Sad News about johna
 

I just saw this posted in the General Travel Talk forum and thought it should also be posted here.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum94/HTML/003697.html

I too pass on my condolences.

Times like these when you count your blessings and forget about all the small stuff (and compared to this, it's all small stuff).

This is terrible news. My thoughts and prayers are with him, his loved ones, and his friends. Blessed be his memory.

On Sunday February 4th, friends, family and the FlyerTalk Community lost a kind and gentle soul in the passing of John A.

Having just returned from a trip to France, John was admitted to the hospital last week and released just a few days ago, however, complications resulting from his longtime struggle with AIDS proved too much for his immune system.

While preparing for his trip to France, we had traded travel books, mine a book on shopping and dining in Paris, his, a book on Tanzania, where he had planned on traveling to but had to cancel due to health issues some time ago. Upon his return from Paris, he sent me a note describing a chocolate shop from my travel book that was quite a find and thanked me for lending him my book. While my trip to Kenya and Tanzania is planned for 2002, I’ll remember his friendship and will be thinking of him while gazing upon Mt. Kilimanjaro and enjoying the serenity of the plains.

Family and friends are encouraged to remember John's life by joining in his internment at the Hills of Eternity Cemetery in Colma, CA at 1 p.m. on Thursday 2/8/2001. Following will be a memorial service at Temple Sha'ar Zahav, corner of Dolores St. & 16th St. at 3 p.m. and a reception immediately following at his home at 207 Corbett Ave. SF.

In lieu of gifts and flowers, John’s family has requested that memorial donations be made to Project Open Hand at 2720 - 17th St., SF CA 94110 or AIDS Benefits Counselors, 470 Castro St., SF CA 94114.

John had recently written a reply on FT regarding his attending a planned FT gathering in Oakland, CA this Friday and said “…I should be able to make it...assuming United doesn't come up with too tempting an e-fare elsewhere that weekend!”. I think John just got the ultimate e-fare, my condolences and prayers are with his family and friends.


[This message has been edited by raffy (edited 02-07-2001).]

My heart is broken as I mourn the loss of my dear friend John. Truly a gentleman and a scolar.

Please post the date and time of his services so we can book tickets ASAP.

Thanks, Punki

This is indescribably sad. Just last weekend, Craig6z and I were commenting that johna had not posted much in a while and that we hoped he was OK.

10 years is a lot better than 18 months, I guess, but science still has a long way to go in understanding and treating this disease.

Here's hoping that the organizations mentioned above now receive an avalanche of contributions from all over the world.

Let the Father of peace send peace to all who mourn, and comfort the bereaved among us. Amen.

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Help!: the e-mail didn't give a date for the service.

Fellow FT'ers, the date of the service will be this Thursday, 2/8/2001. Please see my post above for the details of his service.

raffy

My condolences and prayers to the friends and family of johna. Although we never met, I enjoyed his posts very much. He will be missed. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

-RKG

My heart is heavy with sadness. I will miss johna.

Linda

I am deeply saddened. I never had the chance to meet John in person, but I had the privilege of communicating with him via e-mail when he discovered that we went to the same college in New England. At the time, he was planning to return to our alma mater's campus for the first time in more than a decade for an alumni mentoring event. I couldn't make it, but I believe he did. I wish I was there to see the smile on his face when he caught another glimpse of the beautiful fall foliage that envelopes the Purple Valley during that time of year.

Add my condolences as well. I lurk in several groups, and there are certain people that have consistantly displayed their true class and insight. Johna will be missed....

I'm in shock. I spoke with John a couple of days ago. He had just gotten out of the hospital, said he was feeling pretty good, and spoke about how he was looking forward joining us at the FlyerTalk dinner in Oakland next Friday.

My heart goes out to John's family tonight.

There's a nice picture of John towards the bottom of the page at http://www.dgolds.com/FTHyattLunch/FTHyattLunch.htm

[This message has been edited by dgolds (edited 02-05-2001).]

Thank you David for sharing a picture of our dear friend John who we have all loved, cherished and will miss.

If there is anyone who would like to attend his services but is having any problem with tickets or lodging, please e-mail me.

The cats and I extend our sympathies to JohnA's family and all his multitudes of friends who loved him.

It's so strange... as I was planning the Catman DO Trois I was thinking about JohnA and FINALLY having the chance to seeing some theatre with him and spending time with him during the weekend. What I loved about JohnA is we shared a love of the arts and life and I admired all the travel he has done.

I am glad to have had the chance ot see him in Montreal last June and to talk. I also helped him in his presentation of foreign currency to his parents.

John A is a class act, a first rate friend and I for one will miss him at the DO.

This is very sad news and I would like to express my condolences to his friends and family. I never had the privilege of meeting John in person, but he was my secret santa last christmas - I wish I could have thanked him in person http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

I was one of the person who had the pleasure to meet Johna in real life. I can only say he was a very special person and my thoughts are with his family right now.

R.I.P Johna

johna was co-organizing our first get-together in San Francisco (sep-99), that started with side-cars at the 'Top of the Mark'. And he wouldn't miss any of my future visits to the bay-area (the Sunday brunch get-together at the SFO-airport-Hyatt - see the pictures dgolds just posted above with johna being the 'table-partner' of Gisela and the nov-2000 get-together that started at dgolds home with that beautifull sight over the Castro area and the bay).

Thank you johna for having shared a part of my (and Gisela's) life.

I never had the opportunity to meet Johna, but I will certainly miss him. He consistently posted with an amazing zest for life and travel, an inspirational force...

This is so very shocking! A true gentleman, we first met at dinner in Montreal last year. I learned much from him and so enjoyed his fine posts. I only wish we would have talked more! My deepest condolences and prayers to the family and friends. He will be sorely missed.

I wish to add my condolences to his family and friends. Even though I never met Johna in person I enjoyed reading his posts. He will be missed. May he rest in peace. God bless his soul.

I knew Johna only by his words, but that is how I know many of you and how most of you know me. FT was a better place for John being here. The world, including FT dim a bit with him gone.

Shalom

Deepest condolences to the family and friends of johna, unfortunatley I never had the opportunity to meet him in person.

We had never met johna but shared a few e-mails awhile back. Certainly had looked forward to meeting him.

He was a class act and will be missed. Our condolences to his family & loved ones....

One hesitates posting as it is a little like a gatecrasher who never knew the Gentleman in question. I offer my sympathies to his family with all my heart. Truly, it is a reminder of the mortality of us all, and maybe an important redirection of our concerns away from some of the trivia of our livesto the big issues of life. This good man had to deal with the biggest issue of all. May we all be blessed with as much courage.

One hesitates posting as it is a little like a gatecrasher who never knew the Gentleman in question. I offer my sympathies to his family with all my heart. Truly, it is a reminder of the mortality of us all, and maybe an important redirection of our concerns away from some of the trivia of our livesto the big issues of life. This good man had to deal with the biggest issue of all. May we all be blessed with as much courage.

A horrible mistake. My apologies.

[This message has been edited by Big B. Wolf (edited 02-05-2001).]

My condolences to all John's family and friends As I was looking forward to meeting johna in person for the first time this Friday it has suddenly become a sad time. johna and I had shared emails about our mutual enjoyment of looking out the windows of planes during our travels. If you did not know johna use to travel with an atlas so that he could figure out what he was looking at. I pass these words of his on.
"It was a (rare!) clear day and the sight was spectacular. If you've ever flown above a glacier, you know they're a "river of ice"...and think river, not ice (you can even see the "current.") …… We were above Baffin Bay, and could see where the glaciers had calved off into icebergs, maybe 20 or so, all waiting to head south and aim for the Titanic! ……..- in around a million miles of flying, it was one of the most spectacular sights I'd ever seen!
Thank you John that was it exactly.

I talked to him a little over two weeks ago, and was looking forward to maybe doing the theater with him at the Deux. My heart is heavy and my sincerest condolences goes out to his family. A true gentleman and a good friend, you will be missed my friend. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

RIP

Johna, we shall all miss you, dear one.

Raffy, thank you for posting the information above.

Like so many of us, I never met Johna, yet through his posts I felt that I new him well, he was a friend who I never spoke with, never e-mailed, never had any direct communication with, but to me a friend none the less.

This is the way I feel about so many on this board, people who I respect and admire and will most probably never meet.

My Thoughts will be with Johna, his family and many friends.

Stewart.

I had the pleasure of sharing dinner with johna and dgolds last year in San Francisco. John was a delight as he told many road-warrior stories with great humor. I'm sorry to hear of his passing and wish the best for his family and friends.

I too am sorry never to have met John in person, though we corresponded by e-mail at the time of the oneWorld Continents promo last summer. He sent me a Singapore trip report and had may useful suggestions for minimizing the cost of my travel. We had discussed getting together for a drink on one of my trips to San Francisco, but it never happened ...

My condolences to John's family and friends. He will be missed by many.

I was fortunate enough to host John at our house one evening as he was visiting Williams College (I believe it is Williams- apologizes if I am mistaken).

A truly class individual, and I will miss him very much.


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"I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own."

This is such a shock. I've enjoyed johna's posts over the years and have heard wonderful things about him from those who have met him. I was really looking forward to the opportunity to meet for the first time in YVR in May. Instead, perhaps we can plan a toast to his true frequent flyer spirit.

I have seen John only through his picture and heard John only through his posts yet I do feel that I have physically met him and consider him a friend. My thoughts are with him and with his friends and families.

My condolences to his family and friends. I will miss him and his contributions to FlyerTalk.

My sincerest feelings of sadness for his family and friends. I will miss his contributions to our little online community.

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As a fellow Williams alumnus, I would like to express my condolences to John's family and friends as well.

[This message has been edited by wigstheone (edited 02-05-2001).]

My prayers and thoughts to Johna's family and friends. I had the pleasure of being his Secret Santa this past year. I pray that he will be able to enjoy his bridge games is peace and joy.