Wow... I can't believe how long I've been gone... only to come back to something like this....
I can't really say that I knew Stretcherr that well. I can only assume that he got going as a morph shortly after or right before I left.
I can't even begin to express how sadenning is it to hear that we've had yet another member of out already small enough group, taken from us so suddenly.
This has however, in reading all of the posts made so far, taught me something that I think is important.
Remember that while this may be one of the things we are the most passionate about in our lives, as I'm sure it was for Stretcherr, it may not be for those around us. There are many people for whom this is not something that they are interested in, and there are many more who may not even know that such interests exist. As in this case, the people here who knew him wanted to know more about what happend. But, as the case may or may not be, the people around Stretcherr in his life away from here, may not have known or been interested in his interests and activies, and may not want to be involved with them. Just as it might be for us and the people around us who are part of our lives and important to us, but outside of this and other places on-line. If that is the case then we should probably count ourselves lucky that we even got the notice that we did.
As a result I would urge us all, and I for one am going to make sure I do this too, to make sure that in the event that any of us pass on unexpectedly, that the people around us have some sort of notice with a list of E-Mails to send to, places to post, IM contacts to get ahold of, and all the places that we frequent that our death might have an impact on On-Line or not. And maybe the instructions should even tell them to make sure to post specific details of the death, funeral dates for those who would want to attend, and the like, and keep the places up todate on them.
Because there's no guarantee that it would happen otherwise. Something as simple as a letter address to your family, put in a lock box, that has a list of URLs, Usernames, Passwords, and even a short explaination of what to do at each place would go a long way to eliminating situations like this.
I would strongly urge us all to consider this as it is something that I think most everyone wouldn't, even when considering what needs to be taken care of because of an unexpected death. Honestly, the internet hasn't been around for all that long for most of us, and there are plenty of people who don't know and/or wouldn't give a second thought to all the people whos' lives, places, blogs, and bulletin boards it's involved in. And even for those of us for who the internet is so ingrained in our lives, even we forget just how many people our death would affect on-line let alone in the real world.
I am sorry if my rant has taken away at all from the respect and honor that is owed to Stretcherr, and there is a lot to be owed. As there is with anyone who is taken from us by death. But, it is unfortunate that such events make such great teachers. Especially when it comes to reminding us of our own mortality, reminding us of just how many people we effect just through random meetings let alone through relation, and in making us consider what the effect of our death would be and the concequences it would bring.
My heart goes out to the family and friends of Stretcherr. And I hope that we all can come away with something positive for ourselves, about him, and for our lives.