Volunteers needed for May 3 SIGN UP SHEET

Thanks to Terry for making the list.

You can post your choice of duty in the comments section or email me directly; I’ll update as the jobs fill.

Thank you!

Questions, contact Jen Savage at jen@kslg.com.

We need extra ice chests and ice brought to Merriman’s before the paddle out:

1. Greg Young

2. K Stockwell

3. Rick Cimino

4. Bosha Struve

Setup at Merriman’s 10 to noon

Tables & chairs

1. Jamie Garrison

2. Marty & Karen

Non alcoholic drinks and ice

1. Jennifer Fairbanks

Food Prep

1. Jesse Bareilles

2. Matt Malkus

Parking lot guides at Trinidad Noon to 2 p.m.

1.

2.

Parking lot guides Merryman’s 2 to 4 p.m.

1. Johnny Redboard

2. Bobby Wright, Nick Savage-Wright

Fire Builder 2:30 p.m.

1. Jesse Bareilles

Bar-B-Quers 3 to 5 p.m.

1. Bill Morris

2. Jesse B

3. Mike Wells

4. David Struve

Food Prep and Serve 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

1. Cheryl Wells

2. Karen Barnes

3. Carl Fulbright

4. Anita Fulbright

5. Lisa Roberts

Recycling setup and cleanup

1. Bill Hoopes

2. Greg Young

3. Moose Mason

Drink setup and refill, make coffee, tea

1. Chelsea Savage-Wright

2. Mary Lou Willits

Cleanup 6 p.m. to end

1. Jennifer Savage

2. Jamie Garrison

3. Eric Stockwell

4. David Struve

5.

6.

Cleanup continued Monday after

1. Brenda

2.

Flowers- pickup and display (day before and morning of, call Sun Valley to ask for donation from Greenhouse Manager, collect vases)

1. Lisa Whitchurch

Scholarship Table

2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

1. Barbara Stockwell

2. Gene Stockwell

3:30-4:30

1. Kaylee Savage-Wright

2. Delia Bense-Kang

4:30-5:30

1. Kevin Stockwell,

2. Nikki P

May 3 memorial at Merryman’s

(From Eric re: recent meeting about Glenn’s memorial. To be part of Eric’s email list, send him a note at Eric@nlsco.com)

All:

It was great to gather to make plans for Dad’s memorial, and the timing of our meeting and the new season starting seems so apropos to me. Spring is here and we’re ready to celebrate! Dad would be honored by our meeting and proud of our actions. Thanks, you guys.

We did some great organizing today, and I think we’re close to finalizing the details of the memorial on May 3rd. Here is the breakdown of our discussion, as I saw it:

Finances: $10,000 donated by Wayne and Bernice Stockwell: I stated that we intend to use the funds mentioned to pay for Merriman’s ($750), a memorial plaque (~$500), and whatever expenses incurred for the memorial party (~$750) – more on that in the “Food and Drink” section of this email. The balance of that money, whatever other money was donated to date, and monies donated before or at the party will go to Humboldt Area Foundation where I will be setting up a scholarship fund in Dad’s name. We hope that will equate to around $20,000 so we can give out around $1000 annually. We will have a donation table with a cashbox and receipt book at the party, and I will give a brief informational speach around 4PM to familiarize everyone with the details of the scholarship and how HAF administers such funds. I will put together some information about that and have it visible to all at the memorial party, and I do intend to have the fund in place by the time of the party. I am also considering speaking about my Dad to the entire group at the party, and I’ll open the floor to anyone else who wants to do that.

Schedule: Right now we want to tell people that we’ll gather at the beach immediately to the north of the “little head” at 1PM so we can paddle out and have the ceremony on the water by 2PM. Those who do not want to or are unable to paddle out can view the ceremony from the memorial lighthouse at the top of the hill on the main road that goes down into the harbor. There is a 5.3′ high tide at 10:42AM, so the beach should be open for parking and gathering by 1-2, no problem. I will speak briefly at the ceremony, and I think what I say and how long I take will be largely contingent on how many people are out there and how well we’re able to hear one another. I will NOT use a bullhorn! We should be prepared for people to be showing up at Merriman’s any time after 1PM, as there will be some who aren’t paddling AND won’t want to stand in the wind at the lighthouse above the water. Those who have been out on the water should be arriving at Merriman’s around 3-4PM. All of this needs to be laid out in the announcement, so people know where they can be and when. Jenn and Pete agreed to work on the announcement which sounds like it will include an email using the extensive distributions we have, at least one PSA through Jenn and probably Pete too, and possibly a flyer. An ad in the newspaper was also mentioned.

Parking: We talked about the lot at Merriman’s being pretty full with beach-goers midday on a Saturday, and we discussed a possible shuttle service. I think we should include this in the announcement that goes out, and suggest that people be ready to walk down the hill, as well as telling them not to park in the restaurant parking lot.

Food and Drink: Surfrider Humboldt stepped up big time, saying they’ll take care of providing water, soda, the hot meal (BBQ), salad and bread for everyone as well as plates, utensils, napkins…etc. Their expenses will be reimbursed from the GWS account. We talked of including this in the announcement and possibly asking folks to bring appetizers, side dishes and desserts based on last name – that can be up to Jenn and Pete with input from others. BYOB (beer) was decided on as the best policy so we can avoid the liability of having anything organized regarding alcohol. Jesse and Terry are contacts regarding the food and drink.

Music: Pete and Jenn agreed to talk to Sandy Flippin about providing “subdued” entertainment through his band, “Likely Story”. We certainly want to pay the going rate for this service if Sandy will accept it – please just let me know about that.

Volunteer list: Terry agreed to work on this as we’ll need people to help with food, parking/shuttling, setup, and especially cleanup. Bill volunteered to bring his trailer to help with the trash hauling and recycling.

Shrine material: We briefly discussed having photos and other GWS memorabilia at the party. We agreed that it’s a great idea, and we touched on the need for easels…etc. to help display what we have. I suggest emailing directly to Christina on this issue (since she left early! 8>}) – all kidding aside, I will be helping her make some enlargements of our favorite photos, and, as an artist, I think she has access to some easels. If you also have some easels or other items that could help then please let us know by emailing or calling.

I would like followup on this to go to all the recipients of this email unless you have something specific for one person, so please hit “reply to all” when you reply. Anything to add or that I may have left out should be brought in by anyone at any time.

Thank you all so much!

Eric Stockwell

From Eric – Final update January 30th, 2008.

To everyone:

 

     Yesterday around 10AM Dad passed away peacefully with Christina right at his side.  Christina had asked me to sleep over Monday night, and she called to me for assistance a few times through the night.  There was nothing we could do but try to make him as comfortable as possible.  Ironically, she had been up all night trying to assist him in clearing his throat, as recently he’s had secretions causing congestion that he could not cough up – she had finally fallen asleep with him in her arms, and I could see her closed eyes darting about indicating dreaming when he stopped breathing.  She later shared that she was dreaming of him.  Dad’s will to live was so strong, but no one could’ve won that fight.  Many of us, if not all, feel relief for the fact that he now has peace.  The day turned very positive as Bill Hoopes and Karl and Anita Fulbright showed up along with nearby close family members, and calls to and from loved ones helped the process along and made it so clear that the centerpiece of the efforts to help my Dad is truly the community of love and support that so many have been a part of.  More friends and loved ones arrived through the afternoon, offering condolences and support as well as providing Christina with whatever comfort was possible – thanks to Pam, Jenna, Suzie, and all who called and were there for Christina and the rest of the family.  In the evening I was honored to preside over the collection of Dad’s body by the very professional and caring staff from Goble’s Mortuary of Fortuna.  He will be cremated, and we have yet to determine the fate of his remains – at this point there will be no public services, but an on-the-water ceremony will occur in the coming months, details TBA. 

 

     My most heart-felt thanks go to all who have offered time, energy, and love in support of our family and my Dad.  You know who you are, and, if you believe my soap-box diatribe of life, you should be clear that your soul is in good shape!  8>}

 

     I really want to close this series of communications with a thought on one of the most amazing lessons I’ve learned along the way:  many of us have thought and spoken of what we’d want if we were ever to be incapacitated.  Often the thinking of an able-bodied person on this is “pull the plug if I’m ever” paralyzed, brain-dead, terminal, insane!…etc.  On the same token, it’s not uncommon for people to theorize about what they’d do for someone else in that position, or for people to formulate ideas about how that incapacitated person feels or what they would want.  Please be prepared to trash all that you ever considered regarding this part of living that is dying.  I tried to always be in touch with my feelings about what happened to my Dad, but I also tried to always consider what he would want before acting on how I felt.  As the weeks and months unfolded and it became apparent that Dad was declining I thought so much about how he wouldn’t have wanted to live as an “invalid”, but it was also very apparent that he had an extremely strong will to live and that he had intimate communication with Christina and others of us.  I realized that no one – NO ONE – can say what someone else would want in that position, and that is in full consideration of what that person may have directly stated in the past.  When the chips are down, we should all hope to be able to play the hand out or have the choice to fold if necessary.  If someone doesn’t have that choice and you are in a position to help them while the hand plays itself out, I hope that you have the strength and resources to do the right thing and that you’re ready for the challenge of your life.  Your life will change forever, and you can control how positive that change will be.

 

     If you ever cried from reading something I wrote then you and I have a special bond.  That’s just another one of the weird ways I look at life.

 

     Thank you, everyone.  Keep my Dad with you.

 

Eric

 

From Eric – Update from 12/28/07 (out of sequence)

I hope you all had a great holiday with family and friends.  We had a good one.

 

Robin, Sanne and Jake, Stockwells from Santa Cruz area, and Gene and Barbara, Stockwells from San Rafael area, have been visiting Dad and Christina the past few days, and it’s been a great visit.  Last week Dad was fighting an infection which was resistant to the antibiotic that was started for it.  He was weak and not communicating much.  It was frustrating for us and felt like he was down-grading.  Once on a new antibiotic he really perked up and had a great day yesterday.  John Cooper walked in the room to see him and it was “Hey, Coop!”  The anti-seizure meds also seemed to set him back, but now that seems to be stabilized as well.  Since the episode at the Dr.’s office last week we’ve been on a roller-coaster ride of ups and downs, and now we’re up.  The focus is on determining, between now and around 1/4, if Dad is ready to travel and have the treatments at Stanford on 1/7.  He’s on-board, but I think he also knows that it’ll be a hard trip and he needs a certain amount of energy to pull it off.

 

I received a wonderful email message today from Dr. Stan McDaniel, an original CR professor from the 60’s who worked with Dad until ’76.  He shared fond memories of their time together and told of some qualities that made his and Dad’s relationship unique and special.  I’ve added Stan to the distribution.  Thanks so much, Stan.  Communications such as Stan’s provide me with cherished glimpses into Dad’s past which reinforce my own knowledge of his excellent qualities regarding ethics, personal beliefs, and, the clincher!, very positive interactions with others who don’t always see the world the way he does.  There’s something for all of us to aspire to.  8>}

 

I’m very appreciative of my own ability to find reasons to smile and celebrate the abundance of beautiful things that have occured in the past 3.5 months.  Thank you, everyone.

 

From Eric – Update for 01/21/08.

Hello.  I hope the new year is treating everyone well.  I haven’t been sending many updates because there’s not much to report on.  Dad’s pretty quiet lately.  We finally got the dilantin (anti-seizure med) level dialed in pretty well, and that does seem to have improved his tremors and overall level of alertness.  Strength to move or talk are lacking though.  Bill visited for a few hours and gave Christina an opportunity to take care of long-neglected business on Saturday – thanks, Hoopes!  Christina’s mother, TJ, has been visiting for a few days and will go home this week – nice to have her there helping out.

 

Anyone should feel free to contact me directly for more details or just to talk.

 

Have a good day~

 

 

From Eric – Update for 01/07/08.

We didn’t go to Stanford.  Dad needs to build some strength for the trip, and we’d like Stanford to provide a more firm schedule and some kind of expectations for the assessment and possible treatment.  Jim and Char Sanders will visit today and give Christina a spell so she can leave to do errands and have some down time – thanks, you two!  On 12/29 Jim Schilz, Josh and Bill Hoopes, and Carl Fulbright visited with Dad and I for a couple of hours – thanks, Guys!

 

It’s a short update today – have a good day~

 

From Eric – Update for 12/19.

Merry Christmas!  (I feel it’s politically incorrect to claim that’s politically incorrect!)

 

Dad’s having a hard time – possibly having seizures.  Christina and he were at an appointment with Dr. Spencer in Eureka yesterday to see about starting some chemo medication.  While waiting for the appointment Dad was in some distress and then became non-responsive.  Thinking he was having another stroke/bleeding in the brain, Christina considered getting him admitted to the hospital, but then she was able to get some response from him and asked him if he wants to go home – he nodded.  She asked him if he understood what was happening – he nodded.  They came home by ambulance.  This landscape, as I described it in the last update, is full of mysterious potential pitfalls and sudden changes.  Last night I didn’t know what today would bring.  I felt good to be able to re-assure Christina that she’d made a good choice to bring him home.

 

Dad’s better this morning (prompting more consideration of whether these episodes of late are seizure activity).  He is speaking and asked for some water and juice.  Christina’s looking into getting some anti-seizure meds, and she’s continuing a dialogue with Dr. Hancock at Stanford about coming down for more treatment there in the coming weeks.

 

These updates are touching on a place that I feel fine about – full disclosure of very personal information.  I trust this community, and I don’t feel right giving cursory or filtered information.  Just be forewarned – it’s a tough landscape to navigate in and must be tough to read about as well.  I have this characteristic (flaw?…) that makes me believe the blunt truth is best exposed.  I think it has to do with recognition of potentially wasted energy from going ’round and round’ and a desire to cut through the crap to the heart of the matter.  I really appreciate the support I’ve received from everyone.  Keep it coming, and give it to each other too – do things that make you feel OK with where you are and where you’re going.  I can’t change it.  I CAN deal with it.

 

Turn your energy into good energy whenever you can~

 

From Eric – Update for 12/15.

Hey there:

 

     UCSF called back and they do feel the tumors are larger.  They want to scan Dad again in a month, and that may be able to happen up here. 

 

     With Stanford, oh how one’s perspective can change.  Christina has been corresponding by email with Dr. Hancock there and he cleared some things up for us:  Stanford were the ones to develop the Cyber-Knife, and they still feel that there was improvement in the tumors.  The very optimistic and personal meeting with Dr. Kashani at UCSF on 11/19, along with our perception at the time that Stanford was just going through the motions, had us ready to dump Stanford, and we’ve kept them on hold as we’ve acquired the second opinion from UCSF.  Now it seems we should be at Stanford – especially since they can bother to reply to communication on a consistent basis.  We’re not going anywhere too soon, but we have something to hope for in Stanford’s willingness to try the Cyber-Knife on his brain (the spine tumor is apparently not a pressing issue at this time).  Christina is checking with Eureka to see when they can do another followup scan, then we can get with Stanford and talk about getting down there for treatment again – maybe around the end of the month or early January.

 

     In the meantime, Dad has been tired.  The trip down south this week, combined with a couple of restless nights right before it, had him totally pooped out when he got back, and he’s recovering from it slowly. 

 

     If both UCSF and Stanford were to say, “let’s scan him again in January”, I’d really feel like the writing is on the wall regarding Dad’s status.  It’s hard to write that, not because I’m not right there, dealing with those thoughts constantly, but because I don’t want to dash anyone’s hopes in any way.  I feel strongly about keeping it real though, and that is largely, if not entirely, due to the trust and appreciation I have in and for the community who receives this update.  Dad and Christina don’t read this, so I wanted to be clear about the landscape as it appears to me.  We hope for the best, and it’s very important to me to be prepared for the worst.  As you should know from reading other updates from me, it’s so beneficial for me to be able to express myself here that I make a point of doing it. 

 

     Thanks so much for all the support.

From Eric – Update for 12/12.

Greetings:

 

     The cyber-knife appointment turned out to be another consultation, and there is much contradictory information between what UCSF and Stanford have said, and also between what UCSF said 3 weeks ago and what they’re saying now.  The tumor board at UCSF will meet tomorrow and will review Dad’s case.  We have some confidence that Dr. Huang’s office at UCSF will followup with us as promised yesterday, but we’ll believe that when we see it as there have been even more unanswered messages at this point.  There were indicators in yesterday’s meeting that the treatments may be too much for him at his current level of strength, and, what’s more, that the tumors may not have shrunken after all. 

 

     We’re discouraged with the news, and are anxiously awaiting tomorrow’s “clarification”.  We’re also discouraged with the lack of professionalism regarding the calls and fax that have gone unanswered, but UCSF did acknowledge a problem…

 

     I plan to update again Friday.

From Eric – Update for 12/10.

Hey, Everybody:

 

     Sorry for the lack of updates for the past two weeks.  We’ve had some frustrating lack of progress with trying to get UCSF to respond to several phone calls and a very explicit fax asking them to do so.  Dad, Christina, Carl and Anita are on their way down to UCSF as I write this.  We think Dad will get the cyber-knife focused radiation treatment for his spine, as the MRI from Eureka and the accompanying report were consistent with a metastatic melanoma tumor there – we don’t KNOW that though, because of the lack of communication.  The people we’ve been dealing with at UCSF have failed to answer these questions:  did the tumor board at UCSF ever review Dad’s case as promised?  Was the MRI from Eureka definitive regarding a tumor in/on the spine?  What about the Gamma-Knife treatment that had been discussed?  Basically they only gave us enough information to get us on the road…  We’re running on almost blind faith, so hope along with us for the best.

 

     Generally, other progress has been the same:  slow but steady in mobility, strength, eating…etc.  Hopefully I’ll know much more in a few days and be able to convey it here.

 

     Enjoy the sun while it’s shining~