# Widowmaker has passed away



## Starman (Oct 23, 2006)

A fellow ENWorlder and one of my best friends, Widowmaker (Patrick), died in a car accident this morning. I'm not sure of the exact details, but it appears he lost control of his vehicle on a patch of ice on the highway. In the ensuing accident, he lost his life. He was only 28 years old. The worst part is that he has a three-year old daughter that he leaves behind.

He is certainly the closest person to me who has ever passed away. My immediate family has always been distant from the rest of my family, so I never got to know most of them. I've been to a few funerals for them, but it wasn't really personal. I didn't know them. I met Patrick six years ago through a mutual friend and we became good friends. I can't believe he's gone. It's certainly not real, yet.

Anyway, he wasn't a prolific poster here or anything, but I thought I would let everyone know.


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## Jdvn1 (Oct 23, 2006)

He certainly will be missed, and my thoughts will be with him and his family.


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## KenM (Oct 23, 2006)




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## jaerdaph (Oct 23, 2006)

I'm so sorry for your loss, Starman. All my thoughts and prayers are with Widowmaker's family and friends.


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## Aaron L (Oct 23, 2006)

I am very sorry.  ENWorld will be less without him, even if he wasnt that frequent a poster, and we will also be here to help you.


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## unleashed (Oct 23, 2006)

Tragic to say the least, my condolences to his family and friends.


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## Rystil Arden (Oct 23, 2006)

My condolences as well, particularly to the bereaved wife and daughter.  It is always tragic when a life is cut short so young


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## Steve Jung (Oct 23, 2006)

I'm really sorry for you, Starman. My condolences to you and his family for your loss.


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## Teflon Billy (Oct 23, 2006)

Crap.

My condolences go out to you in your time of grief


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## Xyanthon (Oct 23, 2006)

Oh man.  It certainly is tragic when someone so young passes.  It is made even more so when they leave behind children and a family.  My thoughts go out to you Starman and Widowmaker's family as well.


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## WmRAllen67 (Oct 23, 2006)

All my sympathies to you and to his family...







"Here was a man, take him all in all, we shall not see his like again..."


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## mythusmage (Oct 23, 2006)

Sounds like a patch of black ice to me. Real slippery piece of business. Plus hitting just the wrong object in just the wrong way. Sometimes things happen you just can't forsee.

A message for his wife, and the mother of his child: It wasn't you, it wasn't him, it was just stinking bad luck. Take some time for yourself and the kobold, and get back into things when you are ready.


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## Arravis (Oct 23, 2006)

I'm very sorry for the loss   .


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## Truth Seeker (Oct 23, 2006)




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## xmanii (Oct 23, 2006)

My condolences.


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## Starman (Oct 23, 2006)

I got some more information this morning. Patrick was responding to another accident. He was a cop. He was apparently not buckled up and died almost instantly when his vehicle rolled over. I guess the roads were very bad in the area and there were several accidents yesterday morning, although he was the only fatality.

The news story from a local paper:
http://bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2006/10/23/breakingnews/10officer.txt


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## Mycanid (Oct 23, 2006)

May his soul find peace.

I suppose that if you have to go sometime, going while on your way to help someone else out who is also in trouble is a good way. There are many worse ways and circumstances to leave this life. Still, it will be hard for the wife and the child....

I am sorry for your loss Starman. I know what it is like to suddenly lose a close one, as are many in here, I think. You will both be in my thoughts and prayers.


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## Jamdin (Oct 23, 2006)

Goodnight, Patrick


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## Aurora (Oct 23, 2006)

I am sorry that you had to lose someone your were close with. Losing someone like that- whether they be family or friend- is never easy. My condolences to you, his family, and the rest of his friends.


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## Rel (Oct 23, 2006)

My sincere condolences, Starman.

I have been there too I'm afraid, having lost a lifelong friend and fellow ENWorlder to a heart attack at 33.  I know that the community will be there for you as they were for me.  If you feel the need to talk to someone about this, feel free to e-mail me directly.


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## Piratecat (Oct 23, 2006)

I'm so sorry. That's such a shame, and my thoughts are with you.


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## Thanee (Oct 23, 2006)

My condolences to Patrick's family, and to you. Hope you all will get over this shock soon.

Bye
Thanee


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## Queenie (Oct 24, 2006)

It seems to be the most tragic when life takes someone so young. Sorry


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## Zander (Oct 24, 2006)

Tragic news. I'm very sorry for your loss, Starman.


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## Mark CMG (Oct 24, 2006)

My condolences.


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## Waylander the Slayer (Oct 24, 2006)

In the brief time I knew him here; he was a great guy and a wonderful GM. May his soul rest in peace.


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## billd91 (Oct 24, 2006)

You and his family have my condolences. 

Unfortunate name, that Widowmaker...


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## KB9JMQ (Oct 24, 2006)

Sorry to read this news.

You and his family have my condolences.


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## Angel Tarragon (Oct 25, 2006)

So sad. My prayers go out to him and his family and friends.


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## Nyaricus (Oct 25, 2006)

Sorry to hear about your loss  Death is a hard thing to have to deal with. I hope you can reflect on this event, in the future some time, and say that you are the stronger for it.

On the same note, here's (so long as I got this Search function working right) *Widowmaker's*/Patrick's last post. He was keeping with his passion, running a pbp game here on EN World.

_"As darkness starts to creep in, the sounds of horses and encampment can be heard not far ahead. Maybe one to two hills away you figure are the people you are looking for."_

Here's hoping he finds whatever he was looking for 

sincerely,
--N


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## Starman (Oct 25, 2006)

I want to thank everyone for the kind words. It seems such a small thing, but it has given me some solace. Patrick's funeral is Friday. I'm not looking forward to it, but I hope it provides some closure and gives me a chance to move on.


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## Darth K'Trava (Oct 25, 2006)

My condolences.


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## ceratitis (Oct 26, 2006)

sorry to hear that. My condolences 
Z


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## DaveStebbins (Oct 30, 2006)

I am sorry for your loss. Losing friends is always difficult.


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## Isida Kep'Tukari (Oct 30, 2006)

Starman I want to offer my condolences.  

Widowmaker was playing in my Dawnforge PbP game, a knight in shining armor character named Sir Aravir.  I specifically requested his presence in my game, remembering that character from a previous attempt at starting that game, and knowing he would be just perfect.  We didn't get a lot of time to play together, but the short time he did play he showed selfless heroism and valor, courage and compassion in his character.  I guess I now know where that came from.  

Each of our characters is a little bit of ourselves, and Patrick showed my players and I part of himself that I guess you already know Starman.

In doing a bit of searching, I have found a webpage that honors officers of the law that have died in the line of duty.  Here is Patrick's page: The Officer Down Memorial Page: Patrick


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## Wolflord (Oct 30, 2006)

So sad.


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## Aurora (Oct 30, 2006)

Thought of you on Friday, Starman. I hope you got the closure you needed form the funeral.


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## Raven Crowking (Oct 30, 2006)

My condolences as well.


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## Bront (Oct 30, 2006)

My condolences.  I didn't get much of a chance to interact with him on the boards, but I'm sure he'll be missed here and more so in his home.


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## Starman (Nov 2, 2006)

Again, I appreciate the kind words from everyone. Patrick's funeral was good. About 200 law enforcement officers from around the area were there and he got the full procession to the church and back to the funeral home. There was also two members of the National Guard there for a flag folding ceremony. Afterward, I got together with a bunch of his friends and we shared memories. It was nice. It still seems strange that he's gone, though. He was such a big part of my life. Since he moved four hours away to be a cop, I didn't see him in person as much, but we talked on the phone and emailed each other frequently. Now that's gone and I don't know how to act. I've accepted his passing, well, at least as much as anyone can accept the loss of a close friend, but I still keep half expecting him to call me or show up at my house. It's funny how you know that death is a fact of life and you know that it's going to happen to you and those you care about, but it's still such a shock when it does happen.


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## Nyaricus (Nov 2, 2006)

Starman said:
			
		

> .... It still seems strange that he's gone, though. He was such a big part of my life.... Now that's gone and I don't know how to act. I've accepted his passing, well, at least as much as anyone can accept the loss of a close friend, but I still keep half expecting him to call me or show up at my house. It's funny how you know that death is a fact of life and you know that it's going to happen to you and those you care about, but it's still such a shock when it does happen.



There are just some things that you're going to have to get used to. My mother passed away 7 years ago this October (I was only 11 at the time) and I gotta say that the first year will be the worst. Why? Because it'll be the first time you have a birthday, and you won't see their face. The first time you go to a movie with friends, and he won't be there. The first time you go out and shoot the , and he won't be there. There will be many firsts that will sting you, and make you hurt on the inside something terrible. But it's something you are going to have to get through and continue on with or without. Just remember him for the great person he was, and never let go of your memories. Ever.

Again, my condolences. Do with my words what you will, but hopefully they'll help you out, in some small way. Pain of this sort, of a person loved, and lost, are one of the hardest to deal with. I hope you can work through this.

condolences,
--N


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## Rel (Nov 2, 2006)

Starman said:
			
		

> Since he moved four hours away to be a cop, I didn't see him in person as much, but we talked on the phone and emailed each other frequently. Now that's gone and I don't know how to act. I've accepted his passing, well, at least as much as anyone can accept the loss of a close friend, but I still keep half expecting him to call me or show up at my house. It's funny how you know that death is a fact of life and you know that it's going to happen to you and those you care about, but it's still such a shock when it does happen.




Everybody is different but my experience was very similar to this when my friend Ted died.  And I agree with Nyaricus that those first year milestones are the roughest part.  To me it was the little things that sucker punched me.  I still remember when I was just going through some papers in my gaming stuff and came across one of his old character sheets and I just broke down crying.

And in that first year whenever his name would come up around the gaming table ("That's just like something Ted would do!") there would be this awkward moment of somber silence.  But as time went on there was also laughter.  I think you come to grips with the pain over time and are able to laugh about the good times without it feeling wrong.

After more than three years it's gotten to the point where I don't always think about him every day.  But seldom more than a couple days go by without me seeing one of his "fingerprints" on my life.  And I like that.

One thing about Ted was that he was a voracious reader.  He had literally thousands of books in his condo at the time of his death.  Those of us who were his friends and family went through them and took back the ones he borrowed from us )) and in turn took a few that had meaning to us.  My wife had a stamp made that said "This Book Donated in Loving Memory of Ted" and we stamped all the rest of them on the inside front cover and then donated them to the public library.  I think he would have liked that.  So if you can find a similar gesture to make on Patrick's behalf then I would encourage you to do so.

The one other thing that I do is to try and help out Ted's mom as much as I can.  I always liked her but since his death I've become much closer with her.  She invites my family to her beach cottage from time to time and has let us use her pool in the summertime.  In turn I try to help her with stuff like cleaning her pool and cleaning off her roof and gutters from time to time.  That helps me keep my connection to Ted as a positive thing.

As always, we're here if you need an ear or shoulder.  Peace be unto you.


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## Sidekick (Nov 2, 2006)

Well I haven't checked the off topic in ages. And even though it is really late and I'm not very good at this without either rambling (present case) or sounding like a wanker.

but I'm really sorry to hear about that. I liked Widowmaker and I remember reading your guys Eberron PbP with Aalic. 

My thoughts are with you and his family. 

28 is waaay to young to go out.


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## Nyaricus (Nov 3, 2006)

Rel said:
			
		

> I agree with Nyaricus that those first year milestones are the roughest part.  To me it was the little things that sucker punched me.



Yeah, I'll say it again: watch out for those. OTOH, don't avoid them either - you're going to need closer in this. I guess it's all about "going with the flow" of things, and being able to get knocked flat on your ass at 3 in the morning on a Monday and then get back up again and face the world. Stuff like that.

Good luck in this journey of yours.

cheers,
--N


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## Ilium (Nov 3, 2006)

I just spotted this thread today.  My condolences to Starman and all WM's friends and family.  My thoughts are with you today.


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## megamania (Nov 4, 2006)

Sorry hear of the news.


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## genshou (Nov 5, 2006)

This wasn't what I hoped to find when I returned to the boards.   

My condolences to the family.  Too many of our officers die doing their duty.  I grieve for them all.  I'm glad to hear there was so much support at his funeral.


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## Bobitron (Nov 8, 2006)

I'm very sorry to hear about this. I had spoken to Patrick by email regarding his WWII game and I know he followed our military game as well.

My condolences to his friends and family.


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## Mistwell (Nov 8, 2006)

He will be missed.  He died doing a heroic thing.  His posts on d20 Modern were interesting.  I am sorry for your loss.


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## The Shaman (Nov 9, 2006)

My sincere condolences to Patrick's family and friends.


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## Maester Luwin (Nov 25, 2006)

Hey Starman! I just saw this & I thought I would say I am sorry for your loss. My thoughts & prayers go out to Patrick's family. I run & play in several AGoT games. I always enjoyed dropping by & reading Patricks games here at EN World. That 's how I found out the news. Again I am sorry for yours & our loss here. When you are ready  I would like to extend an invitation to join my game. I run it on RPoL. With my condolences Maester Luwin


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