At least he went out relatively easy, cold comfort though that is to those who knew and loved him best, and will miss him most.
Gerard Vanderleun: December 26, 1945 – January 27, 2023
Gerard died peacefully in the small hours of the morning.
He left instructions to me for two last posts of his that he wanted me to publish on his blog. I will probably do that tomorrow. I also will be cross-posting a few more essays of my own about Gerard, but I will keep his two last posts pinned at the top of the page there. Therefore you’ll need to scroll down past them to get to any new ones.
I knew GVDL myself and considered him a friend, having worked closely with him to redesign and rebuild his website for him some years back. He was a truly nice guy, easygoing and laid back, with a zillion and one funny and interesting tales to tell, and I liked him. I hate that he’s gone, but I’m happy to hear that it was peaceful at least. May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest, Gerard.
Update! Somehow, thinking about Gerard put me in mind of this truly deathless masterpiece by Claude Debussy.
Not quite what one would think of first as funeral music, maybe. But I dunno, it feels appropriate to me.
Well, damn.
Thanks for the update.
Glad it was a swift and peaceful transition.
And yeah…the Debussy.
RIP
His was a life well lived. I did not know that Neo was the other in his life until recently, but I’m glad they had each other for a while.
I never got the chance to meet Gerard, but I enjoyed me interactions with him at his site and around the Innertubes. He will be sorely missed.