URGENT: Rob Ward Burial Fund
Donation protected
R.I.P. - ROB WARD PASSED OF COVID COMPLICATIONS, MT. SINAI HOSPITAL, NYC - SEPTEMBER 10, 2020. AND I NEED YOUR ASSISTANCE & SUPPORT -- ROB DESERVES A PROPER & DIGNIFIED BURIAL -- YOU SEE, HE DIED WITH NO WILL, NO NEXT OF KIN, & NO FINANCIAL RESOURCES FOR HIS OWN BURIAL. PLEASE READ ON, SHARE & DONATE TO ROB WARD, MY SOUL BROTHER, A GENUIS OF A MAN, BRILLIANT, YET UNRECOGNIZED FOR HIS MUSICAL TALENTS & HIS MANY CREATIVE & ARTISTIC GIFTS...A BEAUTIFUL MIND FOR WRITING MUSICALS.
DEAR COMMUNITY OF FRIENDS & LOVED ONES: ROB WARD & I WERE FRIENDS FOR NEARLY 40 YEARS. HE WAS A BRILLIANT, TALENTED & ALWAYS HUMOROUS WRITER, COMPOSER, LYRICIST, STORYTELLER, MUSICIAN & PERFORMER. ROB WROTE MANY, MANY SONGS - BUT TO ME, HIS TRUE GIFT WAS WRITING TWO ROCK MUSICALS: "MARILYN MONROE: IN HER OWN WORDS" AND "SID, MAKE ME ONE WITH EVERYTHING". HE LOVED ROCK OPERAS, & WEAVING MULTI-MEDIA TECHNOLOGY INTO HIS EXTRAORDINARY MUSICALS: ORIGINAL, VISIONARY, & I BELIEVE - HE WAS TRULY AHEAD OF HIS TIME...
AND SO HE WILL BE BURIED WITH DIGNITY: I'VE STEPPED UP TO HOST THIS GOFUNDME SITE TO INVITE YOU, TO JOIN WITH ME, IN HONORING HIS LIFE WITH YOUR FINANCIAL AID - OR THE CITY OF NY WILL BE FORCED TO BURY HIM ON NYC'S HART ISLAND - A PLACE OF THE FORGOTTEN - THE INFAMOUS "POTTER'S FIELD".
WITH A BURDENED HEART, AND DUE TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF HIS DEATH, & HAVING NO FAMILY - IT WAS CONFIRMED TO ME BY OUR MUTUAL FRIEND, JOHN MICHAEL PENDLEY ON 11/22/20, THAT ROB'S BODY IS LYING IN THE NYC MORGUE FOR OVER 2 MONTHS - NEEDED TO BE CLAIMED OR HIS REMAINS SOON MOVED TO "POTTER'S FIELD", HART ISLAND, NYC. [THE NYC OFFICE OF THE CHIEF EXAMINER ORIGINALLY ALLOWED US UNTIL FRIDAY 12/18/20 TO DELAY HIS BURIAL - BUT BECAUSE OF OUR PROGRESS THEY AGREED TO ALLOW MORE TIME TO RAISE THE NECESSARY BURIAL FUNDS. ]
NOTE: The NYC morgue will NOT allow cremation of his remains as he had no will, nor any next of kin been located - his body MUST remain whole & buried according to NY state laws. "Hart Island is a graveyard of last resort. Since 1869, New York City has owned and operated this potter’s field—the largest in the country. City workers put unidentified or unclaimed corpses in simple wooden coffins, load them onto a ferry and entomb them in trenches across the island".] https://time.com/5913151/hart-island-covid/
PLEASE, WE MUST NOT ALLOW THIS TO OCCUR! IT'S CHRISTMAS, KAWANZA & HANUKKAH - LET'S JOIN TOGETHER & HONOR THIS KIND SOUL. LET US BECOME HIS FAMILY, HIS COMMUNITY & OUR DUTY TO HONOR ROB WARD WITH LOVE. (OVER 1.6 MIL BEAUTIFUL BROTHERS & SISTERS AROUND THE WORLD HAVE LOST THIER LIVES TO COVID-19 SO FAR IN 2020). AND IF ANYONE KNOWS OF ANY NEXT OF HIS KIN - CONTACT ME ASAP.
ROB'S DEATH HAS TOUCHED ME DEEPLY. PLEASE COME TOGETHER TO FUND HIS FINAL RESTING PLACE. A BURIAL PLACE WHERE FRIENDS & HISTORY CAN REMEMBER HIM, A PLACE TO VISIT, GATHER, SHARE A POEM, A FLOWER OR SIT IN QUIET MEMORY OF HIS USUALLY, OUTWARDLY HAPPY & HUMOROUS DISPOSITION!
ROB NEEDS ALL OF US TO ASSIST IN HIS FINAL MOMENT OF HUMAN NEED & DIGNITY... PLEASE READ, SHARE & DONATE WHATEVER AMOUNT - EVEN $1 - SO HE'LL BE RIGHTLY BURIED ACCORDING TO A MANNER WE EACH DESIRE AS WE LEAVE THIS EARTH PLANE. I'M SURE ROB IS OFFERING BLESSINGS FOR YOUR KIND, OPEN HEARTS - OF THAT I AM CERTAIN!
[I AM ALSO REACHING OUT TO YOU & THIS CARING COMMUNITY TO CONTACT ME DIRECTLY TO SUPPORT & ASSIST IN RESEARCHING THE NY TRI-STATE AREA FOR FUNERAL HOMES, BURIAL COSTS & A NY OR NJ CEMETERY - WHERE HIS BODY WILL BE LAID TO FINAL REST.]
Finding Peace In Our Passing
There are few amongst us that find peace, contentment & the bliss of enlightenment before we depart this Lifetime. Rob was an imaginative, joyful, funny, powerful Soul - a gifted man who could see into & understand the principles of yoga & enlightenment to write SID. If I have learned one thing in this life, it is that we must come together to share, Love & protect one another to the degree we are given the gifts or resources to do so.
In this case, it is our collective community's duty to see to it that Rob Ward has a decent burial, a proper headstone & inscription to honor him as the beautiful & loving soul he was -- as he passes from this earth plane to the next -- perhaps back to complete his journey to Enlightenment.
And who knows, perhaps Rob has entered his final peace, contentment & eternal bliss having merged into cosmic Consciousness, with the millions of great Beings that look upon us all with the greatest Love & compassion to carry each of us into the Light, and free of suffering. Or maybe he'll return to the earth plane as a "bhodhasattva", to guide & protect others like you & me.
At least I'd like to think it so, we could all use a little guidance from within & without. Well, at least I could...
Please GIVE with a Generous Holiday Heart
And now it is my hope that you who are reading this tribute, as a part that our community of friends, families, and loved ones with an excess of Love, generosity & pure compassion who can offer financial resources so that Rob Ward will be laid to rest in a proper resting place - and not Hart Island, the "potters field" for NYC's lost, forgotten or destitute (yet all beautiful souls).
We are raised higher in the Peace of God's Love & Grace, to come together to send off our dear friends, whoever they maybe, in a manner we should want for ourselves & our own loved ones - of which Rob is One with us all too.
May Grace, Love & Bliss bring each of you every Happiness & Peace ~ Phillip Di Pietro, Soul Brother, Devoted Friend, Fellow Merry Prankster & Spiritual Seeker on the Path of Love.
May Each of You - Enjoy Your Journey of Life!
****************"A Yogi's Destiny is Glorious." ~ Swami Muktananda ******************
Rob Ward, early 80's (Contributed by JM Pendley, Photo Credit: Roger Hitts)
Rob at my HK apt (year unknown, late 80's or early 90's)
DEAR COMMUNITY OF FRIENDS & LOVED ONES: ROB WARD & I WERE FRIENDS FOR NEARLY 40 YEARS. HE WAS A BRILLIANT, TALENTED & ALWAYS HUMOROUS WRITER, COMPOSER, LYRICIST, STORYTELLER, MUSICIAN & PERFORMER. ROB WROTE MANY, MANY SONGS - BUT TO ME, HIS TRUE GIFT WAS WRITING TWO ROCK MUSICALS: "MARILYN MONROE: IN HER OWN WORDS" AND "SID, MAKE ME ONE WITH EVERYTHING". HE LOVED ROCK OPERAS, & WEAVING MULTI-MEDIA TECHNOLOGY INTO HIS EXTRAORDINARY MUSICALS: ORIGINAL, VISIONARY, & I BELIEVE - HE WAS TRULY AHEAD OF HIS TIME...
AND SO HE WILL BE BURIED WITH DIGNITY: I'VE STEPPED UP TO HOST THIS GOFUNDME SITE TO INVITE YOU, TO JOIN WITH ME, IN HONORING HIS LIFE WITH YOUR FINANCIAL AID - OR THE CITY OF NY WILL BE FORCED TO BURY HIM ON NYC'S HART ISLAND - A PLACE OF THE FORGOTTEN - THE INFAMOUS "POTTER'S FIELD".
WITH A BURDENED HEART, AND DUE TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF HIS DEATH, & HAVING NO FAMILY - IT WAS CONFIRMED TO ME BY OUR MUTUAL FRIEND, JOHN MICHAEL PENDLEY ON 11/22/20, THAT ROB'S BODY IS LYING IN THE NYC MORGUE FOR OVER 2 MONTHS - NEEDED TO BE CLAIMED OR HIS REMAINS SOON MOVED TO "POTTER'S FIELD", HART ISLAND, NYC. [THE NYC OFFICE OF THE CHIEF EXAMINER ORIGINALLY ALLOWED US UNTIL FRIDAY 12/18/20 TO DELAY HIS BURIAL - BUT BECAUSE OF OUR PROGRESS THEY AGREED TO ALLOW MORE TIME TO RAISE THE NECESSARY BURIAL FUNDS. ]
NOTE: The NYC morgue will NOT allow cremation of his remains as he had no will, nor any next of kin been located - his body MUST remain whole & buried according to NY state laws. "Hart Island is a graveyard of last resort. Since 1869, New York City has owned and operated this potter’s field—the largest in the country. City workers put unidentified or unclaimed corpses in simple wooden coffins, load them onto a ferry and entomb them in trenches across the island".] https://time.com/5913151/hart-island-covid/
PLEASE, WE MUST NOT ALLOW THIS TO OCCUR! IT'S CHRISTMAS, KAWANZA & HANUKKAH - LET'S JOIN TOGETHER & HONOR THIS KIND SOUL. LET US BECOME HIS FAMILY, HIS COMMUNITY & OUR DUTY TO HONOR ROB WARD WITH LOVE. (OVER 1.6 MIL BEAUTIFUL BROTHERS & SISTERS AROUND THE WORLD HAVE LOST THIER LIVES TO COVID-19 SO FAR IN 2020). AND IF ANYONE KNOWS OF ANY NEXT OF HIS KIN - CONTACT ME ASAP.
ROB'S DEATH HAS TOUCHED ME DEEPLY. PLEASE COME TOGETHER TO FUND HIS FINAL RESTING PLACE. A BURIAL PLACE WHERE FRIENDS & HISTORY CAN REMEMBER HIM, A PLACE TO VISIT, GATHER, SHARE A POEM, A FLOWER OR SIT IN QUIET MEMORY OF HIS USUALLY, OUTWARDLY HAPPY & HUMOROUS DISPOSITION!
ROB NEEDS ALL OF US TO ASSIST IN HIS FINAL MOMENT OF HUMAN NEED & DIGNITY... PLEASE READ, SHARE & DONATE WHATEVER AMOUNT - EVEN $1 - SO HE'LL BE RIGHTLY BURIED ACCORDING TO A MANNER WE EACH DESIRE AS WE LEAVE THIS EARTH PLANE. I'M SURE ROB IS OFFERING BLESSINGS FOR YOUR KIND, OPEN HEARTS - OF THAT I AM CERTAIN!
[I AM ALSO REACHING OUT TO YOU & THIS CARING COMMUNITY TO CONTACT ME DIRECTLY TO SUPPORT & ASSIST IN RESEARCHING THE NY TRI-STATE AREA FOR FUNERAL HOMES, BURIAL COSTS & A NY OR NJ CEMETERY - WHERE HIS BODY WILL BE LAID TO FINAL REST.]
Finding Peace In Our Passing
There are few amongst us that find peace, contentment & the bliss of enlightenment before we depart this Lifetime. Rob was an imaginative, joyful, funny, powerful Soul - a gifted man who could see into & understand the principles of yoga & enlightenment to write SID. If I have learned one thing in this life, it is that we must come together to share, Love & protect one another to the degree we are given the gifts or resources to do so.
In this case, it is our collective community's duty to see to it that Rob Ward has a decent burial, a proper headstone & inscription to honor him as the beautiful & loving soul he was -- as he passes from this earth plane to the next -- perhaps back to complete his journey to Enlightenment.
And who knows, perhaps Rob has entered his final peace, contentment & eternal bliss having merged into cosmic Consciousness, with the millions of great Beings that look upon us all with the greatest Love & compassion to carry each of us into the Light, and free of suffering. Or maybe he'll return to the earth plane as a "bhodhasattva", to guide & protect others like you & me.
At least I'd like to think it so, we could all use a little guidance from within & without. Well, at least I could...
Please GIVE with a Generous Holiday Heart
And now it is my hope that you who are reading this tribute, as a part that our community of friends, families, and loved ones with an excess of Love, generosity & pure compassion who can offer financial resources so that Rob Ward will be laid to rest in a proper resting place - and not Hart Island, the "potters field" for NYC's lost, forgotten or destitute (yet all beautiful souls).
We are raised higher in the Peace of God's Love & Grace, to come together to send off our dear friends, whoever they maybe, in a manner we should want for ourselves & our own loved ones - of which Rob is One with us all too.
May Grace, Love & Bliss bring each of you every Happiness & Peace ~ Phillip Di Pietro, Soul Brother, Devoted Friend, Fellow Merry Prankster & Spiritual Seeker on the Path of Love.
May Each of You - Enjoy Your Journey of Life!
****************"A Yogi's Destiny is Glorious." ~ Swami Muktananda ******************
Rob Ward, early 80's (Contributed by JM Pendley, Photo Credit: Roger Hitts) Rob at my HK apt (year unknown, late 80's or early 90's)Rob Ward's "Mama I'm Scared" (1991-92) from "Marilyn, The Rockumentary"
Rob & wife (with cigarette, bottom center with unidentified children, 1993-94)
Rob at my HK, NYC apt (year unknown, late 80's or early 90's)
Phillip (me) & Rob at Rudy's Bar & Grill, Hells Kitchen NYC (early-mid 90's)
Rob Ward, My HK Flat NYC (late 80's or early 90's)
Rob & wife (with cigarette, bottom center with unidentified children, 1993-94)Rob at my HK, NYC apt (year unknown, late 80's or early 90's)Phillip (me) & Rob at Rudy's Bar & Grill, Hells Kitchen NYC (early-mid 90's)
Rob videotaping my birthday party @Randi Wiesblatt's 15th St. apt., NYC (late 80's or early 90's)
Sal Linzalone, Phillip, Beth Landsman, Lavonne (my sis) & Rob @Randi Weisblatt's apt (late 80's or early 90's)
Rob Ward, My HK Flat NYC (late 80's or early 90's)
Vik Vituzis & Rob in my HK flat (mid-80's)
Rob & a girlfriend (name & year unknown)
Randi Weisblatt, Phillip Di Pietro, Rob & Friends (late 80's or early 90's)
Rob, a Polaroid "selfie", (year unknown)
Rob's mother (year unknown, from Rob's Polaroid of original 8x10)
Rob & his new wife, tying the knot in a civic ceremony (England, 1993- 94, her family in the background?)
Rob & his new wife, (man unidentified, maybe her father)
Rob & a girlfriend (name & year unknown)Randi Weisblatt, Phillip Di Pietro, Rob & Friends (late 80's or early 90's)Rob, a Polaroid "selfie", (year unknown)Rob's mother (year unknown, from Rob's Polaroid of original 8x10) Rob & his new wife, tying the knot in a civic ceremony (England, 1993- 94, her family in the background?) Rob & his new wife, (man unidentified, maybe her father)
Reverse angle of the newlywed's civic ceremony (England, 1993 or 94)
Rob meditating in an English cemetery, likely sitting against a headstone of a famed poet he admired, (England, 1993-94)
Rob & Phillip, Christmas Eve 2017
Rob created "storyboards" for his musical narrative ideas (Above & below created for "SID, Make Me One" - 1995-96)
Rob & Phillip, Christmas Eve 2017Rob created "storyboards" for his musical narrative ideas (Above & below created for "SID, Make Me One" - 1995-96)
Above, the way Rob felt about the character "SID" at the end of the show...
~ Rob Ward, Christmas Eve 12/24/2017, standing in front of 406 West 48th St., "Heaven's" Kitchen, HK, Broadway Theater District, NYC ~ With Love & Grace ~ Namaste Friend ~ Om Shanti Om ~
~ Rob Ward, Christmas Eve 12/24/2017, standing in front of 406 West 48th St., "Heaven's" Kitchen, HK, Broadway Theater District, NYC ~ With Love & Grace ~ Namaste Friend ~ Om Shanti Om ~
Organizer
Phillip Di Pietro
Organizer
New York, NY