Patrick Malone: 1950--2005
Pat passed peaceably this morning about 9:15 am Eastern Time. He died as he lived, confident in a loving God and surrounded by his beloved wife Barb, his daughter Amanda, his sister Mary, and other dear family members. A wonderful human being is gone from us, my friends.
While this thread has nominally been about Pat's cancer and the road it took him on, on a deeper level it has been about spirituality: the sense of being connected, through thoughtfulness and love, to beings beyond ourselves. Barb shared Pat with us, Pat shared himself with us, and we shared ourselves with Pat and Barb. We talked about life, love, God, the great beyond ... and about the music, which in the latter stages provided Pat with greater sustenance than the few calories he could ingest.
This thread, and all that it spawned, was a great joy to Pat. When it was started, Pat told me he felt it saved him from something terrible. When I asked him what, he replied "I don't know." Closer to the end, Pat realized what it was: he was saved from feeling alone.
This community rallied behind Pat in a miraculous way that few of us could have ever imagined. In the last 16 months, Pat has gone on more vacations -- assisted by the unfledging generosity of many of you -- than in any previous time in his life. Trips to Nebraska, Florida, Texas, San Francisco, Seattle and Denver were part of this joyous itinerary, and he met many members in the process. So too, this community caused music to lovingly flow into Pat's and Barb's home, presenting them with a heavenly smorgasbord of both equipment and recordings. Even up to the last, Pat was exploring the wonders of previously unknown music, while still holding dear that music he had always treasured most.
Lest any of you doubt just how meaningful and important this thread has been to Pat and Barb, let me share with you a remarkable thing Pat told me just a few days ago. We were talking about what a great year it had been despite the cancer ... what a way to go out! Pat said: "It has been great. I wouldn't trade it for being well."
He wouldn't trade it for being well. Remarkable ... and yet, so like Pat, because in addition to being a music lover and audiophile, Pat was a people person. He loved people, and this showed in all his relationships, from that with his beloved Barb and other family members, to even the most casual relationships with store clerks. His love for life and for people fairly oozed out of him. He couldn't suppress it, for it was him.
This, surely, is a time for sadness. But let's not forget that it is also a time to celebrate the man, all that he shared with us, and all that we shared with him. Sleep well, my friend ... dream well ... and keep that heavenly sweet spot warm for us. God bless Pat, God bless Barb, and God bless you all.
-Paul
