WorldWide Drilling Resource

In Memoriam . . . With deepest sympathies from WWDR . Frederick Von “Fred” Kahl (1960~2017) Frederick Von “Fred” Kahl, 56, of Gillette, Wyoming, formerly of the Heaton area, passed away May 31, 2017, in southern California, from injuries sustained in a work-related accident. Throughout Fred’s early years, the Kahl family spent the summer months in the Heaton area and wintered in Crane, Texas. He attended schools in Bowdon, North Dakota; and Crane, Texas. In 1977, Fred was united in marriage to Claudette King. They made their home in Odessa, Texas, where he worked as a crew leader for Midway Manufacturing, building drilling rigs. Fred moved his family to Gillette, Wyoming, in 1996. All of his adult life, Fred was a drill operator. He was involved in seismograph drilling for oil and gas exploration, coalbed methane wells in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming, water wells in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and drilling operations for geothermal energy projects throughout the United States. He enjoyed taking his family on camping and hunting expeditions in the Bighorn Mountains and Black Hills of Wyoming. He also enjoyed summer cookouts, holidays with his family, and working on various home projects. Fred is survived by his wife of nearly 40 years, Claudette; sons Colton and Benjamin; his mother Joan; brother Yorie; and sisters Lorna and Loreen. He was preceded in death by his father Gordon; and sisters Linda and Lonnie. Robert William “Bob” Robelou Dando Drilling International sadly reported the unexpected passing of Robert William “Bob” Robelou on May 28, 2017, at his home in West Sussex, England. Bob started his career in drilling when he was around 16 years old. He was a drill operator for the British Army prior to joining Dando in the 1970s. At Dando, he began as a fitter where he worked on the Dando 800, going on to commission the rigs. Later, he became after-sales support, dealing with numerous cus- tomers and equipment sold by Dando. With Bob’s growing knowledge, he also provided training to Dando sales engineers. He was always very approachable and kind. Bob was a dearly loved husband to Lesley, father to Chris, and brother to Margaret. E. Robert “Bob”Mickelson (1930~2017) E. Robert “Bob” Mickelson passed away at home in the arms of his wife Andrea on June 9, 2017. Related to the Mickelson’s who are members of the California Groundwater Association, Bob worked as a plumber at the Two Rock Army Base and San Quentin State Prison. He served as Wilmar Fire Department Chief for 20 years, was a member of the Cow Mountain Hunting Club, and a Past Master of the Vitruvius Lodge. He had a great love of the outdoors, which included hunting and fishing. Bob is survived by his wife of 31 years, Andrea; sons Mike (Carolyn), Jim (Marcia), Terry (Diane), and Gary (Stephanie); numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who all live in Sonoma County. Edmund John “Johnnie” Friedel (1943~2017) Edmund John “Johnnie” Friedel, Jr. passed away April 29, 2017. He was a rancher, and owner of Friedel Drilling Co. of Yoakum, Texas, a family-owned business for over 70 years. In 2011, he re- ceived the Contractor of the Year, Owen F. Jensen Award for Outstanding Service and Contributions to the Texas Ground Water Association and Texas Water Well Industry. Johnnie is survived by his wife Marjorie; daughter Lisa (Ray); sons Clayton (Kelly), John, and Kenneth (Margaret); nine grand- children; and three great-grandchildren. Lest we forget... Multipurpose Hydraulic Well Repair Tool Sixty years of experience in the water well repair business led to the development of our MPXSwage™ tool. Our tool can accomplish a quick fix to get through a watering cycle or do a complete well restoration making the well as good as a new one. Our MPXSwage™ tool repairs broken well casing and is the most effective and time-saving method for cleaning well casing and fishing out unwanted items down a well. Call toll-free (844) 716-1484 E-mail: dan@westernwellrepair.com Website: westernwellrepair.com 15 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® AUGUST 2017