Belated Farewell to Dave Simons
When Dave Simons departed from us last June, succumbing to a long battle with esophageal cancer, I was well out of the loop of the web community. I received the news and grieved his untimely departure but had little recourse to even mention it at my website or add to the tributes from across the comics world. I opted to let the silence speak for the loss, instead of trying to force a few words within a situation which wasn’t allowing it.
A profile and portrait of Dave tell of the close and dear friendship we had. Daniel Best compiled an excellent Wikipedia biography of him which ran into an initial snag with editors there and gave birth to “The Inherently Notable Dave Simons” Facebook drive to show Wikipedia editors just how well known and loved Dave Simons is. Dave’s Facebook profile page remains active today as friends and acquaintances continue to express their longing to see him again – as if he hovers over the web expanse reading every word. It’s a mistake to believe that Dave Simons is no longer with us. His warm resolve, tantalizing wit and great talent remain embedded in everyone he’s touched. The countless tributes from all walks of the comics community and coverage at Daniel Best’s blog tell volumes of the impact he had on the hearts of everyone who knows him.
Have peace dear Dave. Our world is made a little less bright in your absence, but memory brightens the heart longing.
November 26, 2009 - 10:47 pm
Michael,
Beautiful words, as always. I tried to contact you at the time because I didn’t want you hearing the news third hand. As I knew you were away, I knew it’d be a long shot.
Dave’s passing still affects me in ways I can’t fathom – and I’m struggling through it. It was very odd, one day we’re talking about life and, of all things, our cats, the next Bob Shaw told me what had happened.
He was a wonderful man, our Dave, and each day I miss him. We have his legacy with us though, his art, his writing and the memories of an artist, a man, who kept fighting, and drawing, to the very end.
November 27, 2009 - 11:10 am
Daniel, your work on behalf of Dave and other artists is a rare goodness. I regret it’s taken so long and that I couldn’t get back to you when it happened. I’ve lost a few close friends in recent years but it was difficult with Dave. But like you say, he was a fighter and inspiration to the end. May his memory be of the goodness he was.
November 28, 2009 - 4:15 am
I exchanged a few emails with Dave after learning of his plight from Danny. We are both Coast Guard vets who were stationed at Governor’s Is. NY and knew the jargon and the ships homeported there. So we had the comic book AND the Coast Guard connection as a bond. He cracked me up when he talked about serving on the USCGC Tamaroah in his words “the only submarine in the Coast Guard” (it sank while tied to it’s moorings because an engineer had left a valve open and then did not properly keep his sppointed rounds while on watch). This event went down in the “Hall of shame” of the United States Coast Guard and Dave served on the ship when it happened. We actually chatted more about Coast Guard stuff than comics, and in a way I think Dave really got a kick out of that.