Today I heard that my former colleague and friend Joeri Gorter was killed in an accident last Friday. Joeri (Dutch spelling for Yuri) was on a bicycle trip through the US when he was hit by a truck. This is a sad loss. I have always known Joeri as an energetic and enthusiastic guy and that's how I will remember him.
Despite the fact that Joeri's death comes way too early, I find comfort in the way he died. If you have to die, why not die doing something you love to do? This knowledge does not fill the gap Joeri leaves behind; it just softens the pain for those who remember Joeri. He left life the way he lived it: energetic and enthusiastic.
3 comments:
i am in shock at what happened.
i only knew Joeri for maybe 12 hours...but you could tell that he was a genuine person...the type of person people wanted to be around.
when i think of my trip to yosemite national park, i will think of the time sharing rice, black beans with cumin and garlic, chicken, and some of his scotch.
his laughter and confidence was contagious.
i will miss him.
Could this be the amazing fellow we saw bicycling along the Colorado Rover?
We were struck by the flow of his bike and the beauty of the day. The tragedy of seeing such a terrible accident will stay with us forever. It is a comfort to know he was loved.
Add our name and story to his memorials:
Kelly & I were spending a week in Arizona, visiting family at a wedding. We had a sadness during a drive. Here is a description on our blog:
Sad Accident, Beautiful Day - October 9, 2008 by Bob & Kelly
My partner Kelly and I were driving from Page to Flagstaff, Arizona on Thursday, October 9, 2008. It was a beautiful day, full of the bright sun and colors of the desert surrounding the Colorado River as it twists from the Glen Canyon ...
http://radfordr.wordpress.com/2008/10/14/sad-accident-beautiful-day-october-9-2008/
I don't know who to address this letter to..... Well, I have met Mr. Gorter in July 2008, when he was invited to the International Conference in Seoul, Korea. He was invited guest to the Conference on Regional Policy in Korea to introduce lessons from the Netherlands.
At, first, he was a quiet man keeping to himself. He was a "Vegan" Complete vegetarian and in Korea, someone like that is very hard to find. Looking at his physique I can tell he was in shape and was very lean.
He was very pleasant and nice and we all liked him very much. Once I got to know him a little bit, he told me that after the conference he will be going on a biking trip all over the U.S. He was most excited.
After he left Korea, we tried to contact him several times due to conference materials, etc. but we could not get hold of him. Yesterday, when I called the Office of Economics at Utrecht University, I received the news about him. I was most shocked and saddened.
I want to relay my condolences to his family and all the people who met him here in Korea also send our regret.
Most of all, he was a nice gentle person.
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