Longtime Discovery Bay resident Barton Ringstrom lost his battle against pancreatic cancer in late December. Bart is survived by his lovely wife of 27 years, Patricia Ringstrom; mother, Lavon; brother, Court; and sister, Peni.

Barton, or as we in the neighborhood called him, “Bart-man,” was a man who always took the road less traveled, loved life to its fullest and never took anything for granted. Those of you who knew Bart-man knew that he loved Discovery Bay. He never missed a moment to go boating or chat with someone on the street. His jolly laughter, his funny ways about him made you love him even more, young or old. He just had that impact on you.

Bart had a saying: “You only get so many heart beats, and how will you use yours? Choose wisely, because you can’t get them back.” Those who were fortunate enough to know Bart understood that the quality of existence far exceeds the quantity of time in which one lives. As his light on earth went out much too soon with his passing, the heavens above got a whole lot brighter.

Bart also loved music. He was there with us as a group of musicians playing in the garage from day one; he was one of the first to hear us call ourselves Highway 4. A special tribute in honor of Bart-man and a celebration of his love of music and love of life will be held Saturday, March 2 at 7 p.m. in the Wild Idol Saloon, 3918 Main St. in Byron. We would like to invite everyone to attend. All are welcome to join us in honor of our wonderful friend’s life. We miss you, Bart-man!