Jeff Gregory
At least I can say that my memories of Jeff Gregory, known to Daria fandom as ahmygoddess, will be happy ones. The very first time I decided to hold a Dariacon, we were lucky enough to have him, kaimelarfeylove, and E. A. Smith all in attendance. (Later, Scissors MacGillicutty would also get to enjoy Jeff's company.)
Jeff was a great storyteller. He told us stories of the old days when he was a wild spirit, and I'd like to imagine him as that same wild spirit. I've seen him with flowing locks of hair and I've seen him short-shorn. I've seen him when he didn't mind having a drink, and I've seen him when he was trying to set such things aside. I've seen him funny, and I've seen him morose.
I'm not claiming that I was his Greatest Friend on Earth, certainly. There's only so much you can find out about someone in just two or three visits. I learned that he had had stomach surgery, and that he was a much larger man at one time.
And of course, he liked Daria and liked Daria fans. He was prone to the disappointments with fans and with the fandom as we all are. It's a pity that he had a seizure the last time we were all together, because it cut short our combined time. Even so, Jeff did his best to remain optimistic, despite the struggles he had dealing with his many problems.
One of my beliefs -- a belief I've had since childhood -- is that when we die, we're going to remeet everyone in a huge banquet hall. We'll meet everyone who was important in our life, good or evil, for better or for worse as our entrance into the afterlife receives its proper greeting. Yes, I'm a nominal atheist but I'm allowed to have my own beliefs, and my personal belief is that one day I'll see Jeff again. He'll be enjoying himself riotously and he'll say, "What took you so long, CINCGREEN? Next time...don't take yourself so seriously!"
Rest in peace, Jeff. You're watching Daria episodes with angels, now.
3 comments:
I just heard what happened from Scissors. I'm in shock. I know I'm going to miss him.
Truly a sad day. I enjoyed your recollection, CINC.
I met Jeff when I when to visit CG and his wife in Atlanta on the way to get Da Raptor back on the internet back in March of last year. I met Eric at that gathering too.
We had been talking at the table for no more than half an hour—maybe not even fifteen minutes, when Jeff had a seizure. It cut short our conversation, and changed my plans for the following day; I'd arranged for Jeff to fly with me to Birmingham to visit Da Raptor. I was disappointed that he couldn't make it: he had a very lively presence, and he'd been key in getting the ball rolling to help out Da Raptor in the first place.
It was only last night after the news had sunk in that I realized taht somewhere in the back of my mind I had been expecting and looking forward to making that trip with him sometime in the future.
What he went through in his last days was dreadful, and he's at rest now. So either I'll never see him again, or CG is right and when I do, he's going to laugh, shake his finger at me and say, "See? You were wrong about this!"
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