Hearing that co-blogger Jerry Remmers died was something that I dreaded, yet sadly expected. He left this world far too soon – only 74 – but he is survived by a son and grandchildren. My condolences go out to his family and close friends.

I did not know Jerry personally but we shared a few precious emails during this past year. He was one of the reasons I wanted to join TMV as a blogger. For several years before 2009, I was an avid reader of TMV and many of the editors and writers impressed me immensely. I always looked forward to reading something – anything – written by Jerry. He wrote so well and his posts reflected a very astute mind. I always feel a special honor being part of the TMV family in part because Jerry went before me.

Many of my former Roman Catholic parish priests and friends of all religious persuasions could attest that my religious views are all screwed up. An agnostic or atheist is rarely asked to give a eulogy for various reasons. However I still hold to a deeply felt hope and a strong belief that something completely new awaits us after our terribly short lives on this obscure tiny planet at the out reaches of the Milky Way Galaxy.

I don’t think God as creator of an infinite universe was going to make so many wonderful, fascinating, talented and intelligent human beings (who spend decades suffering so much random bad luck yet struggle to persevere against all odds) with a complete dead end. For all our imperfections, I’d like to believe Jerry and many others would certainly be able to amuse and please a loving and merciful God for a long time – and something tells me God won’t pass up that opportunity with Jerry.

So I call out to our recently departed colleague – if you still can hear, see, or read our struggling prose – we wish you all the best on the post human journey we all must anticipate. In a snap of human time, we’ll all be together – back again as star stuff and much more. The rest of us will soon join you Jerry and all the rest of the silly, struggling, and fully free human beings, happily singing, dancing, playing, writing, debating, laughing and loving all together for eternity.

It’s time for me to stop writing because my eyes are full of tears as I type. Jerry, thank you for your life pursuing the truth and enriching the lives of many people you knew and didn’t know. You’ll always be in our thoughts and prayers until we also join you wherever you now reside peacefully in the loving embrace of God.

Respectfully and sadly submitted on 3/6/11 by Marc Pascal from Phoenix, Arizona.