I’m speechless. What a loss for all whose lives he touched.
I will really miss his writings.

Like others I did not know Rodney very well, nor did I agree with everything he wrote, but what he wrote he wrote well.  One of the greatest things you can do is to make people think.  To provoke discussion.  This Rodney did. 

I think the outpouring of support here is testiment to what a great man he was, I hope that his family can take some consolation from this.  My heart goes out to his family, he will be missed. 

what can be said…

OH man, i can’t believe this is true.

I can’t say I frequent TMO that much, but every once in a while I do and I have read what rodney has had to say, among other writers here, having said that, I met rodney once, he worked at CompUSA in Roseville, years before the Apple store at the MOA was even a thought.

I had just gotten through my first year at college and had bought my first mac, a power computing power base 240. I walked into compusa with another mac using friend of mine to buy an apple microphone and Rodney was there, in the mac area. At the time, i knew nothing of him or his stature in the mac community.

There were no more microphones, he then took the one that was on display w/another mac on display, tested it, talked to the manager and told me I could have it.

We talked for a while more, he told me that (at the time) the power computing (which was still new) was a good machine, and that it should work fine.

I thanked him and went on my way.

years later, i read some articles from “ibrotha” and various other articles and I came upon a picture of him and i remembered his face.

He definitely was a nice man and I am sorry to see him go.

Life can be so difficult and demanding, it’s sad to see a very intelligent and friendly person leave this world.  Struggling with depression is something that many of us (not necessarily those on this board, but more on a global scale) have had to deal with, the taking of one’s life has been a thought that some of us have considered, but could never commit to doing.  It’s those times late at night, when the day never went good for you, when an argument that happened, was one too many.  When nothing seems fair and all things seem to hard to break through.  You reach, or at least want to reach for help, but too ashamed to ask or admit that you need it.  You hide it deep within you day in and day out.  A few smiles here and some laughter there.  Some days are better, many eat at you.  You ponder what is after this life, because the life you have is either too hard, or too much.  Thoughts, anger and pain, it eats at you…and sometimes it doesn’t and you end up feeling good, as if you never had a problem, it’s rare, but it is there.

I don’t know what his personal problems were, but I empathize…

I never knew him much, but his articles, although quite long (many times) were unmistakenly his.

take care…

xoiek

I am absolutely stunned. Rodney and I had a lot of conversations about a lot of topics; he was one of the few people who wasn’t afraid to speak his mind, and screw what the thought-Nazis said. He was also one of the few people I know who also devoured H.L. Mencken’s work. I only wish we could have lived in the same town.

I am stunned right now. However, in honor of Rodney, I shall “forgive some sinner and wink at an ugly girl”. I only hope he is there to greet me in whatever afterlife might exist.

Hear! Hear!

Nicely said, tbone1. 

I also wanted to say that reading all these posts and nice words about Rodney really makes me feel pretty darned good about Rodney, his friends (I am delighted to see those who knew him in the physical world stop by!), and the TMO community itself.  Thanks, everyone.

Like everyone, I too am stunned. Having had all day to ponder this news hasn’t shed any more light on how to respond.

It wasn’t until about 6 months ago that I began hanging around TMO and venturing into the Mac online community a little bit. Even in that short time, I had come to immensely appreciate Rodney’s presence by way of his intelligent, thought-provoking writing and his sharp wit in the forums. I loved what he had to say and loved how he said it. He will be sorely missed.

This news has tugged at my heart today for another reason. It was exactly four years ago this week that I crashed and burned into a major bout with depression myself. Over the course of just hours, my whole life seemed to cave in on top of me with a crushing, suffocating darkness. The road back has been long and hard. It is truly something that cannot be put into words, and it is my prayer that none of you reading this will ever have to endure it.

It is heartbreaking in a special way, perhaps, for those of us who have been there and returned. So many questions. Why did I come through it? Why didn’t Rodney? I imagine the same could be said for a cancer survivor who loses a friend to the same disease. Why him? Why not me?

Rodney, how I wish you could’ve held on long enough to make it to the other side. But I know where you’ve been, and on some level at least, I fully understand where you felt you had to go. You will be missed!

Brian

A sad day indeed.  Though I never had the joy of meeting Rodney in person, it is something that I will wish I have had done for the rest of my life.  Though never meeting him we did swap many e-mails and instant messages about whatever and when I didn’t say anything for awhile he was the first and only to ask me if everything was ok and where I was.  Rodney, I do hope you are in a better place but to be a little selfish, I wish you were still here with us.

Rest In Peace my friend, you will be missed…..

-Chris-

I haven’t been able to write until now, for I have been trying to find a break through my tears, but to no avail…

I am so saddened by our lost of Rodney!  I had no clue he was in a depression and I feel like I let him down for not knowing, for not being able to lend him an ear or offer some comfort for his pain and damn it, I’m mad!!!

We, as a community MUST find a way to stop this from ever happening again! There are a number of other members here who are/have seriously considered suicide.  I don’t have any answers as to what we can do, but we must together find a way to help each other. We must!!

Every person, that feels it would be easier to just die, that you’re tired and feel you don’t have any fight left in you, I want you to think of the pain that Rodney’s death has inflicted on each of us and if for one moment you think that no one cares about you, or that you have no friends, or there isn’t anyone who understands, you are WRONG! For we all care and quite a few of us have been where you’re at.

Damn you Rodney! If you could have only realized how much you were loved by so many and that death was not the answer!

I will forever miss you..

I posted earlier. Now, as then, words fail me, but I feel like I have to say something, else I’ll explode

Rodney and I talked about writing. One of the things he had wanted to do and just could not get to it was to write a book, something I’ve been trying to do too. I would jibe him about writing it, and of course, he’d tell me how sore that spot was for reminding him of something he wanted to do but hadn’t.

Now I guess he’s jibing me for not doing my book, which would be typical Rodney.

I guess that’s all I wanted to say.

I will sorely miss him.

I’m glad we had a chance to to get together as I passed through town. I couldn’t have imagined it would be the last time. Thanks, Mike and Steve, for bringing that together.

And thanks to all of you who have posted here today. I wish Rodney could read what you have said. Know, though, that his friends take comfort from your kind and admiring words.

You should have stayed longer, my friend. The world is a lesser place for you having chosen to leave it.

There is so much to say… and yet nothing to say.

Christopher Jennings

Very Sad Indeed

Can one of the administrators list a snail mail address, so one could send a card or flowers for the service?

That information isn’t available yet, mr. e, but when it is we will post it.

I’m shocked. I’m angry. It has yet to seem real.

I first met Rodney in the fall of ‘99 while working at the CompUSA Mac demo days. His presence made it far more enjoyable. Intelligent, personable—no one left with questions when Rodney was on call. Ran across each other again some times during his stint at MicroCenter and in the wee hours waiting for the MOA Apple Store opening… plus the electronic conversations both on and off this site that TMO made possible.

I hope that Rodney knew how many lives he touched. I’m mad at myself for living so close, yet not knowing him better.

—Rob Marquardt

Damn.

I’m trying to see my keyboard through my tears. I just found out now. I’m trying to type something, but it’ll come nowhere near to saying what I feel now. I don’t even know what I feel. I’m in a mess.

I’ll miss you, big guy. You’re the reason I came to TMO. I loved your e-mails, your humor, your insights. You were my shining light.

Nobody will ever know what you’ve gone through.

My condolences to Irma and the rest of the family. They’re the ones left with those awful questions.

Rodney, wherever you are now, man, I hope you’re doing well. I just wish you hadn’t done it.

We lost one of the brightest flames in the Mac world.

Excuse me while I go kick and scream at something.

Stunned

There is so little that I could say, that has not been said already, and indeed, I’m so stunned I hardly know what to say at all, but just need to say something.

I never ‘knew’ Rodney, other than in the ‘electronic’ sense, but enjoyed his writing immensly, and felt a kindred spirit and connection there, and indeed it was his writing which inspired my first ever post to TMO, and since then I have felt at least a small part of this rather close knit, but vibrant and caring community of which he was such a part.

My heart goes out to his wife, but also the many friends he had who are so shocked and upset at this awful news.

As someone who has experienced both discrimination and a couple of serious bouts fighting depression myself, and the loss of one friend to the same illness, it hits home doubly hard.

One of the hardest lessons I had to learn, in coping with those difficulties, was to be able to overcome the fear of social stigma and ostracisation, and reach out and trust in other people. 

But in being open, and reaching out, I was greatly surprised, and comforted to realise that I’m just a human being like everyone else, and that my problems per se, were not that different from anyone elses, and that numerous friends had experienced similar debilitating illnesses in their lives, only they hadn’t wanted to discuss it either.

I guess, given the limitations of electronic communication, we don’t get to know each other on this ‘bulletin board/mac community’ of TMO, in a face to face way (or at least if you live in OZ as I do) but we can still communicate about whatever issues we want, and support each other, especially at this time.

I’ve been moved by many of the previous posts, where others have told of their own difficulties, and I greatly appreciate their openess, and hope that by so doing, it will in some way help others who may have experienced, or be experiencing similar difficulties with depression, to share the fight, if not with people here on this forum, then at least with whoever it is that you trust and have an close bond with.

Rodney will be sorely missed; his writings, and intellect were an inspiration to so many.  I hope that he will be at peace, and at rest.  My sincerest condolences to his family and all his friends.

With sadness and respect,

John