Remembrances

Assorted Antony Spaces Online

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  Please comment below to share thoughts, memories, and favorite stories about Antony.

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From Jeff Lebow:
Death was once a distant concept. Then it became rapid fire slap in the face. Lately, it’s become a too frequent reminder of the bizarreness of the human condition.

Antony died last week. He was a good friend of 19 years. He was my officemate. He was someone I very much liked hanging out with. I consider myself fortunate to have spent as much time with Antony as I did. As part of each other’s daily routines, I would often get fresh stream of consciousness commentary about his latest source of passion, curiosity, and/or amusement. As someone who tends to do a lot of last minute prep before classes, there were times I was not a very attentive listener, but I don’t think Antony cared. Whatever his mind was playing with that day had to be contemplated and shared.

Antony was a modern day renaissance man. He was so smart and skilled in so many different ways and he never, never stopped learning. He was as comfortable discussing Nietzsche as he was debating the best Star Trek captain (PIcard, obviously!). He could put together someone’s computer during a break from working on his latest watercolour. As several remembrances have mentioned, if there was anything that needed fixing or assembling, it was catnip to Antony.

One of the things I’ve found myself saying when people close to me have died is “I can still hear their voice’ or ‘I can imagine what they’d say in this situation’. With Antony, I might know how he’d say something, but I don’t really know what he’d say because it was always something new. He could ramble, but he rarely repeated himself. I’m going to miss him a lot. I value those daily interactions and have great memories of collaborating on a handful of projects along the way, but like most people, what will echo most strongly for me are the long mind-bending soul-searching conversations at a party, a bar, or on the streets of Busan. People have mentioned how stubborn he was and I think he fashioned himself as a bit of a curmudgeon, but anyone who got the chance to know Antony, soon realized what a kind-hearted, encouraging soul he really was. No where was that more obvious than with his son. From the first day at the hospital, Antony gushed with pride and love for Taebin. My heart breaks for him, knowing what he has lost, but he had a great, loving father and along the way, made his father a better person.

In reading the online remembrances, I’ve been stuck by the similarities (great conversations, really smart, stubborn but kind guy, beer), but also by the distinctiveness of our relationships with Antony. I remember the days of Antony and Day Kate putting together some very elaborate scavenger hunts here in Busan and part of me thinks that if we combine all the pieces of our Antony experiences, we’re going to be able to solve some grand puzzle that Antony left behind - you know, like in TNG episode 6x20 (The Chase) when Picard’s old professor visits and starts a chain of events in which humans, Klingons, Romulans, and Cardassians have to find scattered fragments which eventually lead to the realization that they have a common genetic ancestor. Speaking of which, I never got to ask Ant what he thought of the new Doctor. I’m pretty sure he’d like the new season. I digress. Just so many conversations left unfinished.

We will all deal with this loss in our own way. Some will write poetry, compose songs, create paintings, take long walks, or down a caseworth of Cass I will digitally archive. I want to help capture as much Antonyness as I can while it’s still fresh. There’s lots more to go through, but I’ve gotten things started at: https://rememberingantony.blogspot.com

Please comment there or send me other pieces of the ‘Antony Experience’ that can help us all share and celebrate his life… and maybe solve an ingenious puzzle.

Love and tears to all

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From Jeff Liebsch: 

 It's been a long week of reflection over the passing of a great friend Antony Jackson. It's taken a few days to process just what an influence he had on so many peoples lives, including mine here for the past 18 years.

Ant was more than a friend, he was family. The older brother you loved to argue with. The first one who would gladly put you in your place if you got a little cocky. A man sometimes so stubborn, but even after you'd gotten into it with him about something, at the end of the night he'd give you a hug and say "I love you" before he'd go home.

A couple years back, he surprised me with a framed drawing for my birthday. He spent months on it, even knowing I'm not a person who likes to celebrate the day. He just wanted me to have it he said, a memento of our friendship. He was so selfless in so many ways to so many people.

I'll miss you Ant, more than words can say. Your legacy and influence on the ones who were blessed to know you in this life will live on forever. I'm honored to have been one of them.

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Please comment below to share thoughts, memories, and favorite stories about Antony.