And now for some bad news: former MauiTime Art Director Travis Tiffin passed away the other night. He had been living in Santa Rosa, California, and had been sick for some time. Apparently doctors had expected him to die a year ago, but Travis hung on. This didn’t surprise me too much, because Travis was tough. He tore at life, biting off huge chunks. Everything he did, everything he felt, was bigger than with most people. He was a talented artist–responsible for a few years worth of MauiTime‘s covers, layouts and ads–a brave adventurer and a good friend. He was 48 years old.
What sticks most in my mind is the time back in 2008 when he and I went night kayaking. It was just a brief expedition for me, no more than an hour or two, but in the subsequent story I wrote about it (which was one of the last MauiTime articles I did before taking off on what became a three-year hiatus), I think I did a decent job of capturing some of Travis’ spirit:
If you haven’t already figured it out, Travis is a true adventurer. He’s gone all over the world and experienced all kinds of wonders. Once, at night, he launched out of Makena Landing and paddled all the way to Molokini and back—a total trip of seven miles. He was just about to the islet when he realized his kayak was taking on more water than he should. He made it back to Makena, but apparently just barely.
“Paddling out was tough, but paddling back was easy,” he told me. “I mean, if you stop, you die.”
Anyway, that’s how I remember him. Rest in peace, man.
Click here to read the complete story of my night kayaking trip with Travis Tiffin.
Photo of Travis and his wife Lisa Marie Le Donne courtesy Travis’ Facebook page
The post MauiTime says aloha to former Art Director Travis Tiffin appeared first on Maui Time.