Emptybottle.org

I'm so sorry. I've been following Rick's story here since it happened and this news has really saddened me.

You have shown incredible strength in writing about this almost every day. Thank you for sharing Rick with us.

You have my sympathy.

I am so sorry. To all of you, Rick's friends and family, I am so sorry.

I'm so sorry, Chris, and all those who knew Rick in person rather than felt they knew him through this site.

My thoughts are with you and with Rick's family. I'm not normally a praying man, but I'll say a few quiet words and hope it helps. Peace be with you.

Words fail me. Stav, my sincere condolences, both to you and Rick's family.

I'm sorry for your loss. I'm holding you and Rick's family and friends in my thoughts.

Oh, Chris! My heart breaks for you. All of us wish we could help. Please know that, and take care.

chris, forgive me if this comes out as babble, but i'm just gonna wing it.

first, i just want to say thank you for sharing this experience with all of us. personally, the way you've opened yourself up in this space and shared every little bit of fear and hope... it's just really touched me. it's made me think about what i'd do were i in your position, and i honestly don't know if i could have been as strong as you've been.

your outpouring of support towards rick and his family really exemplifies the human spirit. no matter how bad the news was, you held out hope that rick would pull through. your descriptions of him had me convinced that he'd make it, and my shock at reading this news cannot be properly expressed.

thank you for humanising this terrible situation. i didn't know anyone who was in bali, nor did i know anyone at the WTC or various other sites around the world that have experienced tragedy recently. the news just makes these types of things seem so cold and distant, and you really drove it all home. thank you for having the fortitude to do it. i can only begin to imagine how difficult that must be.

in closing, i'll simply say this. obviously rick was an incredibly special person to you and many others. he's become special to me (and perhaps some of your other posters) as well. i send my deepest condolences, my sympathies, and my love to you and everyone else rick touched during his time on this earth. peace be with you, brother.

There is really nothing we can say to such loss, except that our hearts and prayers are with you today and with Rick's family over the next few difficult days, weeks, months, and of course, with Rick in a place of no time, no pain, no sorrow, only love.

Oh, Stav. I'm so sorry to hear the news. I was really hoping things would improve for Rick. My heart goes out to you, the rest of his friends and his family. You'll all be in my thoughts.

I'm sorry. :-(

I can probably say nothing to make you feel any better right now, but you're in my thoughts.

Peace, love, and calmness Stav. Thank you for sharing this difficult time with us. I hope you can remain positive once the storm settles.

This is completely heart-breaking. I'm so sorry.

Stavros

Thank you for sharing your friend's
fight for life, and his unfortunate
death. Rick and his family are in
our prayers.

I'm terribly sorry, Chris.

Please take care of yourself, and/or find someone to take care of you, for a while. You did as much as you could for your friend Rick, and I do not doubt you will do more for him and his circle of friends and family. Just please don't forget to do for yourself too, okay?

There are no words. Stay strong. Please.

Peace.

I don't think you could have put it any better than with the Henry Miller quote up front.

Also, you've inspired a sense of loss for Rick in people like me who have never met him.
No mean feat, that.

everything that everybody else said...I am so sorry for your loss.

ditto all the above. I'm so sorry.

My sympathy. { Stav }

I do not know Rick, however I have been following his story and I am so sorry for all of Rick's family and friends.

I am sure it is so difficult to try and comprehend WHY. There are no answers or reasons that can possibly justify what happened to Rick and all of the other victims of this horrible terrorist attack, and what is still happening in this world today. This type of tragedy brings it all home, and makes one realize how precious and fleeting human life really is.

May peace be with his family and friends.

Chris, I'm sorry for the loss of your friend. Please convey my sympathy to Rick's family as well. I'm crying here for your tragic loss.

I'm so sorry, Chris. Peace be with you, and with Rick's family and friends.

I'm so sorry for your loss. {stav}

These things are incomprehensible. I'm so sorry for your loss. Chris, you've served the memory of Rick very admirably. Without you, he would be just another statistic to most of us.

My thoughts are with you and Rick's family.

Sorry.

Peace.

I'm very sorry.

My deepest sympathies to friends and family of Rick Gleason. I've witnessed firsthand the awful consequences of terrorism in other parts of the world, and I'm sorry that Rick was one of the victims.

I also apologize for using this forum to reach out to friends of Rick in the Vancouver area. But I'm doing a story about who he was for CBC Television News this evening, and would look forward to speaking to anyone who'd like to share any memories or thoughts about him.

Please feel free to contact me if you're interested. My cellphone is 1-250-212-4101.

Thank you.

Hanson Hosein

My heart, thoughts and prayers are out to anyone who knew Rick. Peace be with all. Blessed Be.

Chris - I am so sorry about your loss. I can imagine how awful you feel, just by knowing how awful I feel and multiplying it hundreds of times. My heart is with you and I need you to know it..

All my love to you Stav.
Shari

I was just leaving my weekly Yoga class, after having shared Rick's story with my friends there, when I heard the news on the radio. I went right back to tell them, because his story touched even them.

I didn't know him as well as his friends in Vancouver - just through visits to his good friend here in Toronto, Dave Donais - but Rick was one of the people in my life journey, who I will never forget and will always remember with a smile. I can see his smiling face clearly now, although it's been years since I actually had the pleasure. I hope that means his spirit is still here and at peace now.

My most heartfelt condolences go to his family and to his friends who were fortunate to know him better than I did.

Laura.

I'm so sorry Chris

My condolences, Stav.

There are no words to say.

Thank you for sharing this.

Sympathy to both you and Rick's other friends and also his family.

Peace.

Don't know what to say... Rick was my former colleague and friend before he left for Bali. Used to joke with him that he was the high school buddy I never had. Now this tragedy. Just want to say thanks for all the good times Rick, and my deepest condolences to the family.

Stav,
I lost a friend earlier this year. I know all too well how hard this must be for you.

There aren't any words for something like this.
I just wish there was something I could say to make this better. There isn't.

Bless you for sharing this with us and for the privilege of allowing us to grieve with you.

God bless, Chris. I'm so sorry.

Be strong, Stavros. Find the place in yourself where part of your friend lives, and know that you'll always have it.

{stav}

Hugs for Rick's family and all his friends.

I'm very sorry.

Rick, I'll always remember you as the CANADIAN who would perpetually practice his Spanish with me....always trying to recall the Spanish word for almost anything and everything...not that I'm good with the language...we just both new enough to get by say, in MEXICO ...Vaya con
Dios, mi amigo....

Damn damn damn. Dammit.

Stav, thanks so much for sharing this with us. It's moved many of us more than you may think, and hopefully personalized world events even more (a painful but necessary thing).

I feel like this should be a somber display of solidarity and sorrow, but dammit I'm more pissed off than I am sad.

This is completely sad and unfair - but in the face of that, do stay strong Stav. You've shown your strengths so far, stay with them.

Look to his family.

I'm sorry stav. There's more I'd like to say, but kokogiak expresses what's on my mind pretty well.

I want to echo the sentiments above, a thousandfold. I'm so sorry.

My heart goes out to Rick, his family, and friends. The majority of us did not know Rick but this story has touched us all. Thank you very much for sharing Rick's story with everyone.
Mike
Montreal

The more said, the less adequate.

The wounds of Bali injure us all around the world. Rick’s death diminishes all of us, too.

We’ll be holding on tight for you, Chris—for Rick and his family and friends.

We're with you now, Chris, and we'll be here whenever you need us. Peace, my friend, to you and Rick's family.

Oh, Chris, I'm so sorry. I couldn't think of anything to say here for the last week, and now I'm even more lost and fumbly. Be well; as well as any of us can.

My deepest condolences. You made Rick come alive through your updates and I had hoped that he'd pull through in the end. I caught the CBC announcement and was dismayed to read that he passed on.

My heart goes out to you and Rick's family, along with the other families of those who disappeared in one of the places in the world that I found to be the most peaceful. May they all find peace.

This is the more painful for coming from one celebrates life as much as you, about a fellow who clearly shared that very quality with you. Don't change.

Chris, you've shown the heart of gold that beats within you.

To all of Rick's friends and family, you have my sincerest apologies.

Chris,

Peace be with you and Rick's family in your time of loss,

From a grieving NYC,

Gen

Godspeed to your friend, and my condolences to you, Chris. May peace prevail on earth.

Condolences to All of Rick's Family and Friends.

I have no words that haven't already said, but you have my sincerest condolences. Stay strong for youself and Rick's family.

deepest sympathies for you, and Rick's family and friends. peace.

The last time I saw Rick was Sept 6th. We were saying goodbye in the usual farewell tradition for colleagues by "hoisting a few beers" with him on his last day of work here in Vancouver. Little did we imagine that that would be the last time we'd hear from him. As with some of the others who have left messages, I have my memories of his wit and wisdom.. There were his favourite snack offerings of "rickbits" or experimental butterscotch bars with rainbow icing, his witty puns, his hockey mania, and his uncanny ability to make work feel like play. There is no making sense of his death other than to know that his legacy will serve as a reminder that we need to value life and live it to its fullest, sharing it with others, which is exactly what he did. I'm greatful to have known him.

Agony and anguish. I am so sorry for your loss, that of all of Rick's family and friends, the world's.

Chris, my deepest sympathy for Rick's family and friends and sincere thanks to you for all your efforts on Rick's behalf.

shit.

stuck for words again.

you're in my thoughts, Chris. Take care.

sorry

Go in Peace Rick

It is now 6.15am. Audrey rang me with the news at 8.30pm last night. I have tried to sleep on it and it was not a good night.

I saw Rick at 10.30am and I was encouraged, I felt positive. They tried everything but it wasn't enough.

He died with his parents at his bedside. I will send a small gift to the nurses and Doctors at the hospital today to show our appreciation for what they did for Rick. I know they will be as devastated as the rest of us.

Rick will be cremated here and his ashes taken back to Canada. He will have a formal funeral in Whitehorse.

Thank you for letting me in to this community of friends. Chris you have done a great job. Thank you all.

So you had to go in the end Rick! I was sure I would see you again and laugh at your goofy antics after another "tour of duty" spreading your mirth around the world to yet more people who would be lucky enough to get to know you. I'm crying now but it's mixed with laughter for your overwhelming good nature. I miss you already, we were meant to know each other,thank you! You're still with me I know.My heart breaks for your family, my love and strength for them.

I am so very, very sorry.
{{{HUGS}}}

My prayers are with the Gleason Family and friends.

Tears, Idle Tears

Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean,
Tears from the depth of some divine despair
Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes,
In looking on the happy Autumn-fields,
And thinking of the days that are no more.

Fresh as the first beam glittering on a sail,
That brings our friends up from the underworld,
Sad as the last which reddens over one
That sinks with all we love below the verge;
So sad, so fresh, the days that are no more.

Ah, sad and strange as in dark summer dawns
The earliest pipe of half-awakened birds
To dying ears, when unto dying eyes
The casement slowly grows a glimmering square;
So sad, so strange, the days that are no more.

Dear as remembered kisses after death,
And sweet as those by hopeless fancy feigned
On lips that are for others; deep as love,
Deep as first love, and wild with all regret;
O Death in Life, the days that are no more

Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892)

Stav, my deepest condolences to you and all of Rick's family and friends. Thank you for sharing your memories with us.

It was a privelege to have known you, Rick. I wish so much that we'd had more time together but in the end, you gave me the opportunity to be close to you over the last few days and you could never have given me any more than that.

Love to you all; Audrey, Dick, Rick's family and friends. Rick was far away from many of you but he couldn't have asked for any more love or support. It has been overwhelming to see so much goodness flow from so many human beings. Rick has brought us all together and has forever enriched our lives.

Love you Rick

Chris, my condolences go to you as well as Rick's family and friends. I did not know Rick except through you (and I don’t really know you except through these pages and MetaFilter), but I feel incredibly sad – so many people have fought so hard to save him. An end to pain, though, as you said. For Rick at least.

Chris, I'm sorry for your loss, and for his family's loss. You've done an admirable job of reflecting the positive presence he had in life by sharing part of his story with us.

From the picture you painted of your friend Rick, he seemed like an amazing guy, a person anyone would be lucky to call a friend. What happened is unfair, terribly unfair, and my heart goes out to you.

Stavros, I'm very sorry to hear this.

I have just sent a Thank You package to Rick's medical team at The Alfred.

It's card reads "Thank you on behalf of Rick's friends around the world"

I know they did everything they could, they spared no expense or equipment. Only yesterday they were flying in a special bed for Rick from Interstate.

Su Shi (A.D. 1037 - 1101)
Written in Jun-chou

Last year I saw you off
Outside the Yü-hang gate
Snow flew like catkins
This year's spring spent
Catkins fly like snow
You're still not back

When there's wine, I raise the shade, invite the moon --
Only wind and dew penetrate the screen --
The moon prefers a pair of swallows, nesting
Its clear bright beams
Rest on their painted eaves

--
Be well, Chris. I'm sorry.

Stories like Rick's help us understand the human toll in the wake of senseless violence. Thank you for all that you are doing. Take care of yourself, too, okay?

chris/stavros -

I'm so sorry. I have no eloquence, just sorrow and more sorrow and impotent rage.

Condolences to you, to Rick's family, and to everyone else moved by his passage across this little sphere we share.

Strength and love from Tokyo,
a.

Chris/Stavros:

I'm not sure what to say, except you and Rick's family are in my thoughts. My condolences.

I'm really sorry. I just read it on Australia's ABC News and came here to offer my condolences.

jeremias 33:6--behold i will close their wounds and give them health, and I will cure them: and i will reveal to them the prayer of peace and truth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
may the peace of the Lord be with you in this time of separation. God bless you all.

For Chris and for Rick's family and friends:

People all over the world mourn for one son lost needlessly in a senseless, violent act. You have friends who have waited with you, read the email updates that were forwarded, prayed for you, hoped with you. We will continue to care for you as you mourn the loss of your child, brother and friend.

I am so sorry to hear the news, and would like to offer my condolences to all of you who knew Rick.

I'm so sorry to hear this, Stavros. My condolences to you, and to his friends and family.

I've been reading your postings each day, hoping against hope that your friend would make it. When I read your post today, I could not just take it in. Words fail to convey my feelings - I feel just very sad and sorry. I, too, hope that you and all those who cared for Rick will have the support and love you need now as you go on.

Rick was deeply loving and deeply loved.
He shines through your words, stavros, and our hearts go out to Audrey and to Dick, to Rick's sisters and brothers, to all his friends.
To all of you who knew Rick in life---Please keep that deep love of his shining through for each other...because the world needs it more than ever today.
Rick, some days or years from now I'll meet someone I've never met and I'll see that deep love shining through and I'll know I've met a friend of a friend of a friend of yours---and that I've met you in spirit.
Go in peace and thank you for your rich legacy of love.

I'm so sorry to read about your friend, Chris. My thoughts are with his friends and family -- thank you so much for taking the time to share some of your memories of Rick with the rest of us.

I can't add much, but I am terribly, terribly sorry.

Stav, thanks for letting so many people get to know your friend, and for putting a human face on unspeakable tragedy.

Chris, that's just horrible man. My deepest sympathies and condolences go out to you and Rick's family. If there's anything I can do let me know.

Chris, I'm deeply sorry for your loss.

Thank you Chris for the updates on our dear cousin Rick. He was loved my so many people all over the world. He wil be missed. God bless you and Australia. My heart and prayers go out to all who knew Rick. You are our angel Rick. We love you

Deepest condolences. You have made this horror real.

Rick, you've touched so many of us. Goodbye, old friend.

It's so tough to come up with the right words. There are none, really. My condolences Chris.

my heart aches. it is an inexcusable loss the world has suffered. love and peace.

I don't know Rick, but have heard of his story from a friend. Many blessings of comfort and healing to his family and loved ones at this time. I'm sorry for your loss. Peace.

Thanks to everyone who responded to my request for memories of Rick. I was amazed at how loved he was, how everyone considered him their best friend.

Most of you will see this as inadequate, but given the 2 minutes we have to do a story, it's what I was able to put together. I hope in some way, it helps transmit to others what kind of person Rick was. If you have a fast connection, click on the TV camera icon to watch the story that ran this evening on CBC News in Alberta, British Columbia and the Territories.

http://vancouver.cbc.ca/template/servlet/View?filename=bc_gleason021023

Starvos --

I must just say I am so sorry.

I was listening to CBC radio this morning, and they gave the number of dead as X number of Australians, and one Canadian. Since I knew that the only Canadian wounded in the bombing was your friend, I was concerned about him immediatedly.

I am so sorry. You tried so hard to save him, and I'm sure he fought so hard to live. My thoughts are with you, and with his family.

so sorry... my thoughts are with you and all his family and friends...

So sad and sorry.
Thanks for all the work you did keeping us informed Chris.
Can't say much more right now.

I am so sad for you Stavros and for Rick's family and friends, that I ache inside. My condolences to you all.

Stavros. The tears return mate. I saw mention of Rick's death in one of the Sydney paper's this morning and my heart went to to his family, yourself and his friends. Cherish the memories, and honour him always.

I miss him already. Condelences to Ricks Family and his worldwide network of friends. A heartfelt thank you to Chris for devoting your site to this ordeal, I'm sure it wasn't the easiest topic to cover.

Chris,
Bless you for all you have done through this site. It is and will continue to be a comfort to Rick's family and friends. Our prayers go out to Rick's immediate and extended family, in the Yukon, B.C. and Alberta. His death has marked his friends and family, but it has also touched acquaintances and strangers around the world. This death is a loss in so many ways, and your site eloquently expresses both the gift of his life and the depth of loss. May we all turn our hearts towards peace, in honour of Rick's life and passing.

My whole family has been following your story on WBS. You and your friend's family are in our thoughts and prayers. Honor your friend's life with all the loving memories you have of him. ((((((hugs)))

I have just stumbled upon this site whilst looking for information on the recent deaths of some of the Bali victims. I have been following Rick's story in the Melbourne papers (I live just near the Alfred) and I am so sorry that he didn't make it. All Australians are devastated by the horror of the last fortnight and my family is upset for your loss. May he be scattered over the beautiful Canadian landscape so his soul lives forever. All Australia is grieving with you.

Hello,

I am the nurse who rang the Alfred Hospital on learning there was a Canadian man gravely injured there. I wanted to see if his family had arrived yet and if they hadn't I was going to the Alfred to see if they would let me sit with Rick.

I was born in Ontario, Canada and moved to Australia in 1995 permanently.

I just felt compelled to make sure a fellow countryman was not lying alone in a hospital bed in a foriegn land.

I'm so so sorry to hear of Rick's passing. My heart felt condolences to his family and friends -- all those who loved him.

Cynthia

The first time I met Rick, I was envious of the stories he had to tell about the places he'd been. Since then I've moved to England and done a fair amount of travelling.

The last time I saw Rick was during a trip home in June this year at Simon's house. We had some drinks and talked about the places we'd been.

When I heard that he'd been injured in Bali, I couldn't believe it. It seemed, as it must have seemed to everyone, that I'd just seen him and he was fine! I had hope that he would pull through and imagined that the next time I saw him, he would have an incredible story to tell. Another life experience to share.

I'm glad I had the chance to get to know Rick. I'll never forget his goofiness, and the "Jamie Oliver" routine from that June afternoon he and Simon did... and his one word of Dutch: "Gemeubileerd" (Furnished). Six months or so in Amsterdam for that ;-)

He will be missed.

Tonight in Seattle, the fog horns wail. Little boats must make way for the new arrivals of global detritus that will pepper our shelves for the upcoming holiday season. Little boats, the pleasure seekers, must make way for the backhoe of currency that digs up the certainty of death and splays it out atop the fertile top-soil of life. Death has visited the moment of fruitful interaction among humans, who at long last, enjoy life and experience the planet Earth in a nightclub full of fellow earthlings. Alas, that age did not last long enough, unless we hop to it soon.

The foghorns tonight reminded me of one thing: Foghorns are there because intrinsically, humanity wills to avoid destruction, annihilation. How does this translate in the lessons we are being taught circa 2002 CE?

Condolences. . .

Clicking on the CBC website news item, and seeing the name 'Rick Gleason' ripped back sixteen years in a frightening second to that friendly up-beat guy who had known at UBC and travelled with me to Paris to learn French in 1985.

My sincerest condolances to Rick's family and friends. Unbelievable, tragic, terrible.

Words fail. I offer my humblest condolences to all who knew Rick.

{stav}

My heart is heavy and aching for a someone I never knew. I am so so sorry.

To Chris, to all Rick's family and friends I send my condolences and love. He must have been a wonderful person.

So sorry to hear this terrible news Chris.

So sorry stav. My deepest condolances to you and Rick's family .

Words fail me.

Deepest sympathy for all who were touched by this latest Terrorist Attack.

As an Aussie Gal I felt kind of sheltered by what happened Sept 11; and now it's at our door step it's far too daunting. Life was never meant to be easy, but we weren't meant to lose our loved ones in this manner.

Rick will live on forever in the minds and the hearts of all who knew and loved him.

Peace and Love to all

i wish i knew the words to say but all the things that come to mind seem trivial, just words on a screen...
i wish i could put my arms around you and hug you till all is right.
i wish i could say a million things and do countless others but then i realize that all i really have to offer, is a shoulder to cry on and ears to listen if you need any.

hugs

My deepest condolences to you and Rick's family and friends.

in my thoughts

Sweet tears! the awful language, eloquent
Of infinite affection; far too big
For words.

–Robert Pollok

My condolences, Stavros.

I would like to offer my condolences. Thank you for having the strength to share this story with the world.

Thank-you all so, so much.

So sorry, Chris. Our thoughts here are with you these dark days.

Thanks for sharing/blogging this... it's sure a lot more personal than the CBC reports.

- John, Kelly, James

Know that we love you Rick.
And we miss you.
I have no doubt we will think of you often in the years left in our lives and we will cry and hopefully laugh sometimes too. Because if you could see us now, and you probably can, you know we need a good laugh. Be happy where you are. Be happy my friend.
Love Simon Xtelle Emma Jasper

Know that we love you Rick.
And we miss you horribly.
I have no doubt we will think of you often in the years left in our lives and we will cry and hopefully laugh sometimes too. Because if you could see us now, and you probably can, you know we need a good laugh. Be happy where you are. Be happy good friend.
Love Simon Xtelle Emma Jasper

I just want to let you know, that while I've just recently learned of Rick, our little group has been heartsick over the violence that has overtaken our friends and family in Bali. We are including Rick and his family and friends in our prayer vigil. We pray that God's love and comfort be with you all.

Chris, I'm terribly sorry your loss. You'll be in my prayers; I'll tell Rick about how you all feel, but I'm sure he already knows, and is watching over you and his family right now. God bless.

Chris, I can't say how sorry I am that such senseless violence has cost the world another great human being. Small comfort to be reminded from reading the outpouring of support on this site that there are many, many more great human beings out there. As long as we all stick together, the evil in the world won't win. My deepest sympathies to you, to bearman and to all Rick's family and friends in this time of loss.

God Bless all of you, Ricks friends, who have supported him and his family,this past while. I have had a grieving day , like never before, in my life, for my dear stepson. I loved him as did his dear parents, brothers and sisters, and all of you, and will never forget him, there will never be another Rick. We all loved you Rick, rest in peace! Lee

God I'm so sorry.

Chris - My condolences on the loss of your friend.

My thoughts are with you at this painful time.

Dave
Melbourne, Australia

Rick,
Late September, you left us on the porch after the Cigar night and waved good-bye to us: "See you in two months!".
It was the Classic Rick au-revoir!

We won't wait for your postcard from Bali; we won't wait for your postcard from Melbourne... but we will wait to meet with you again in another life.

I'm not religious you know and I can't accept your death; I know you are living another great life right now, you are making people crack up at your jokes the same way I was cracking up at yours even though I couldn't always understand them with my French culture.

You taught us a lot about ourselves in the last few days Rick. We all grew up from this tragedy and never another bomb will hit without your face and your spirit to come back to us.

Je t'aime tellement Rick,
On se reverra...
Christelle

our condolences go out to dick gleason his family and all rick"s friends

I was late to the news yesterday, and seeing the 100+ comments didn't know what to add to everyone else's words. As well as sending condolences to all of Rick's family and friends, I just wanted to say thank you, Chris, for celebrating his life. Even for those of us who didn't know Rick and who know you only as a wonderchicken on the screen, your updates these past two weeks have been an example to all of us of friendship at its finest. And that means a lot.

My Thoughts and Prayers to Ricks Family, Friends etc, On this Sad Occassion.
And to all those who lost loved ones and friends in the Horrific Bali Bombings:(
Im An Aussie, and my Heartfelt Condolences to Ricks family and Friends, and many others here in Australia and elswehere who have lost loved ones etc in this Atrocity:(

I am so sorry to hear of this dreadful loss and our thoughts and prayers are with you, your family and friends.

Chris:

Very sorry to hear about this. Thoughts are with you and all who knew Rick.

Ah Love! could you and I with Him conspire
To grasp this sorry Scheme of Things entire,
Would not we shatter it to bits--and then
Re-mold it nearer to the Heart's Desire!

Rubiyat of Omar Khayyam.

Best wishes, sympathies.

I heard the news today, oh boy . . .

Deepest sympathies. ((stav))

I've been out of the blog loop a few days and the first click on my roll brought me to this sad news. I'm not surprised. Death has been creeping around my neighborhood the last week or so but that is another story. . .

I'm sorry for your loss.

Such sad news - please pass on my condolences to Dick Gleason & the rest of the Gleason family on their loss. I met Mr. Gleason in Melbourne last week, & chatted to him for a while about Rick, he sounded like such an amazing person, and I can't even begin to imagine what his family must feel at the moment. My thoughts & prayers are with them.