. he seemed to have a gentle and sensitive side to him."
Exactly, and that's why I didn't see him as a threat, and why i'm saddened by his passing!

We used to go at it about the Civil War cause he tended toward the confederate narrative/version.
.. he'd blast me about the Confederate cause one minute and the next he'd send the most beautiful photos of the outdoors etc.

Do we know how old he was? I suspect his beard made him look older than his actual age.
RIP.