18 of 30 - A World Without Art

[aggienaut]

The fellow pointing in this picture was Arturo Zamarripa. He was the first mate of the schooner Spirit and brig Pilgrim. He's a bit in the background in this picture but I feel it best captures his fun-loving leadership style. Heartbreakingly he was killed in a motorcycle accident this past Tuesday at the age of 33. I suppose I hardly hung out with him outside of the boat but even spending a little bit of time with him one immediately gets a strong sense of his great friendliness, zest for life, adventuresomeness, kindness, competence, and leadership.

When someone like this dies it's a bit hard to come up with a way to express one's reactions without feeling like one is just being trite, posting yet another "RIP so and so 1983-2016" that will garner predictable "I'm sorry for your loss" responses. And I always feel weird people apologizing to me for it like that. So I don't know, please just take a moment to consider that there had existed for awhile a fantastic young man who brightened the lives of everyone he came into contact with.

To feel like I'm doing something to commemorate him I've been telling my friends about him when we're out and then making them drink a toast to him, of Sailor Jerry spiced rum ... I don't know if it was his favorite but it was popular among the sailors. In this way I feel a little more like I'm doing more than just posting a cliche memoriam. One wants to feel they're doing something.

Comments

[lookfar.livejournal.com]

Death does seem like a mystery, doesn't it? Someone is here, so present in the world, and then gone - where? It feels impossible sometimes.

[furzicle.livejournal.com]

Kris, while the accident occurred on what was Tuesday for you, it was Monday in Long Beach when it happened. I've never seen such a unanimous opinion about a lost soul expressed at the memorial gathering. To a person, everyone mourned the loss of such a singularly sincere, kind-hearted, intelligent fun-loving friend and shipmate.

He wouldn't have quibbled about your choice of beverage. He would have whole-heartedly joined in on the toast to himself, as well as your choice of how to remember him.

Fair seas, Captain Art.

[gaeln.livejournal.com]

Next time I'm out to dinner, I'll have a spiced rum in his memory :)