Not exactly family, but...

[seebs]

I just removed WinAceSE from my AIM buddy list.

*sigh*

[Texas Lynn]

I remember him briefly. He was certainly well regarded by the progressive posters who knew him.

It's like a sister-in-law of mine whose daughter died of leukemia. She still has the dead daughter's voice on her cell phone voice mail message and it's been four years. It's creepy but I'm sure a lot of people do worse things. Grief is a bitch even cybernetically.

[ravenscape]

(((((Seebs)))))

I changed my custom title to ravenAce at CF on November 5 or 6. I haven't been able to change it. You see a lot of ---Ace custom titles in GA and Crevo over there. I have a feeling you're not the AIM buddy list holdout.

[Loki]

I miss WinAce

[chaoschristian]

There was a fellow who preceded my attendance and awareness at our previous church. All the staff knew him, he had a great impact on the people and the ministry of the church. He was a homeless drug addict that nevertheless (or because of) presented a compelling Gospel message and insected the lives of many. A holy fool if you will.

When I joined the staff this fellow was but a memory and a memorial picnic. But I felt the impact of not ever having known him. It was a loss for me not being able to share this connection point with the staff and many of the ministry leaders. It was something I thought about a lot.

WinAce is the same for me. Many people in my CF/IIDB/UC experience knew him, loved him, memorialize him. His impact is palpable and of course his presence continues on in a variety of ways across the internet.

So what I have is shadows of WinAce, played out in the lives of the people who knew him and loved him. I regret not knowing him directly, but (and there's no non-cheesy way of saying this) his legacy is apparent and at least I can say I know of him in that manner.

[cas07]

a good friend of mine, that i actually met over the internet, passed away a year and a half ago - her phone numbers are still in my cell, and i have not removed her birthday and personal information from any of my contact lists. i always save a voice mail on my phone from my folks and my kids, just in case anything happens to them, i want to be able to hear their voice again. weird, but that i just how i am...

[sparklecat]

He's still on mine. And my CF buddy list. He was one of the great, life-changing people I met on Rapture Ready, though I didn't know it was him for awhile, as he posted under a female sockpuppet :D

[UberLutheran]

I just removed WinAceSE from my AIM buddy list.

*sigh*

He was one of the NICEST people I ever had the joy of meeting on the Internet. I still read his emails from our correspondence, and I get teary when I read them.

When I learned how sick he was, and that Medicaid had denied his request for a lung transplant, I spoke with our Bishop about trying to raise money for the lung transplant. We accumulated several thousand dollars together, but WinAce was just too far gone and he died.

We did use the money we had collected, however, to pay for reconstructive surgery for a 12-year-old girl whose jaw was so seriously deformed from Lyme Disease that she could not chew. (Her HMO had turned her down for reconstructive surgery, saying it wasn't "medically necessary".)

Having lungs to breathe isn't "medically necessary". Being able to chew food with one's jaw isn't "medically necessary". THIS is why I want to replace HMOs with national health care.

[Lanakila]

Winny is still on my msn list so I understand. I can't let myself remove his name yet. Damn I miss that dude.

[herev]

hmm, I just saw this. I got to speak with him on the phone near the end, almost met up with him when he was near Charlotte, but I had to cancel. Sad.
On a related note, I came across my grandmother's phone number in my cell this week. I can't quite delete it either.