fingernails (iykyk) are all gifts I inherited from him. We had very different beliefs and values, but I’ve always thought that otherwise, we’re basically the same person.
I never expected my dad to live a long life. I didn’t think he’d make it to 50, much less 60. His dad died (presumably of a brain aneurysm) at 50 years old. He made it a decade longer than his dad, so let’s hope I can make it to 70 🤞
But the timing just seems like a sick joke as we continue navigating my mom’s brain cancer diagnosis.
Please keep my whole family in your thoughts and prayers, but especially my mom who lost her partner of over 40 years, and my grandma who lost her son. I need them to both keep going so I can make it through this too.
Drink a Coke for my dad tonight, that’s his favorite.
I will update everyone when we have information about the funeral service.
Thank you to everyone who’s already reached out, it means a lot 🖤.
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: mikecho on November 17, 2023, 11:36:03 AM
Tory, I'm sorry for your loss. I really loved Rusty's website, lostwackys.com. I learned so much from it. It seems to be almost gone, but has possibly been revived as the Wacky Packages Wiki on Fandom, if I'm not mistaken.

I'm sorry about your mom, too. I hope she gets better.

I drank a Coke for Rusty, too.
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: vahsurfer on November 19, 2023, 08:33:16 AM
Thank you for the kind and detailed story of your father.  I never got the chance to meet him or deal with him directly.  I learned more about your father just now and I appreciate you taking the time to share with us.

Father time is not kind to us as we grow older.  I am glad to hear you and your family got to spend more time with him until his passing.  I lost my Favorite Wacky almost 5 years ago.  I know she hears me and still cheers me on, your dad will continue to as well.

Something will happen and you will wonder if your dad just filled that tank again, he was certainly filled your heart with love.
Prayers for you and your family during this time of need,

Richard
#StayWacky
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: g.u.e.s.t. on November 19, 2023, 08:41:48 AM
Thanks for posting this Ernie.

So sad to hear that Rusty has passed. He was a great guy to deal with over the years and provided a wealth of information about Wacky's on his website.

Thank you Tory for writing such a great tribute to Rusty. Most of what you wrote I did not know, but he was obviously a great father and a kind person.

My prayers are with you and your family and wishing the best for your mom as well.
Title: Re: lostwackys.com still not functioning
Post by: freetoes on November 19, 2023, 12:22:24 PM
It's always sad to lose a Wacky brother. Thanks to Rusty for his contributions to the hobby; to his family, condolences, with best wishes for  Tory's mom.

I don't remember if he ever made it to a show, but I picked up an oddball Lost Wacky item or two from him (Gooya or Mixwell Hearse sounds right). And there's nothing I respect more than living life on one's own terms.