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Calilasseia, I wouldnt hesitate one second to make him a Clown loach cake.

That is why i mentioned earlier that we should send him something. Even if he doesnt know it is there, it is still the thought that counts.

We need to respect his wife and family tho. They appreciate our gestures, but have communicated he can only see family. Frank asked about us sending cards and they did not bite at the opportunity. I think we need to just give Judy some space.

Well God does work in mysterious ways but he chooses what he wants to do im sorry and i hope he feels betterGod will help him thru

I came on tonight and wondered why people had Gary's clown loach picture on their messages. I am shocked to find he is so ill and was terrified to keep reading the thread, thinking it would be worse news.

I wish him better so much. he has given me so much help and good advice. his knowledge was amazing. I just can't believe this. i have clown loaches and always looked for his advice, i even pm'ed him a few times and he helped. he was very generous.

i am really very fond of him, even though i only know him on this site - i loved reading his posts. oh please let him get better please.

he and his family will be in my prayers.

love lucy (goldfishgeek)

_______________________________________
Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.
Harvey S. Firestone

along with tammy, i didn't see eye to eye with gary sometimes, nonetheless i still wish him well in these hard times.

blessed be

To Gary, (know you cannot read this)

I pray for you and for your family.
I hope you are able to heal and be well my friend.
I'm so sorry to hear this news.


The Amazon Nut...

I was away for a while and just read read this.

Very shocked and saddened.

Gary is a gentleman. Lovely dry wit and a generous spirit.

Not much I can add that hasn't already been said.

He and his family will be in my thoughts and prayers. He beat the hurricanes and I'm sure he'll be fighting this too.

---

Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

This really sucks, hope he makes it out ok the hospital ok


Playing: New Radicals - In Need of a Miracle


-Carl

Gary was the one who gave me great advice about caring for large clown loaches ,his passion for them is the same one i hold for this charcterful fish, hope he gets better as my father managed to survive a double stroke,6 heart attacks and the amputation of one leg over a period of a couple of years,the human spirit is an incredible thing if you want to live.
GOOD LUCK GARY

Gibson SG you know you want one!!

Hi Folks....
This morning I received the following from Gary's wife,
Judy:

Frank,

This is Judy.

Gary went to be with the Lord on Sunday afternoon.

I am okay. One of our daughters is here for a few days.

Rmember when you told me that there are some people in the area who would help me?

Can you check and see if they would be interested in rescuing his guppies and draining the 125 gal. tank.

My daughter and I are attempting to drain the 90 and clean the plants and stones erc.

I would like to offer his aquariums, stands and supplies, etc at fair prices.

I would not be able to afford to keep them.

If they are you can give me their phone numbers and emails and I will call them.

Thanks you so much.

Judy

As I undersand it, Gary lived in Vero Beach, FL.
Shannon, you might want to contact her and see if you
can help.

May God grant him peace.

Sincerely,
FRANK


Last edited by FRANK at 02-Feb-2005 10:08

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

&lt;-- wishes he lived in florida so he could keep gary's tanks alive for him

---

"That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman

Awww Gary... I didn't know him very well but I remember clearly when I found out where his clown loach avatar came from. Gonna miss that... and Gary's helpfulness with fish diseases... he never hesitated to give us his opinion.

><>

I had taken some time away from FP for a while, just too much B.S
Nothing could have prepared me for this.
I am in a state of shock, how precious life is and speaking for myself, boy do we take it for granted.
Gary helped me out tremendously, in my early days here.
My thoughts and condolences go out to his family.

I will remember this man that I never met, for a long time.

R.I.P Gary. I'm glad that you don't have to suffer any longer. God Bless and take care of the angel's aquariums.


Shannen - if you can help her, but don't have the funds for the equipment to provide her, I would be willing to send a donation. Maybe all of us can help move Gary's stuff for Judy by sending a check to you - its a matter of someone being able to make the trip and handle it all. A bunch of people sending 10 or 25 bucks oughta take that stuff off her hands, along with the guppies. I don't really care who gets it or if you keep it (for all the hard work). I'd just like to see Judy get the help.

Diane


Last edited by Cory_Di at 02-Feb-2005 10:26

Up to this point I havent posted but ive been watching.

Just wanted to say sorry Judy for your loss, he will be missed by many includeing myself.

Alot of times when you talk to someone long enough they remind you of someone else. I cant say this about gary, he was one of a kind.

Sin in Style

*sigh*

I know all too well the pain of watching a loved one pass on...

All the best to Judy and family.

Timothy J Caiazzo

[/font]

This wasn`t the end I was looking for

How come happy endings only happen in books!

R.I.P Gary

Whoever buys the tanks should keeo Garys stock I reckon and keep his legend going. He will never be forgotten and will be sorely missed. Have fun in heaven and hope they have Clown Loaches there too

I'm with you Babel

Blessed Be Gary.


Can our Florida members please come forward and assist with this?
Just removing the fish and moving the tank so that Judy doesn't have to watch it fade away would be very helpful.
I'm with you Di, if financial help is needed, it can be done. Netbank, $5 here, $20 there, it can be done.



I er, i know this is going to sound very odd, but whoever goes to help, could you please collect some gravel substrate?
I would like to be posted a stone from Gary's tank, to stick on top of my monitor, to remind me that there are real people out there, not just words on a screen, real people with real families and real problems, and sometimes, just sometimes, we can help.
If its too much trouble, I do understand, but I feel that this is a lesson that is liable to slip my mind in the heat of the moment, and maybe having a tangible something will help.


This, this is a sad day.



For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

I am just so sorry. Judy, and Gary's children are in my prayers.

Love lucy
xx

_______________________________________
Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.
Harvey S. Firestone

---

I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.
~ Mae West

I er, i know this is going to sound very odd, but whoever goes to help, could you please collect some gravel substrate?

Me too please


[hr width='40%']
"The rain is falling down like silence in a shroud"[/font][/font]

-Molly
Visit shelldwellers.com!

What a wonderful idea Callatya.

I can donate through PayPal to whomever does the deed. Like I say, anyone going over and doing the work deserves the tank and equipment, even if they want to sell it. Donations can help with the cost of taking it off Judy's hands. I don't know what a reasonable price is for such stuff, but it needs to be fair.

I wonder if Judy would provide a picture of Gary, even temporary to the person that goes over. I really want to know what Gary looked like . Although, leaving things to the imagination is alright in any event.

Last edited by Cory_Di at 02-Feb-2005 12:58

Gary was a true asset to this site and will be truely missed It would be very hard for someone to follow in his foot steps as he was just such a unique person that nobody could match up to him RIP Gary we all love you and we will meet again some day where we can discuss fishy matters once again

http://www.greenspersonalprinting.com/

WOW! This is not the ending I had hoped for or expected either. *shakes her head sadly as a tear rolls down her cheek* One less advocate for the fish of the world. I wish his family the best in these hard times! Hopefully we can find someone to help with the tanks and maybe even keep them in their exact state (as much as possible) in his memory and honor! His suffering is over, his family's has really just begun! Strength be with them!

Our sympathies go out to Gary's wife and family. Isn't it amazing how someone you've never met can have such an impact on you. I'll miss his entertaining and informative threads. This is truly a sad day for us all. Let's celebrate his life and be thankful we had the opportunity to "meet" Gary and to have been able to learn so much from him. I'm now going to re-name all my clown loaches "Gary".
R.I.P. Gary.

I really don't know what to say..

RIP Gary. You will be missed!

And yes I will try to get some of you gravel. PM me if you want some.

I will have to see how much she wants for the tanks. I don't exactly have 1000s laying around.

Eather way I will help her break them down, and I will def take the guppies off of her hands and they will have a good home.

&lt;&lt;---Can't say anything

It's amazing at how close you can get with a person who you only met online.

Gary...you are greatly missed.

EDIT: I would like gravel...

*looks at her Gary pictures and cries*

Last edited by Ferretfish at 02-Feb-2005 14:01

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

There's nothing more exciting than a young, angry blonde Canadian girl. No wonder I like her.

And she can type like a bandit.

Thanks for the kind words, Tryst.

--garyroland.

Thanks for teaching me so much gary, I'll miss you. This happened suddenly, it's strange how much you can be affected by the loss of someone you've never met.

I'll donate what I can if I can get my paypal account working to whoever will be helping with the orphaned fishes. I like the idea of sending some gravel out by post, as calla suggested. If that is happening, I would like to be put on the list for an aquarium decoration... something to remind me of the lessons he taught me, whether it is a bit of gravel, a pebble, whatever.

I wish I were closer, I would be more than happy to help Judy with the fishes. My grandparents are in FL, I may ask them if they would be willing to take care of a few guppies until they come home in April.

Goodbye, Gary....



[/font][/font][/font][/font][/font]

Haven't been with FP long and didn't know Gary well, but it obvious the impact he had on his peers here at FP. R.I.P Gary, you will always be in our thoughts and hearts.
I don't want to admit it either, but all of this has brought a tear to my eye everytime someone expressed their gratitude for Gary just being Gary in this post.

[font color="#C00000"]It's amazing how one person, whom you haven't met in person, can affect your life so much. Fish Profiles was a very lucky online community to have someone such as Gary keeping everyone in line. I'm sure that at sometime or another, Gary frustrated the heck out of us, yet we were all grateful for his advice and knowledge. I'll miss him, his adivce, and his wonderful stubborness. =^_^=

My best wishes to his family, and friends....


~*MO*~[/font]

every time I scroll down and see the avatar, I alf expect him to be there telling us its all a big joke


Its a sort of happy feeling.

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

Bloody hell! Well, my best to you, Gary, wherever you currently are....cuz we old fish geezers never really end, we just go tend tanks elsewhere.

RIP gary.

Thank you for saving my clown loaches when they had ich.

The two littlest ones are now named gary and roland.

good grief.

That's really cool whetutu I can see Gary smiling from here

. I truly dont know what to say. I really thought Gary would get through all of this- but he is not suffering any longer. FP will never be the same . For the 3 years I have been on this site.... this is a first .

May God be with Gary's family.

~!!I lOve LiFe!!~

This is absolutely horrible. I don't know what to say...but I know he will be truly missed...RIP Gary.

Darn... May you rest in pease, o sir Gary Roland. *bows head in a moment of silence* You will be remembered.

Hopefully someone from this site can take over his Clown Loaches and all his other fish. If I lived anywhere near Vero Beach I'd love to take them and keep the Clown Loach school and friends together, but alas I am in no place to do such a thing.

--------------------------------------------
The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

Everyday i come to this site, and have always scanned the forums to see if gary had posted,i would then read that thread 1st before going on to any others,it was a habit i got into pretty quickly after joining this group of like minded people,In this tragic time we have felt each others pain at this loss, Gary will be sorely missed but if one piece of good has come out of this it is that the membership have pulled together after being slightly fragmented and i think personally that is a great tribute to Gary.
.

Gibson SG you know you want one!!

Shannen has provided the correct and acceptable information for you...

Since he learned everything he knows about tropicals from me, you can bet the information is accurate.

Trops do indeed adjust to pH levels if the levels are changed slowly. Acclimating new trops to your tank would probably take an hour depending on the pH values of the fish store water.

A pH value of 9.0 would be the max for most trops to tolerate, so anything below that would be fine.

Shannen knows that chemically adjusting tank water pH is
a rather dangerous thing to do and should be avoided.

Some may prefer using peat in their filters to soften water a bit, but in my opinion it's really not worth the effort.

--garyroland.

Indeed you taught me a lot Mr Gary.

I'll never forget you or your clowns.

Peace be with you, Gary

Check it out- http://profile.myspace.com/bigtone85

Thanks alot Gary for all your help.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

shini, i think gary said he lost all his clowns in the hurricane

---

"That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman

Gary still lives through his teachings. Pass them on.

Yes he did lose all his clowns in the hurricane.

My deepest condolences to Judy and family.
I definately did not expect this sad news.



The Amazon Nut...

RIP Garyroland.

I adopted my signature sign off line in all my posts, the "-- Gomer" from Gary. I think he knew i was copying him too. Miss you, your help and humour Gary.

-- Gomer

For Mr. Gary Roland



Malaikah attached this image:

Sorry, for Gary, his family, and for all of us who knew him here.

Yes, indeed he lost all the clowns in the hurricane. He told me in a PM about it. He went 3 weeks without power and it was just too much. They survived initially, but he just couldn't keep up with power out for so long. It was very sad.

That's when he decided to switch back to his first fish - the guppy. He told me that so many beginners start with them and there is nothing beginner-like about them. He is so right when it comes to breeding and getting the right strain. I never did ask him what kind he was breeding.

As odd as it may seem, it looks like the good Lord allowed the loss of that large stock before he passed away, leaving Judy with even more. I think he had many more tanks and that would have been so hard to deal with.

My deepest sympathies to Gary's family. While i have not been here long; i have read many threads where he gave great advice and made new hobbyists feel welcomed. As long as we remain a knowledgable and friendly place for new and experienced hobbyests alike, he will always be here.




I'll do graffiti,
If you sing to me in French.

Cory, I did talk to him about his guppies. He was working on a strain of true leopards....

Very very saddened. Condolences to Judy and their family.

Practically the last time I logged on before going on vacation I was having a teasing match with Gary in chat about our ages, we managed to completely confuse some of the younger members.

Gary was old school. A gentleman, his magnanimous nature was made open to all in his, sadly, last posts. I too always looked out for his posts, more for his delicious dryness and wit then the information.A very lively intelligent mind. I liked him a lot and his demise will leave a huge unfillable void in these forums.

I would like to second Cory Di's request. If anybody has a photo of Gary could they post it. Hard to believe that you can get to like somebody so much you've never even seen. I would love to see how he actually looked and it would make the tribute a bit more personal. Then again I always had a vision in my head of what gary looked like - maybe it's better that way ?

Rest in peace Gary. Don't give St.Peter too hard a time if he's lax in his water changes - ok !

---

Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

I will miss our discussions and conversations my friend. May you find peace where you have gone.

_____________________________________________________________

There is always a bigger fish...

Gary was always someone I could agree with one moment and then he'd say something that could hit just the opposite...It was he who kept calling me Heidi 50lbs lighter, and of course the crazy Texan...

Picking was his way of showing how he cared...and then of course when I was totally wound up he could calm me down...

Relax Heidi. Everything's under control.---garyroland

He will remain in my thoughts for a long time...Heidi Michelle

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

I always looked forward to Gary Roland's posts. I enjoyed his dry sense of humor, and valued his advice. He will be missed.

What a shock.

Thoughts and prayers for the extended family who will miss his presence and also for the fp family who will miss his presence online.

Some fp angels came and helped me so I know Judy will appreciate the assistance of the fp friends in here local area.

The boards will not be the same without Gary to be the anti-meds advocate. Would someone please take up the mantle? Dammit there's ich out there the cure.

I am sure Gary is in heaven dipping his feet in shimmering golden pond that NEVER need meds or overhauls. *bliss*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

Yeesh, I must've somehow missed him losing all his Clowns...

--------------------------------------------
The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

Shini - I think it was when you were playing hooky from fp.com

Last edited by Cory_Di at 02-Feb-2005 21:04

Cheers Gary Roland...

Here's to you being reincarnating as a wild Clown Loach that will never be caught.

So sad!!

I admired Gary simply because he would say exactly what he thought and although it ruffled a few feathers sometimes (well most times )he still had the guts to say it and I think that's got to be admired.

Sometimes you went against the tide of general thoughts about fish keeping but a few of us were swimming along with you

I too would LOVE just 1 little pebble from one of his tanks and would pay costs/postage to have that.

You thoughts and ideals will live on in us Gary, you have made a difference..... thank you from me and thank you from my fish!

Noted Rusty...PM me your Addy and I'll make sure you get some of his gravel.

Gods be Gary....

A very sad Shannen!!!

This is a real sad week. First it was the birthday of my Brother-in- law that had passed away, (sadly missed) now the passing of a member/friend.
Gary R.I.P mate. You will be sadly missed. Our condolences to Judy and family.
For anyone who would like to remember some of Gary threads http://fishprofiles.com/interactive/forums/active.asp?userid=1700

Awwwww....posted January 16th in one of my threads:

Get well, Diane...

It's no fun being sick.

--garyroland.

God Bless You Gary

[hr width='40%']

I like this one to Sirbooks:

Careful, Books...

You mix that many Cory species together you're going to have fry that look like bulldogs.

--garyroland.

Last edited by Cory_Di at 02-Feb-2005 21:59

A moment of silence from the U.P., in Michigan......

http://www.ozarkgames.com

"good grief"

bye gary, i'll miss everything you contribute to this site

---

Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

All the aquaruims in Heaven are a little bit better off tonight with Gary there to help take care of them. Why I bet he's already done a water change. Rest in Peace my friend I will surely miss you.

and to think that today i had a great picture of "epoxy curing" to add to the gary roland collection

---

"That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman

...And I had a great photo of "Water Evaporating".


RIP Gary. You will be missed.

---

I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

Thats so sad to hear...i thought he could be better and come back to us....RIP Gary.We all here surely will miss you

---

I know human beings and fish can co-exist peacefully.

I've been thinking (a rare enough occurence). I think Gary was one of the longest serving members with a post count in the thousands so was also one of the most active.

Some kind of commemoration or tribute on the site would be very welcome. I was browsing thru the forums and then it struck me. Would it be possible to rename The Hospital Forum (his favorite stomping ground) something like the Gary Roland Wing or something like that as a lasting tribute ? It would certainly be an indicator of just how much he tried to help people.

Silly idea ?

---

Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Thats not a silly idea..thats a great idea...i think we all agree about that.

---

I know human beings and fish can co-exist peacefully.

That or the Water Quality forum... He helped countless people in both.

---

I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

But a Short Time to Live

Our little hour,&#8212;how swift it flies
When poppies flare and lilies smile;
How soon the fleeting minute dies,
Leaving us but a little while
To dream our dream, to sing our song,
To pick the fruit, to pluck the flower,
The Gods&#8212;They do not give us long,&#8212;
One little hour.

Our little hour,&#8212;how short it is
When Love with dew-eyed loveliness
Raises her lips for ours to kiss
And dies within our first caress.
Youth flickers out like wind-blown flame,
Sweets of to-day to-morrow sour,
For Time and Death, relentless, claim
Our little hour.

Our little hour,&#8212;how short a time
To wage our wars, to fan our hates,
To take our fill of armoured crime,
To troop our banners, storm the gates.
Blood on the sword, our eyes blood-red,
Blind in our puny reign of power,
Do we forget how soon is sped
Our little hour?

Our little hour,&#8212;how soon it dies:
How short a time to tell our beads,
To chant our feeble Litanies,
To think sweet thoughts, to do good deeds.
The altar lights grow pale and dim,
The bells hang silent in the tower&#8212;
So passes with the dying hymn
Our little hour

~Leslie Coulson



You will be missed Gary. Thank you for sharing your endless wealth of knowledge, and for keeping us on our toes May you rest in peace. To Gary's family, may the recalled memories of years gone by bring a ray of light in this dark hour. God bless.

&gt;&lt;&gt;Dani&lt;&gt;&lt;

Last edited by gartenzwerfe at 03-Feb-2005 02:12

Well, I was sure hoping for a miracle as was everyone else. Fishprofiles.com and the hobby as a whole have lost a valuable asset. My deepest sympathy and heart felt condolences to his friends and family.

Gary still lives through his teachings. Pass them on.

I couldn't agree more. His mission was to pass along his knowledge to those who were uninformed. It is now our job to continue to pass along the knowledge that we all learned from him.

In these situations words are always just pale reflections of the true feelings...

Gary, rest in piece, you will not be forgotten

I would some how like to think that Garys lessons would never be lost. I am sure they wont with all use to pass them on but i was just think is it possible that Adam can find all those write ups that Gary used to post so often? and pop a colum in the Articles called Garyolands Lessons or Garyolands teachings or Garyolands Collections something like that anyway and pop all his articels in there for everyone to learn from even the new comers. He taught so many people that i feel it would be a nice thing to do have his own little place on the site and his teaching would sure to go on forever or as long as this site is able to run. What do you all think? Do you think Adam would agree to this? Can he find all those lesons? or are they lost forever? I hope not? Who ever is close with Adam could prehaps ask him? Adam can Garyoland have his own coloum please?

http://www.greenspersonalprinting.com/

I am quite speechless.

The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. - Oscar Wilde

I don't know what to say....

R.I.P Gary.

I would just like to say thank you once again with helping me out.

RIP Gary.

Thank you so much for helping me when I had fish problems. Once you got to know him you realised what an amazing person he really was. You will never be forgotten my friend.

In desperation to get some treatment going for my little frontosas he once sent me some Stresscoat. (Couldnt find any here at the time)

I'll give the baby a hug for you.

---

Before you criticize someone walk a mile in their shoes. That way you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

I agree...A section devoted to gary's threads would be a wonderful tribute to a man who gave so much to us all. It would be a fantastic way of continuing to share his knowledge. Few have contributed to this site to the extent Gary did.
James.....

R.I.P gary, you will be missed by many.




Anthony.

Judy emailed me.

I want his guppies rescued. They are so nice. And there are lots of babies in there.

While gary was a big part of fish profiles, we cannot continuously hold on to this sadness. We should, instead, celebrate his life and what he did, not only for FP but for his family.

While these avatars are are great for this time, we must also eventually give them up, as not to constanly hold on the loss itself. However, I think that there should be something to honor his life here on the site. With all the mentions there have been of it, I can only imagine that Adam is planning something.

Just imagine what gary would want from this. Would he want us to constanly cry over it or be glad that he shared part of his life, his hobby, and his wisdom with us?

I can imagine that if here were here right now, he would say, "I do all that hard work for you guys, and all you do is cry about it?"

Also, why don't we give Judy a rest? We're bombarding her with all this stuff we are going to do. While it is great that we are coming together as a site for one good cause, Judy may need some time to herself. Imagine yourself in the same situation, if you lost someone so near and dear to you. Woudl you want people constantly bringing them up?

Last edited by Racso at 03-Feb-2005 06:16

Oh gosh.

Never did I expect to come back onto the boards to hear of his passing.

Although Gary and I never really saw eye to eye, I really wished I'd have taken the time to know him better. Over the past few months I'd been warming up to him, realising that his way of caring, was indeed his dry humor - and it did make me laugh.

Although I've seen alot of people come and go - He's certainly one of the few thats gonna make a BIG dent in the effect of the fishkeeping community. Not just at fishprofiles, but in the world of aquaria as a whole.

Rest in Peace Gary. You're up there with the Lord now, happy as can be. Hope to see you when I get there.

*tips hat*

-- Lisa (who trys so hard not to cry - but just can't help herself)

Having had almost 24 hours to come to terms with what his passing will mean to our little community here on the boards I can finally write something well besides my blogs of which he had this to say

I did take the opportunity to read all your musings and I must say that you may be bordering on the ledge of intelligence&#8230;
...
If you think the world isn&#8217;t worth the effort to live in, I&#8217;m sure you&#8217;re not alone. Hang in there and ask. I&#8217;m real good at life.

We never did get to have those conversations. But I'd like to think that he was there with me sunday afternoon as I was taking some pictures by the lake. He never did get to see some of my wonderful additions to the Garyroland Collection, but I'm still planning on adding them. I was up a bit late last night doing some final processing, as well as taking a few pictures specific to the GRC. As connected as the afterlife is with this world we can only trust that they have a T-42 connection and he'll be able to access them.

I know he and I didnt see eye to eye on, well, a few things, melafix, carbon usage, and freezing to euthanize, but he never really criticized my views on how bad freezing was, which is a big thing.

Yes gary, I'll continue to waste pixles for you.

Here's to you being reincarnating as a wild Clown Loach that will never be caught.

I'll run some carbon to that Blue!


~Babs, Garys chathead.
^_^ [hr width='40%']
"The rain is falling down like silence in a shroud"

His last topic was about where his 3 year award was. I wish it could only have coninued to be 4, 5, 6 and many many more years.

I agree, either rename the Hospital Forum to The Gary Roland Hospital Forum or whatever or rename the MVM award after him, I rember reading a post about MVM and he was having a go at people for not giving it to him in his awesome way! I loved it! Great person and now a great loss.

GARY RULES FOREVER

I agree with Perky.

I am greatly relieved that he did not linger in pain and suffering and that the end was fast. His spirit is now free to continue its journey towards the Source with all the love expressed here, and everywhere he touched, following at his heels.

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I like to think that whoever designed marine life was thinking of it as basically an entertainment medium. That would explain some of the things down there, some of the unearthly biological contraptions

"...be glad that he shared part of his life - his hobby - and his wisdom with us..."
Despite Gary's dry humour and dour responses, he really did care about other fishkeeper's 'trops', and cared enough to make the effort to try and relay his knowledge through his many years of experience. His mission was often a thankless one, but in his absence we certainly appreciate what he did bring to the site.
I feel sure that he is aware of the ripples resonating through the membership here on FP following his departure. Peace, Gary!

Just another quote from Judy that I thought you all might find touching. I know I did.

Every time I come out here to the computer room and see the fish it is a reminder of him and how much he enjoyed being friends with people from all over the world.

This is from my second email from her. God bless her soul!

Belive it or not. Her style of type is just like Gary's.

wow, this is all a bit unreal. i didnt know gary, and i wont pretend i did just because hes gone. but i always read his posts when i came across them. if for no other reason than because when he thought u were wrong, he let u know it. and if u got upset with him about it, he would come at u that much harder. and i respect people like that. but whether u agreed with him or not, its obvious he touched alot of people on this site. now a bright light is suddenly blinked out. i cant imagine tho, how grateful his spirit must be to see u all pulling together to help his family. its truely awesome. and i think many of now know that from here on, we CAN NOT take any member for granted. basically, what Callatya said will become a profound truth. that we are not just words on a screen anymore. we are people. if u can take nothing else away from this experience, please remember that. we may have our petty differences but in the end we are all here for one unifying reason. we love this hobby and we want to share it with others. thats why im here, thats why ure here, and that is why gary was here. and im glad to share the experience with all of u.
my prayers for garys wife, family, and all the fp members.

I am saddened as well. Though Gary and I traded some words, his posts were always beyond entertaining and informative. I am shocked by the loss of Gary as much as everyone else here.

I received an email tonight (Thurs, Feb3rd) about the happenings. My condolences to his family.

Gary A.MacDonald

truly sad news. His legacy on this site continues on with each and every fish he helped people save from sickness and poor health.

I'm sitting here at work almost crying, and I never even met the guy. Even though he disliked tiger barbs, he was more than helpful helping me get rid of my blue-green algae. Darn it. He had such a way of being grumpy without being rude...

Wow...this is absolutely terrible. I don't post much in the recovery room and when I finally do visit this is what I read. I was wondering why I hadn't seen him post in a while. This makes me realize how precious life really is and how easily it is to take normal every day events for granted. Everyone should take this to heart and be sure that you tell your friends and family how much you love them because you never know how much longer they or yourself will be around. God bless Gary and his family and they are in my thoughts and prayers......

As said how come happy endings only happin in story books? sorry im about to brake the rules but if god loves as that much why does he let stuff like this happen? (sorry)]:|

Sorry Darryl. It's just this little thing called life. It has to end sometimes. As much as it sucks it is just the way it is.

*hugs*

but if god loves as that much why does he let stuff like this happen?

He needed someone to care for his clown loaches

For those who believe, there is something much better on the other side.

I had a 17 year old cousin die of testicular cancer - the same kind that Lance Armstrong has thus far defeated. I went through a crisis in my own faith at that point. Then, 3 days after he died, I had a dream. There was a fog and I could sense a presence and ask, "Who's there?". My cousin appeared and with his characteristic thumb's up, he said, "Hey Di! This is Great!!!". That was always Chris' expression for something he liked. I awoke fully recalling every detail and said to myself, "Kid, I wouldn't take it from you." From that point on, I've never had another crisis of faith.

I had a 22 year old friend who had a heart defect too. They had zapped him 12 times trying to get him to hold on in time for surgery. In between those he said to his crying mother, "Mom, sometimes God needs young people too." He died a few hours later.

With life comes death. It sounds like Gary and Judy were faithful people when she exclaimed, "Gary went to be with our Lord.".

I'm sorry but we can not allow this thread to go down the religion path it is now.

I know the words are comforting ones to many but please respect our rules.

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Before you criticize someone walk a mile in their shoes. That way you're a mile away and you have their shoes.