I guess its a uniquely modern phenomenon to figure out how to process the death of someone youve only known online. I never met him in person, but John Jenkins was a longtime commenter on the Agitator. I also interacted with him over the years via Twitter, Facebook, and email. John was an attorney, and though he could sometimes be brusk, I most remember him as being precise, respectful, and usually quite helpful. He was also a firm civil libertarian. He corrected me on the law more than a few times, and he probably saved me some later embarrassment when he did. When I first saw that John had been diagnosed with cancer and hospitalized a couple years ago, I sent him an early draft of my book, for which he offered some really productive feedback. As his illness progressed, John posted brutally frank updates on his condition over Facebook. It was sobering to read him describe his physical deterioration over the last year or so in the same precise, lawyerly language with which he used to comment on the blog. His posts were also unexpectedly educational, and in the way he approached his illness so rationally and stoically, surprisingly inspiring. I was most struck by his post after he was told that hed never have children, and him expressing his disappointment in never having married, and his fear of dying alone. It was a rare bit of vulnerability from him. Its nice to see that he accumulated a lot of friends in his life, and that those friends came together to ensure his last days were far from lonely. He was also afraid that his illness would take his mind before it killed him. Judging by his posts up until the end of August, that thankfully didnt happen either. John passed away on Sunday. The poor guy went through hell in recent months. Rest in peace.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 00:38:15 +0000
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