Jay Sharp
My friend Jay Sharp died suddenly two months ago. If you didn’t know him, you can get a sense of how special he was by browsing his website. His passing made me very sad. It’s a long story (ask me about it offline), but the circumstances made it especially hard for me. It’s taken me a long time to start feeling mostly-normal again. The postings I make here are not usually this personal, but I have some pictures to share with other people who knew Jay.
Thanks to the support of Jay’s family and our employer, Karen and I had the opportunity to fly out to Rapid City, South Dakota to attend his burial. I posted the all pictures from our trip, including the chapel near his burial site where they had the memorial service, his grave with some flowers donated by his friends from Michigan, and the “Lazy J” campground across the street from the cemetery. There are also pictures of Karen and I seeing the local sites. I also posted her pictures.
Jay didn’t have any family in the Boston area, so three of them flew out to Boston to take care of his affairs. Here are some pictures of a night we all went out to the Barking Crab and JP Licks. They’re wonderful people and I’m glad I got the chance to meet them.
Most of Jay’s friends here in Boston couldn’t attend the memorial services in South Dakota or Nebraska, where he grew up and where his parents live respectively, so we organized an event here in Boston. I snapped a few pictures before and after the service.
Jay, I’ll always remember you.
wyimaginowana posted on 2003-09-30 (source):
nice weblog...;] i saw all the photos and I think you are nice poeple...;) /hannah from polandwyimaginowana posted on 2003-09-30 (source):
(') (') (') for loving memory...Karl Bangert posted on 2003-10-06 (source):
Dear Matthew, I worked with Jay on and off for the last 8 years and had just spoken with him at a conference in Detroit in early June. I was shocked to learn of his death a month later. I would like to connect with you offline, if possible. Thank you.Austin posted on 2003-11-24 (source):
I was a friend of J# in college. I was shocked and deeply saddened by his death. Please contact me via e-mail. -- Thank youJohn Roberts posted on 2003-12-07 (source):
07/12/2003 I just found out today that Jay had passed away. I have known Jay for several years. We met in Detroit and then again in Toronto a few weeks later. I invited him home to have dinner with my family at Easter. He never got another word in after they arrived. I cannot believe that he has left this world. I have been trying to reach him for several months, starting back in July as were were scheduled to meet up in Montreal for thier Pride festivities. Today I finally contacted his friend Greg in MN and found out the bad news ;( Jay, you will be missed deeply and profoundly. Love always, John John Roberts, Guelph, Ontario, CanadaJohn Roberts posted on 2003-12-07 (source):
Thank you for posting this information. If you have any other news for me regarding his death I would appreciate it. I couldn't find a way of contacting you on this site. ThanksImran Zoberi posted on 2003-12-31 (source):
I knew Jay @ USD and was quite saddening to hear of his passing. Thank you for the weblog.larry sharp posted on 2004-02-13 (source):
Thanks MattSasha posted on 2004-02-23 (source):
I too was a friend of Jay's during his Master's program at BU 1992-93. This is the first I've heard of his passing. I would like to hear from other folks who knew him. Thank you.Jeff posted on 2004-05-25 (source):
I was shocked to read about Jay's death in the USD Alumni newspaper a few months back. I had lived in the same dorm that Jay had lived in and was a friend of his sister while she attended USD. Jay and I weren't best friends or anything like that while we were at the U, but his death made me do some deep reevaluating of my life. I remember him walking around our floor going in and out of the building with his cello case. I always thought he seemed to be such an intriguing guy, but I never got to know as well as I should have. I would like to ask you some questions if you would be willing to respond to the e-mail address I provided.andrea posted on 2004-06-15 (source):
Hi Matthew. I had the privilege of working for Jay when he was here in Ann Arbor. I was shocked when I heard of his death. It has been a year since he passed away and I still check his web site, pretty regularly. I am hoping to get privately in touch with you and I would be grateful if you could write me to the email address that I left. AndreaVictor posted on 2004-08-21 (source):
I knew Jay when I lived in Michigan. He hung out with my ex, Paul when they both lived in Boston. We spent time together in San Francisco when he visited. I'm one of the contributors to his I Love series. Please contact me. I would like to know more information about his death.Eric posted on 2004-11-18 (source):
Hey Matt, I'm glad you posted pics of the burial site and the chapel and the campground across the street. Jay's death affected me deeply, and in thinking about it, still brings me great sadness. Has there ever been any conclusive findings about the circumstances of his death? I've tried to find the Boston Coroner's office report of his death, but no luck.... hope you are doing well these days. Geoff and I moved to Ottawa in January, which has been a good move for us. Eric KristensenJohn Roberts posted on 2005-07-25 (source):
Was Jay murdered by somebody?Paul posted on 2006-04-03 (source):
I spent a weekend with Jay in P-Town and have often wondered what happened to him - if you are not tired of talking about I would like to know. I first meet him in Paris when he was working for Ford.Allen Zent posted on 2007-05-06 (source):
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2007/05/05/news/local/news01.txtmark posted on 2007-10-10 (source):
Talk about getting the news late... four years ago... I was friends with Jay back in school, but hadn't seen him since the late 80's. I remember him as being good company - one who was naturally upbeat and also at ease with himself. R.I.P.York posted on 2008-01-16 (source):
Hi Matt, I knew Jay from Ford and MDI (Ann Arbor). Can you tell me how he died? Thanks. YorkMike posted on 2008-03-21 (source):
Hello ... I knew Jay when he lived in Ann Arbor. We completely lost touch when he moved to Boston, but were still great friends up till then. I still drive past his street and smile at the house he bought here, after moving out of the rental that was slated to be torn down for development. At one time I was to have taken over the third floor and do "whatever I wanted" to make it livable. I talked to him on the phone at MW in Boston, when he first started working there. He told me it was time for cookies: someone in the office had a Mom who baked cookies and brought them in on Fridays, so the conversation was short. That was the last time I spoke with him. Its Good Friday, 2008. Not sure what led me to look him up on google today, but finding this article puts to rest some questions as to not hearing from him for such a long time. I'm also stunned. If you still see these, would you please contact me and let me know what happened. Many thanks Mike mwm822@hotmail.comGerald posted on 2009-04-08 (source):
I was just thinking about Jay today. He was my younger cousin and I knew him all his life. I still miss seeing him from time to time at family gatherings. We both attended USD at the same time so I got to know him better then. It is amazing how many lives Jay touched. I was wondering if Jay's web site was taken down. Could you send me an e-mail and let me know? Thanks, Gerald