Passing of a member: Mushu Gordon

Chuckman said:
I don't care what color you are, what your religious preferences, if you're a homosexual or straight, if you're black, white, or green, before you think about taking your own life, if you think you're at the end of your rope, please reach out. I will be here for you always, as well most of all of us.
Click to expand...

Amen.
 
I hated hearing this. Like most, I'd met Mushu and Panda a few times on their travels. Lured him over to On Target one evening and we about bought out his whole ambulance. He had an amazing sense of humor, something all too often correlated to this type of depression. My heart goes out to Panda and his family and those here that knew him. If there is anything we can do, please post in this thread.

Troy, thanks so much for sharing your story. I damn teared up on the couch.

If anybody, and I mean anybody here is fighting a similar battle, PM me, call me, any time day or night, and I'll do whatever it takes to help.
 
Last edited:
Met him a couple of times. I got a few cans from him, last time I remember hearing anything about him. He was moving to Hawaii. He had a clearance sell at his house. I stopped by and picked up some hand tools, shovels, an axe. Didn't really need it, but he said he needed to sell it for the trip. Hate it for him and his family. He was a colorful character.
 
Hate to hear this. Met him a couple times, bought stuff from him. Saw the ambulance. Was awesome.
Hate it for his wife (assumed it was his wife, sorry if Im wrong) and family, and for our gun community, was a good guy.
 
Damn....I met him a few times over the years, mostly for ammo and cans, like most folks here. Absolutely stand up guy, as quick witted and hilarious in person as he was in the Digital Arena, and always willing to offer other items at such an amazing deal you couldn't help but pick up more than you may have anticipated initially.

I knew he was struggling with pain from injuries, from dealing with a woefully poor veterans' Healthcare system, and all the heartache I'm sure that bring too.

But even then, it's never something you expect to hear - that it was bad enough for this outcome...

Just from reading this thread, you can get a sense for what kind of awesome, gregarious guy Aaron was.

Rest easy, man. May you be as big in the afterlife as you were in this one.

The prayers of me and mine are with Panda and his family at this most difficult time.

Damn. :(
 
Stories like this really bother me. Depression has been overlooked by society for too long. We need to do better as a state and country. @kcult thank you for sharing that story. Best wishes for you and the family as I can’t imagine what you have gone thru.

The battle is over Aaron. Rest In Peace good man. You have impacted many lives.
 
kcult said:
Let's see if I can type all this without crying.

Concerning his forum antics. He was probably the most entertaining presence. His comebacks, product descriptions, for sale ads, general conversations, they all had flare. He could have posted under another name and you would know, without a doubt it was Aaron dba MuShu Gordon. The words he chose to use, the way he wanted to spell them. All MuShu.

I've had the pleasure of spending time with him, but definitely under the crappiest of situations.

Does anyone remember his dog, Cody? I was Cody's previous owner. My Dad and I found him abandoned on a back road near our hunting property. We brought him home and he was a part of our family for close to two years. He was an awesome dog. We used his tag to get his background story and found out he was "won" in a divorce, but the woman didn't want him. She brought the dog from Georgia to NC and gave him to another family. They decided they didn't want him, but instead of finding him a home, they tossed him out. But, I digress.

On Sept. 27th, 2014, my 16 year old son took his life. It was unreal how it changed everything in my house. One of those things was not wanting to stay home. We wanted to leave this town every chance we had. We had two dogs. Cody, all 100lbs of him, and Cassie, a Pom. When we would leave, it was easy enough to drop off Cassie at the in-laws, but Cody was a different story. We would leave him in the house and we had to ask someone to stop by and let him out to do his business. We hated burdening others, but didn't have many other options.

On an older forum, someone posted an ad, giving away a dog. MuShu went to look at the dog, but decided it was much too hyper to be his companion. He was really looking for an older, larger, lazier dog. I knew Cody would be perfect. A conversation was started.

MuShu and Panda drove three hours to my house to "interview." I really didn't "know" Aaron and my wife certainly had no idea who he was, except a dude from the internet. Oh, does anyone here know why Panda was called Panda? When Aaron told me, I could not help but to laugh. He said, "Because she sleeps anywhere, anytime." And darn if she didn't actually doze off sitting straight up on my couch. Lol. We went to the local country buffet place and came back for more Cody and MuShu time. Knowing Aaron's physical issues, I offered to let him walk Cody on his leash to get an idea of what he might be getting into. He walked him around the neighborhood. Aaron was a little winded, but was otherwise, fine. They traveled back home so my wife and I could discuss it. We stayed in constant communication with them and actually were bonding. After discussing, it was decided MuShu needed Cody and Cody needed MuShu. Cody would be his flea market buddy.

I had started painting as an outlet. Knowing Aaron was just moving into a house near his Mom (if I have that correct), I wanted to paint something for him to hang on the wall and I was going to deliver it when we took Cody to him. It was definitely bittersweet. We loved Cody, but knew he would have a better home with Aaron. I was tickled that Aaron hung my painting in a manner that it was the first thing you saw when you opened the front door.

View attachment 255462

Aaron and my wife became fairly close over the following years. He would text her pictures of Cody riding in the ambulance, sleeping on their bed, dragging dead possums around, you name it. I know it was hard for him to text my wife when Cody finally passed away, but he did. It was thoughtful and showed how big his heart was.

It's been a good while since we had chatted and hearing this news hit us hard. I didn't tell my wife how Aaron died. She told my daughter I didn't have to. She knew in her heart how he did.

Rest in peace, MuShu.

View attachment 255463
Click to expand...
Thanks for the story K Cult. I personally didn't know Aaron but really enjoyed his antics on the forum. R.I.P
 
The more I think about this post the closer it hits home. I don't share alot about my personal life but a few years ago I was diagnosed with depression and went through 4 yrs of therapy to help. So my point is without getting into details is if you feel that ending your life is the only way out. PM me and I will sent my # to you so we can talk it out or if needed I will travel to wherever you are to talk or please seek counseling from someone, pastor ETC... Believe me it isn't the answer.
 
Last edited:
BlackGun said:
Stories like this really bother me. Depression has been overlooked by society for too long. We need to do better as a state and country. @kcult thank you for sharing that story. Best wishes for you and the family as I can’t imagine what you have gone thru.

The battle is over Aaron. Rest In Peace good man. You have impacted many lives.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure if it was depression or the physical pain he was in. When I talked to him he was in unbearable pain and was not able to get any relief. I have a tendency to believe that the physical pain is what caused this.
 
beamernc said:
I'm not sure if it was depression or the physical pain he was in. When I talked to him he was in unbearable pain and was not able to get any relief. I have a tendency to believe that the physical pain is what caused this.
Click to expand...
I never knew this man but do hate to read of one taking their life because of a failed medical system. Without going political the young veterans are screwed when it comes to services from the VA. I’ve been in the system on and off for fifty years and know too well the despair this young man was going through. I wish I had known this man and been able to offer some assistance, no one should suffer to the point of taking their life. God bless him and his family.
 
I know that Mushu had a lot of pain and couldn't get any help from his doctors or the VA. He was just left to deal with it as best as he could. He had some other medical issues that I was able to help with and he told me that it made a big difference. But, it had been quite some time since I had been in communication with him. I know nothing about him suffering with depression. I also know nothing about his personal life. I can only assume that dealing with pain on a daily basis could lead to depression.

Whatever the final straw was, I don't know. I do know that it makes my heart hurt for him and others in the same situation.
 
Man I hate to hear this. I bought ammo cans and some ammo from him off of one of the previous forums. He pulled up to our meet spot in Greensboro with Panda. He was wheeling and dealing surplus stuff from his ambulance. He had knack for getting odd ball stuff for folks if he could. Prayers for his family and friends.
 
That's really sad news. He was a good guy and definitely a character on the forums. I don't think I ever got the pleasure of meeting him in person. His presence will certainly be missed.

2020 has been a tough year. If you find yourself sinking into dark places and thoughts, reach out. People do care, and want to help.
 
B00ger said:
This is not the type of post I was wanting to have to share, but here we are.

I was informed Friday evening of the passing of a member many of us may remember, Mushu Gordon, Aaron James Sawyers. He took his own life Friday.

I met Aaron a few times, he was always a cheerful sort, brought us some great deals on ammo cans and the like. Bought himself a second hand ambulance to repurpose for his travels around the state meeting people and conducting business. Even my wife who met him only once remembered him and his shenanigans.

Guys, we as a community need to continue to be vigilant about the well being of our brothers. Mental health is a real crisis in our country. I didn’t know Aaron well, so I can’t wax on about his motives, his pains, and his demons. But I think we can all come together and pay a parting farewell to a family member who left us before his time, for reasons we will never fully understand.

Rest In Peace Aaron.

https://www.moodyfuneralservices.com/obituary/Aaron-Sawyers


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

OH NO! Thank you for posting this, terrible as it is.
 
Prayers up for his family. As soon as I saw your post heading, I knew what had happened. Mushu, Panda, and I would talk at gun shows. He was dealing with a lot of physical pain back then and it got worse as time progressed. Pain without relief and no end in sight can do horrible things to the strongest person. Whether it caused his depression, or made existing depression worse, who can say. Doesn't matter at this point. That man had a burden not many of us could stand.

RIP, Aaron.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom