Flower arrangement by Ooooh
Welcome to a celebration of the life of stumpy, known in real life as Gerald (Gerry) Richardson, longtime Kossack (UID 8158).
The fact that we are meeting here today began with a community quilt. As many of you know, my sister and I were asked to make a quilt for stumpy, requested by his good friend, webgenie, bearing messages from you all. Sadly, we were still working on it when stumpy passed away. You will see the quilt pictured below -- we sent it to webgenie as a remembrance.
We are meeting today to remember his life and the beautiful way in which he inspired many people. Stumpy lived a rich life online – and it is only right that we remember him here.
The Rev. Marilyn Richards will speak to us now.
We have lost a longtime friend in Stumpy. A member of our Dailykos community, Stumpy died on October 22, 2010 just before midnight, at the young age of 63. We come seeking connection. We have stumpy stories to share, questions to ask, consolation to be found and discoveries to make or read in the comments. And, we have a huge vibrant electric web of community that spans our Mother Earth.
It’s time to honor our own.
As a DK community, we could not let this lovely man’s life slip away without a celebration. Because there is no family to send him off in style, we will.
Stumpy working at the homeless shelter
It may seem odd, that we can lose someone we would never have recognized in person. But, it is true. Our online relationships are real and not directly connected to our bodies, all at the same time. For someone like Stumpy, with MS and strokes, this was a distinct advantage. Increasingly limited by his body, he wrote:
Although I have led a wonderfully rich but hollow existence, highlighted by a strange affinity for the news, that all must now move to a much slower and constrained rhythm because of Primary-progressive MS (Multiple Sclerosis). Having real limits placed on a boundless spirit is a bummah but I am not complaining. My physical activities may be much less 'grand', but I still have a life full of friends and discoveries.
Stumpy could write! And, online, his physical problems did not matter. Here, he was just one of the crowd.
Sadly, after weakly waving goodby to his dear friend on the skype connection just before midnight on Friday night, he slumped over and was later pronounced dead in the ambulance.
Stumpy’s quilt, bearing messages from his friends
His presence will be missed on this site and in Second Life, in the DKos World of Warcraft gaming guild, on Thom Hartmann's blog chat room and his local Democratic party. (If we left any group out, please add them in the comments.)
We honor his spirit with a prayers, music and a reading chosen by his friends at Daily Kos:
Ecclesiastes
Qoh.3
[1] For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
[2] a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
[3] a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
[4] a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
[5] a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together
Let us gather here our memories, stories and remembrances.
Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the infinite peace to stumpy and to all of us.
adapted from - ancient Gaelic runes
"Life and death are the Mandate of Heaven,"
Confucius - Analects XII:5
and Confucius’ friend, Lao Tzu:
"Life and death are one thread, the same line viewed from different sides."
A reading...
The Physicist Leo Sziland once announced to his friend Hans Bethe that he was thinking of keeping a diary. "I don't intend to publish. I am merely going to record the facts for the information of God."
"Don't you think God knows the facts?" Bethe asked.
"Yes," said Szilard. "He knows the facts, but He does not know this version of the facts."
Hans Christian von Boeyer, Taming the Atom
Webgenie writes a eulogy for her friend, stumpy:
I met stumpy in a political blog called the agonist just as we invaded Iraq. Stumpy hung out and chatted...and more and more we seemed to hit it off. I think might have told him that I have another friend that has M.S. and he was impressed that I knew a little about it. Finally, after telling me about his journalism career we hatched a plan to start a weblog for stumpy to post all his many many interests. He named it stumpy’s findings. Working together on that project we grew closer and closer. He was there while I finished my Associates Degree. Gerry was there when I agonized about continuing my schooling to get a Bachelor’s Degree. He was an endless supply of support and encouragement.
We shared so many good times together....so hard to tell them all. We always watched Presidential State of the Union Addresses and I remember during the Bush years we would jeer and holler at the screen together....We also liked to watch tv series together. We were both big fans of The Sopranos for example and we both loved watching Deadwood together. It wasn’t always easy coordinating our viewing....but somehow we found a way. We both loved listening to Progressive talk radio...stumpy was a big fan of Stephanie Miller and Randi Rhodes we listened to them together often....in the past several years he was a fan and member of the Thom Hartmann Blog, another community stumpy found a home at.
What I liked best about stumpy beyond his zest for life and his utter kindness to every human being he met...was his endless knowledge of any subject. I am always in search of new knowledge and it seemed no matter what I discovered....my friend could carry on a conversation about that subject. His background as a journalist gave him this thirst for learning...as stumpy wrote
"I have written story after story centered on something as arcane of landfill requirements, been escorted into a Mafioso's private office (much like Tony's at the BadaBing), covered murders and fires and interviewed a range of both famous and interesting personalities... all without any specific certification or training except, perhaps, for a love of reading and the beauty of written word. Bottom line? Learn as much as you can about as many different things as possible."
As you can see....there were so many stories this man had to tell... I always encouraged him to write an autobiography of his various and sundry adventures and I think he did to that to a degree...I read a few chapters here and there. We hope to find those among the many pictures, letters and souvenirs of a life well lived. For the rest of my life, there will be new things to discover and my own new adventures and I will always miss my opportunity to explore them with stumpy.
He was the editor of the Mountain Times (newspaper local to Boone NC) years ago.
He was a wonderful, intellectual man, and he leaves no family behind to honor his memory.
Though an "unaffiliated" voter, he was a valuable volunteer for the local Democratic Party and an avid political observer.
He also served overseas during Vietnam in the Air Force Military Intelligence as a codebreaker and interpreter. He was well decorated for his service. Stumpy also had a passion for community service...giving two days a week to the Hospitality House homeless shelter where he was able uplift the spirits of the residents making them feel more at home. He told me that he particularly enjoyed working with and helping the homeless veterans there. Despite his disability, he continued to offer his services to those disenfranchised and in need. Gerry was known for his continuous dedication to the concept of community. He followed this philosophy steadfastly until an unfortunate twist of fate in the form of a massive stroke this past January. It is likely that he yet pursues this end in spirit.
Stumpy died last Friday night around midnight......I had been trying to reach him on skype several times that evening. His green light was on indicating he was available. I wasn’t real alarmed...there were times my friend was engrossed in a game of World Of Warcraft that he enjoyed playing so much. On Saturday....I learned that stumpy died while at his computer....at first I was sad that he might have died trying to reach me on skype...but then I realized....he just found another really good link....and he followed it to a much better place.
Stumpy enjoyed listening to music with his neighbor and dear friend, Brittain. Brittain has selected this song to share in memory of stumpy, Seven Bridges Road.
Webgenie selected this song for veterans that she feels stumpy would have loved:
Prayer
adapted from "Bless Our Courage" by Meg Bowman
Great Spirit, Holy One, Brahman, Allah, Great Mother, God/ess(s) of many names
who's voice we hear in the winds and the waves,
in lovingkindness
please welcome stumpy into his next adventure
Let the best which was him,
find a home in us,
for the lives we lead today and from now on, are his memorial.
May we be curious and find joy in our discoveries
He would be so excited.
May we have the courage of our convictions
He would encourage us and wish us well.
May we live our lives to the fullest
He would wish this for us.
And...
What else would he wish for?
How else might we honor our friend, mentor, and companion on the journey?
We look forward to seeing your comments below.
With the reminder: please be kind, do good and help the grieving in our comments:
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Special thanks to all who contributed to this Online memorial service:
Sara Reed, the quilt lady -- the inspiration and coordinator
Webgenie, his angel
Parthenia, Rev. Marilyn Richards, UUA - web minister for this service
Shakti/Ooooh, florist
Slksfca, music selections
Graham Upshall, The Agonist
If you are moved to donate something in stumpy’s memory, here is One Last Good Cause for stumpy.
PAYPAL LINK to One Last Good Cause for Stumpy -- THANK YOU!
If you would prefer to send a check, please email webgenie at webgenie (at) gmail (dot) com for directions.
Your gift will be used to ensure that he has an inexpensive but proper funeral – and everything left will be given to Disabled American Veterans. Also stumpy’s motorized wheelchair will be donated so that it may be of use to a veteran who needs it.
Thank you all for being here today to celebrate stumpy's life.
Thank you, Rev. Marilyn Richards, for a beautiful service. It is a wonderful reminder of what our online community can mean in a life.
Thanks also to Nurse Kelley and Otteray Scribe for planning a visit by Otteray Scribe to stumpy to deliver his quilt this coming weekend, sadly pre-empted by stumpy’s death. Although you never met stumpy, you were good friends to him. The kind intention is noted with great gratitude.
All who visit here, you are invited pay your respects to stumpy in the comments below and share your memories of him.
Namaste.
NOTE: FOR THOSE WHO ARE NEW TO DAILY KOS AND UNABLE TO POST COMMENTS AS OF YET, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO INCLUDE A MEMORY OF STUMPY, EMAIL IT TO webgenie (at) gmail (dot) com AND SHE WILL POST YOUR MESSAGE FOR YOU.