VERY SAD NEWS!!!

[Fin24]

JOE AKA
JOE HAM HAS PASSED INTO THE NEXT WORLD- ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO. Cave was just told by Joe's sister; who then phoned me.


let's hope he is at peace and no longer in pain!!!We will miss his expertise in many areas and his caustic wit!


please pass this sad info along to all in Lyme who may have known him.

F

[Claudia]

That is very sad news. I am so sorry to hear of it.

I will miss Hammy. I considered him a friend, and always appreciated and enjoyed reading his opinions, great information and musings. Good bye, Joe!

He was a great guy. Rest in peace.

[Martian]

I'm shocked.

He was a valuable contributor and we still had a lot to talk about or discuss.

What I find extra sad is that he left this board because he was frustrated about "certain things" here, but he would return when things had changed for the better. Not good for your health to be frustrated, I think.

We could get along well.

I will miss him.

[rlstanley]

.
My deepest sympathies to all those who share in his loss.

I still have a PM saved that he wrote about 2 weeks ago asking about a paper. He just kept wanting to learn and share until the end. His unique personality will be missed.

I am very sad to hear of his passing.

Rita

[LymeEnigma]

I am deeply saddened by this news. He was a brilliant man, and he always had an eloquent way of stating the facts, no matter who he was talking to or whatever disagreement was going on at the time; I still have his essay, with written permission, on Rife on my Zoomshare page. My condolences to all who knew and loved him.

[Martian]

You can find some more info here:
http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/ultimatebb ... ic/3/22274
http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/ultimatebb ... ic/3/22282
http://www.lymefriends.com/forum/topics ... e-has-died (you need an account to view it)

If you follow the first link, bettyg says in that thread: "found only 2 posts left on board; he deleted the other 575 plus/minus ...". I find that unlikely, and how would bettyg know that? I think it's more likely that either the LymeNUT regime deleted those posts (note that he was also banned from there) and/or the LymeNUT search function fails. Anyway, it is not safe to collect information and discussion on LymeNUT.

..he always had an eloquent way of stating the facts, no matter who he was talking to or whatever disagreement was going on at the time

Yes, and he criticized people and stuff with class and humour instead of plain rudeness and ridicule. For example in July 2004 he wrote on LymeNUT in topic "What is a rife machine?" the following:

According to link posted by rosesisland2000 the Rife machine will cure every malady known to man, including cancer. If you get one please don't blab about it or the little green men will come to your house and take it away from you. The Martians have been trying to suppress this wonderful technology ever since they landed at Roswell.

That must have been one of the first writings (if not the first) of Joe that I encountered (his LymeNUT account says he registered in June 2004, though he might have been registered before), and I liked it. I reposted it on sci.med.diseases.lyme: LMAO: "What is a rife machine?". That is where I got inspiration for using the nickname "Martian".


edit: updated second link: post was moved from "Medical" to "General" so link didn't work any more.

[hiker53]

Joe was funny and a gentleman. Does anyone know how old he was? My condolences to his family.

Hiker53

[Fin24]

Cave gave me permission to say that Joe was 69 ( if I recall our phone call correctly) and that in addition to Lyme and friends,he also had very serious heart conditions, including extremely occluded vessels for which he was too afraid to get angio and stents which may have been able to prolong his life.

He left this life the way he lived it--exactly the way he wished--with a previously lit cigarette in his hand, getting ready to start his day.It was a massive coronary from which I hope he was taken quickly and with little pain or awareness.

He was a model for being who you are, saying what you feel, and doing what you feel is right. And let the world deal with the rest.I will miss our many long-winded phone conversations.

F

[Martian]

Cave gave me permission to say that Joe was 69 ( if I recall our phone call correctly) and that in addition to Lyme and friends,he also had very serious heart conditions, including extremely occluded vessels for which he was too afraid to get angio and stents which may have been able to prolong his life.

His profile on LymeEnigma's forum says: Birthday: 11/13/1940

I didn't know he had such bad heart conditions.

Last night I had a beer and made a toast on Joe.

He left this life the way he lived it--exactly the way he wished--with a previously lit cigarette in his hand, getting ready to start his day.It was a massive coronary from which I hope he was taken quickly and with little pain or awareness.

He was a model for being who you are, saying what you feel, and doing what you feel is right. And let the world deal with the rest.I will miss our many long-winded phone conversations.

F

I find it rather funny to hear such nice words from a person who was also a reason for Joe to stop posting his excellent research on this board. How sad that he spend his last months in Lymeland this way.

[Fin24]

I find it rather funny to hear such nice words from a person who was also a reason for Joe to stop posting his excellent research on this board.

I guess then you also didnt know the HOURS he and I logged on the phone on a reasonably frequent basis??? and that the public banter was simply a continuation of the behind the scenes stuff - I was VERY aware of the friendship you two had ,which is why I shared the news from his sister [and his "old friend" Janet] on this board!

When he told me several times that in fact i was NOT the reason for his decline in posting, he thought I could say things differently at times but he "liked my spunk"-- I believed him...just as I believed his sincerity with his paternal advice and good natured jabs--Im sorry that you feel differently! He also told me MANY a time " even if you do get my dander up sometimes,dont ever change Fin" in his usual gravely voice. again Im sorry that you feel differently and that you couldnt have heard him.

and after the years of knowing him Ill guess that NO one ( not even little old annoying me) would have caused him to stop posting--he was declining in health and getting more and more annoyed at life and he also had other conditions I will not reveal due to confidentiality, that affected his emotional stability as well as his reactions and cognitive abilities. Im guessing that had a LOT more to do with his lack of posts in the last few weeks of his life?? as well as his "complaining" ( even about me) and so I will leave you with that.