Remembering Barry Rafferty
Donation protected
As many of you already know, Barry Rafferty passed away Wednesday morning. Barry, B Raff, B, Hulk...whatever you knew him as...the man, the myth, the legend (sorry for the cliche B...I know you hated those so). A mountain of a man, who somehow had a heart even bigger than he was. A fellow writer, his work shone with such volatile brilliance that it took your breath away. He had a raw talent so many would kill for. To know I will never read another of his pieces is impossible to fathom. All of this is impossible to fathom. For as amazing a writer as he was, he was an even better friend. Barry was loyal to a fault, protective, full of love, kind, sensitive, and good. He stood up for the right thing when needed, but never used his size to intimidate or bully others. He was a shining light in an otherwise dull and broken world. His vocab unmatched, his goodness was as well. He was something wonderful and beautiful...and he was so very loved. In the darkness of this moment, a quote by Jack Kerouac comes to mind and I don't think anyone has ever encapsulated it so well:
“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes ‘Awww!'”
That was Barry in so many ways. And like so many things magnanimous and marvelous, it seems he too was short for this world.
This news is heart breaking for so many of us, but even more so for his family. Please donate anything you can to help them get through this terrible time. Barry's Dad, Tim passed away in June and his mother, Char is now on a fixed income. Anything you can spare to help them cover costs is greatly appreciated. No mother should have to lose her child, let alone worry about financial issues. Let's all make sure Barry and his family are able to grieve this massive loss right now, rather than worry about money. It's time for all of us to come together to lift the Rafferty's up and be a strong support for them. Just as Barry did for so many of us.
Goodbye dear, dear, dearest of friends. You are loved and will be missed always.
❤❤❤
“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes ‘Awww!'”
That was Barry in so many ways. And like so many things magnanimous and marvelous, it seems he too was short for this world.
This news is heart breaking for so many of us, but even more so for his family. Please donate anything you can to help them get through this terrible time. Barry's Dad, Tim passed away in June and his mother, Char is now on a fixed income. Anything you can spare to help them cover costs is greatly appreciated. No mother should have to lose her child, let alone worry about financial issues. Let's all make sure Barry and his family are able to grieve this massive loss right now, rather than worry about money. It's time for all of us to come together to lift the Rafferty's up and be a strong support for them. Just as Barry did for so many of us.
Goodbye dear, dear, dearest of friends. You are loved and will be missed always.
❤❤❤
Organizer and beneficiary
Danielle Jesserer
Organizer
Cutters Creek, NC
Charlene Rafferty
Beneficiary