Remembering A Friend

Today we attended a memorial gathering for our friend and fellow Wheezer, Neil Sterett. I was a wonderful gathering with an amazing turn out. There were well over 100 people in attendance. The venue was perfect, which was McMenamin's Kennedy School.

Neil's parents had a unique idea to share their son's talents with everyone - they had a few tables set up with memorabilia including lots of Neil's artwork, science fiction collectables, photos and knick knacks.

It was fun to see some items we hadn't seen in years. Especially some of Neil's artwork from the late 70's. Really excellent stuff.

Then there were several other tables that had items for "sale" in a silent auction format. The items were some amazing things Neil created, including the 'bludgeonaire' and some artwork used in the or "What's On?" videos. Anyone who wanted to bid on the items could do so, high bidder then makes a donation to the Oregon Humane Society in the amount of their winning bid. A very nice way to honor Neil's memory and his love of dogs.

We also debuted the parody Neil wrote and performed for Sequent Computers 13th Anniversary back in 1996 - "Sequent Agent Man" You can view on YouTube

Neil touched many people's life in many different ways - but the one thing common was his unique sense of humor. Neil could find humor in every situation and he could have you wheezing in a few minutes. Fellow Wheezer Jay Amicarella wrote a column a few weeks ago about Neil - I suggest you read it (or re-read it). LINK.

While much of Neil's humor was self-depreciating, he was able to disarm you with his quick wit and snappy comebacks, allowing you to be 'in' on the joke. That feeling, that connection he was able to make allowed, people to let down their guard and embrace this funny, witty and wonderful person that is greatly missed.

There are videos from "Furious Furniture" and "What's On?" on YouTube. They can be accessed from The Wheezer Society website. We will be sharing more videos, artwork and stories in celebration of Neil's life over the next several weeks. Enjoy.