A memorial beer for GreenwoodRover?

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

Any condolelnces obviously go in this thread

I would just like to start an ideas thread for anyone interested in some kind of HBT memorial for Kevin. I think we can all agree that we are deeply saddened by this tragic loss, and our hearts go out to his wife and family.

Personally, I would love to have the opportunity to brew a recipe made in his honour, named after him, and savour it with others at the same time when it is ready. An HBT toast, if you will.

Any other ideas for a fitting tribute?


olllllo Edit: Interested folks. Fill out this form: http://bit.ly/ImwbI

 

[chefchris]

Someone said in the other thread about a beer he had been working on. That would be a good idea.

I'm in, btw.

 

[The Pol]

How about a memorial melomel... should be ready next year.

 

[Revvy]

Looks like the last beer he was talking about in terms of having brewer was this.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/1464238-post46.html

 

[stevea1210]

Edit: Maybe this is too soon, I just don't know.

I think the group needs to decide how Laura would be involved. If any part of the decisions on which beer to brew (his favorite style / recipe / things he doesn't like) are going to involve her, I believe it absolutely needs to wait more than 24 hours after the tragedy. How long, I haven't a clue. Everyone handles losses differently.

If this is something that the group wishes to do in honor of him completely on its own, I think the time frame is more flexible.

 

[jkarp]

Just say when. I'm in.

 

[eschatz]

Let me know how I can help. I'm in.

 

[Revvy]

I think the group needs to decide how Laura would be involved. If any part of the decisions on which beer to brew (his favorite style / recipe / things he doesn't like) are going to involve her, I believe it absolutely needs to wait more than 24 hours after the tragedy. How long, I haven't a clue. Everyone handles losses differently.

If this is something that the group wishes to do in honor of him completely on its own, I think the time frame is more flexible.

You have to realize that Laura may never go back on here, And you may never have a way to reach her....Nor may she want to, although she did give her email address, so it's hard to know.

I have been a part of these things in the past where someone uses the person's account on a forum and announces the regular poster's demise (sometimes it has been a fake) but in all the times I have ever been involved in, after the initial post you rarely if ever hear from the person who posted the info again. They usually have much more pressing issue to deal with over the next few days/months, including grieving and usually internet friends were usually the last thing on the person's mind.

Unless that spouse person were active in the hobby or forum along with the bereaved, which I didn't get the impression she was, usually any tributes/threads people do, don't really get to the awareness of the person who posted....this wasn't her community, it was his, if she has a community, more than likely she will grieve with them.

The only caveat to this is that if any fellow hbters on here were actually close in real life to them that is....then of course they could communicate to her our intent, and she what her thoughts are....but if not, and I don't know if anyone here knew him or knows her in real life...whatever we do, we do for us.

I don't want to burst anyones bubbles, but as a minister who deals with grief and someone who has been an active internet/forum presence as a know clergyman, I have been involved with countless internet grieving and online community tributes, on forums, on myspace etc....and rarely does the gesture actually leave the online community and intersect with the family.

Part of that tends to be geographical distances, and part of that just happens to be a part of humanity/ both the comfortable annonymity of the web...and the grieving process....things coming from outside the grievers' "community" can either be a great solace or actually just lead to another layer of grief...

So I'm just saying, don't let Laura's involvement or lack of it hinder our desire to do what we feel is a fitting tribute ourselves.

 

[The Pol]

I just talked to my wife about this...

We are an online community, many of us do not know Kevin personally...

#1. What does time have to do with this? Why wait?
#2. Why would we involve his wife? She is grieving and we are an online web forum... I dont think that our distant relationship and wanting to make a memorial brew really has anything to do with her. Do any of us KNOW her?
#3. My wife would prefer if I die, that you leave her out of any plans that you have as an online community. She has no relationships here and she would be dealing with REAL issues in the REAL world...

We are confused about inviolving his wife, and even moreso as to why a web community has to wait to do something in memory of a fallen online comrade.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

Well, to be honest, I was thinking of a memorial brew between HBT and Kevin. To have Laura aboard would be a massive bonus of course. I was thinking along the lines though of what friends can do for another friend. However insignificant that gesture may seem.

Edit: what the Pol said.

 

[annasdadhockey]

Count me in too.
+1 on what The Pol said(about time and Kevin's wife, not about the melomel..I'm not even sure what melomel is)

 

[Yooper]

I don't have Laura's email, and I'm not sure she checks his hotmail account, but I send her a note to his hotmail account telling her how sorry we are for her loss. I told her that we'd be glad to accept his entries into the homebrew competition that he's already entered if she wanted to send them in and that we understood if she could not.

AnOldUR suggested having a prize in the HBT competition designated as a "GreenwoodRover" memorial prize, which I think is a great idea.

When the news came out this morning, I talked to Bob and told him that if something happened to me that I wanted him to let you guys know. I know we're "only" an internet forum, but over the years many of you have become my personal friends as well.

This just goes to show that life is indeed short.

 

[Revvy]

AnOldUR suggested having a prize in the HBT competition designated as a "GreenwoodRover" memorial prize, which I think is a great idea.

I second that idea...

When the news came out this morning, I talked to Bob and told him that if something happened to me that I wanted him to let you guys know. I know we're "only" an internet forum, but over the years many of you have become my personal friends as well.

It's a little different with you on a couple levels. First you are a huge daily presence on here You touch everyone...and many of us have met you in person.

Secondly BOB is real to us....you talk about him quite alot both in person to those who have met you, and also online...you tell stories regularly about him, his thoughts about beer, and your hobby, etc.

Also, I haven't but I figure some folks on here have actually MET Bob as well...I never heard Laura's name before today...and I got the impression from the initial post that she didn't know too much about his presence on here, except that he had one on here...

 

[gplutt]

I like the idea of finishing his last recipe, but I'll be more than happy to brew whatever.

 

[AnonyBrew]

I never knew Greenwood, but I'd still send flowers or something. I think our HBT community goes a little further than most.

 

[shecky]

I never knew Greenwood, but I'd still send flowers or something. I think our HBT community goes a little further than most.

Great idea. I'd be willing to donate for such a thing. And participate in whatever suggestions might be implemented.

As strange as it may seem, this is a family around here.

 

[The Pol]

FWIW, I would personally really dislike it if I began recieving flowers and correspondence from web forums that my wife uses as a stay at home mom, if she passed. #1. they never really knew her, #2. I dont know them, #3. my grief is more than they could ever imagine, especially since they do not know her in person... #4. I am dealing in real life issues with the loss of a spouse, Id prefer that the internet folks leave me the hell alone and not involve me in thier rememberance of someone that they in fact did not "know".

Hate to say this... but we arent a blip on her radar, and we shouldnt make ourselves out to be more than we are. I am all for supporting each other, but Id say leave his wife the hell alone.

Now if the few HBTers that KNOW me wanted to contact my wife, Id say that is appropriate... but a bunch of people who dont really know the guy, cmon. She is dealing with REAL loss, we are not, unless we have known the guy in a personal level. I would be very careful about overstepping that boundary.

If your daily life will not be the same without Kevin, freakin A... then Id expect you to know him personally and already know his wife and be in touch. If you dont even know his wife... his life partner, then Id say that any contact with her would be a little out of bounds since your contact was only in a web forum.

 

[The Pol]

Bottom line, if you have to find out on a web forum that Kevin passed, then IMHO you have no right to get into his family business and contact his wife in any way. If you were that close, youd have gotten a call.

 

[Homercidal]

I agree wholly with Pol on this. I know where I stand in Kevin's Wife's world. Nowhere. That doesn't mean I can't participate in a memorial brew with others in the online world HE sometimes lived in. I think it would be best to leave her out at this time.

Yooper has already made personal contact and through that we can get a response if there is any, which I highly doubt. This is not like a sibling or parent passing away. It's a Spouse. A life partner and possibly a source of income. Unless there was a life insurance policy, Laura may be experiencing more than grief at the loss of a husband.

I say we move ahead on a memorial brew on our own. I know I'd feel honored if it was me you guys were brewing for. I'm not sure my wife would give a crap. (Well, she'd probably feel honored if she knew, but I doubt she'd even log in to tell you I was gone).

 

[the bunnay]

In my experience, it was very comforting to know that someone I loved touched the lives of so many be it the barrista who remembered his favorite coffee or the forums and groups he belonged to both online and in person. While you may argue those people didn't really "know" him, they certainly knew an aspect of him that was shared.

That being said, I think the memorial beer should be an HBT project that might be shared with his wife and family if there is communication. An award in his honor is a lovely gesture.

 

[mmb]

Kevin was in the Kolsch swap and included his recipe for an ESB that he sent in the swap. I need to dig that up when I get home tonight. I never pitch any recipes but my filing system is lacking... any other kolsch swappers have a copy?

That will need to be my next batch....

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

I would donate to a fund to send flowers. The Pol is the only person I have ever heard of who could have a day darkened by flowers. A kindly gesture is kindly from a perfect stranger the same as from your best friend. You don't have to be close to some one to be sympathetic and want to help.

I think a GreenwoodRover memorial beer is a great idea, and that doesn't need to involve Kevin's wife. Let's just brew something and give him a few hip hip hurrays and give Kevin a proper online wake.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

In my experience, it was very comforting to know that someone I loved touched the lives of so many be it the barrista who remembered his favorite coffee or the forums and groups he belonged to both online and in person. While you may argue those people didn't really "know" him, they certainly knew an aspect of him that was shared.

That being said, I think the memorial beer should be an HBT project that might be shared with his wife and family if there is communication. An award in his honor is a lovely gesture.

Very well said.

My initial thought was that a memorial beer would be purely between HBT and Kevin. If, however, there ended up being some involvement with his wife (By her own choice) Then the memorial beer should be something fairly low gravity that can be shared easily with non beer drinking folk. I say this because although this is an HBT thing, it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that some of Kevin's family might actually WANT a few bottles of memorial brew with a nicely designed label etc.

As I say, communication with his family in this matter is not the intent, but anything is possible and we should try and cater for all posssibilities.

 

[AnOldUR]

FWIW, I would personally really dislike it if I began recieving flowers and correspondence from web forums that my wife uses as a stay at home mom, if she passed. #1. they never really knew her, #2. I dont know them, #3. my grief is more than they could ever imagine, especially since they do not know her in person... #4. I am dealing in real life issues with the loss of a spouse, Id prefer that the internet folks leave me the hell alone and not involve me in thier rememberance of someone that they in fact did not "know".

Hate to say this... but we arent a blip on her radar . . .

I find it difficult to understand this closed minded mentality. I’d like to think that if my wife died I’d be able to make the memorial about things that were part of her life and to include those people and activities. A tragedy like this is not about us. It’s not about Kevin’s family or even his wife. It about Kevin and celebrating all the things that were part of him. This is a difficult time for Laura, but I hope that she can find the strength to reach out to all the areas of Kevin’s life. Her posting the message here leads me to believe that she will and that she would appreciate our support.

 

[the bunnay]

I find it difficult to understand this closed minded mentality. I’d like to think that if my wife died I’d be able to make the memorial about things that were part of her life and to include those people and activities. A tragedy like this is not about us. It’s not about Kevin’s family or even his wife. It about Kevin and celebrating all the things that were part of him. This is a difficult time for Laura, but I hope that she can find the strength to reach out to all the areas of Kevin’s life. Her posting the message here leads me to believe that she will and that she would appreciate our support.

We all grieve differently, but judging by Laura's follow up post in the original thread and that she shared it with other family members, I think she appreciates that Kevin had a presence here and takes at least a measure of comfort from those far away who are saddened to hear of his passing and not offense.

 

[shecky]

I don't understand The Pol's resistance, either, even more so in light of this: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f19/sa...drovers-family-131499/index6.html#post1478807.

It seems Laura knew of and appreciated Kevin's involvement here. We may not have known him personally, but we 'knew' him on some level. I really think she would appreciate some acknowledgement from us that Kevin was an important and valued member of this cyberspace world.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

We all grieve differently, but judging by Laura's follow up post in the original thread and that she shared it with other family members, I think she appreciates that Kevin had a presence here and takes at least a measure of comfort from those far away who are saddened to hear of his passing and not offense.

Agreed. I think her post puts a new light on the subject.

Hello everyone,

I thank you all for your thoughts and kind words. Kev would be so honored to hear them. I shared them with his friends and brother last night. I will keep checking this site and will keep you posted on plans as they are made. You may reach me at [Mod edited Let's keep it to the original thread for now. I'd hate for someone to use any of this information in a google search for no good.].

I appreciate your support.

Laura Dennis

This makes me even more sure that we should make a memorial beer that is easily enjoyed by others outside the beer drinking community. Good beer does not have to be bland beer.

 

[bernerbrau]

I didn't know the guy at all, but after I heard the news I went back in his post history and discovered I remembered reading some of his posts... I'm getting a lump in my throat just reading all the emotional responses.

So yeah, I'm in for flowers or a memorial brew. If someone coordinates something, PM me or I'll just keep an eye on this thread.

 

[dataz722]

Im in for either or both. I don't know how much I will actually follow this thread so if somehow wouldn't mind sending me a PM please do.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I wonder.

Is it possible to donate anonymously to Keveins HBT account and then, at some point have TxBrew send a check to his survivors?

I am just thinking about funeral costs, income loss, etc....