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    Good bye, Jon Swift

    By William K. Wolfrum on Wed, 03/03/2010 - 2:33pm | Personal

    Blogger Jon Swift died on Feb. 27. His mother left this comment on his blog:

    I don’t know how else to tell you all who love this blog. I am Jon Swift’s Mom and I guess I’m going to OUT him. He was Al Weisel, my beloved son. Al was on his way to his father’s funeral in VA when he suffered 2 aortic aneurysms, a leaky aortic valve and an aortic artery dissection from his heart to his pelvis. He had 3 major surgeries within 24 hours and sometime during those surgeries also suffered a severe stroke. We, his 2 sisters, his brother, his partner and his best friend since he was 9 years old were with him as he took his last breath. We have all lost a shining start who warmed our hearts, tormented us and made us laugh as he giggled at our pulling something over on us. He passed away on February 27, 2010. My beloved child will live on in so many hearts. I miss him more than I can say. If you are on Facebook, go to organizations and join “Friends of Al Weisel, Unite!” It will give you just a taste of how special he was. Farewell, Jon (Al)

    Jon/Al was the best political satirist on the Internet, bar none. His wit and intelligence made his blog a must-read for so many of us. I was fortunate enough to at least share several e-mails with him, and he was always nothing but friendly, kind and supportive. If I needed a favor from him, he came through. If I needed advice, he came through. That’s what he did. He came through. For me and many, many others, both in life and on the blogosphere.

    I’m at a loss. And so is everyone who took in his brilliance. My deepest condolences go out to his family, friends and loved ones. We all grieve with you. We all lost someone incredibly special.

    Thank you, Jon Swift.

    Thank you, Al Weisel.

    –WKW

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    Personal

    Comments

    This is a terrible loss. Thank you for sharing.


    by Michael Wolraich on Wed, 03/03/2010 - 2:39pm

    His death really struck me hard. He was someone who was very supportive of me, especially when I first started blogging. I feel very lucky having known him, even in a limited way.


    by William K. Wolfrum on Wed, 03/03/2010 - 3:02pm

    Hello William,

    Thank you for helping to spread this terrible news. Al's funeral will be Saturday, March 6 in Hammonton, NJ, where he spent many summers with his grandparents. He will be buried next to them. The stories we are hearing about him are making this time easier if that is even possible. I was privileged to be his mother. He was special and unique and I shall miss him forever.

    Mimi Weisel


    by Mimi Weisel (not verified) on Wed, 03/03/2010 - 4:10pm

    Thank you, Mimi for the note. Being someone who enjoys writing satire, your son was a great inspiration to me. Not only did he give you true laugh out loud moments, he always did so while making strong and honorable points. He literally made thousands and thousands of people both laugh and think. Al made an impact, and a positive one.

    My sympathies and thoughts are with you and yours.

    Bill


    by William K. Wolfrum on Wed, 03/03/2010 - 4:24pm

    That's a terrible loss. He was a brilliant blogger, and I admired him very much. I'm sorry for all of Al's loved ones and their loss.

    by Doctor Cleveland on Wed, 03/03/2010 - 9:21pm

    Regardless of his opinions, Al was widely respected as a writer and a person. In less than 24 hours since this sad news came out, top right-wing bloggers like Ed Morrissey, Ann Althouse, Glenn Reynolds & others have paid their respects and offered kind words, joining the countless number of bloggers on the other side of the political spectrum. It's a testament to the kind of person Al was..

    Here's what Morrissey had to say (including an audio interview with Jon Swift).

     


    by William K. Wolfrum on Thu, 03/04/2010 - 7:17am