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JediKooter
07-20-2011, 11:37 AM
Sorry, but, this one really bothers me and have to get it off my chest.

Well, not a good way to come back from a four day weekend. As I went through all the emails this morning after getting into work, I find out that one of my co-workers that I had lunch with almost every day, had died on the morning of my birthday.

He had been out for several months due to a stroke or aneurysm (was never told exactly what) and I had thought that he was improving from the updates we were given. Don't know what happened, but, apparently his condition got worse after being moved to a rehab center a few weeks ago. This turn for the worse was not reversible, so his family decided to move him to a hospice facility closer to home. From the emails, it sounds like he was at the hospice for only a day or two before he died.

He worked for ILM for over 20 years. If you ever saw Forest Gump, then you can credit him for giving the artists the ability to make Tom Hanks look like he was actually there talking to JFK and others in archive footage. If you've ever watched the Clone Wars cartoon, he played a huge roll in getting the software developed and running for the artists.

He and only one other person here at work, I would consider to be friends and I was looking forward to him coming back to work in the next few months. He would always come to me if he wasn't able to reproduce a crash. He would say, "You got the magic touch". We would always talk about sports and movies or his latest cycling or climbing adventures at lunch.

I had lunch with him the day he had his stroke/aneurysm. He seemed fine and was his usual self. He said that he was looking forward to going on a 100 mile bike ride that weekend. Later that day at around 5 o'clock, I saw him walking towards the gym carrying his gym bag. That was the last time I ever saw him.

He was a heck of guy, funny, great attitude, loved his family and was very active outside of work. He loved to cycle and rock climb in addition to not being afraid to eat or try anything food wise.

John Horn, you will be missed.
Kodos
07-20-2011, 11:49 AM
Sorry to hear about this, Jedi. Sometimes life sucks. :(
CleBrownsfan
07-20-2011, 11:50 AM
Dang Jedi - sorry for your loss. You just never know when your time is up :(
JediKooter
07-20-2011, 12:07 PM
Sorry to hear about this, Jedi. Sometimes life sucks. :(

Thanks Kodos. Yes, unfortunately it does. You just have to try and make it not suck more than it does suck.

Dang Jedi - sorry for your loss. You just never know when your time is up :(

Thanks CleBrownsfan. That is true, very true.
Chief Rum
07-20-2011, 12:21 PM
Sucks to hear, JK. Always hard losing good friends, and he sounds like a good guy. Keep telling his story--you won't ever forget that way.
JediKooter
07-20-2011, 12:32 PM
Sucks to hear, JK. Always hard losing good friends, and he sounds like a good guy. Keep telling his story--you won't ever forget that way.

Indeed. He was a good guy and from talking to him, he definitely lived life to its fullest.
DaddyTorgo
07-20-2011, 12:43 PM
Damn Jedi - sorry bout that man.
JediKooter
07-20-2011, 12:45 PM
Damn Jedi - sorry bout that man.

Thanks DT.
MacroGuru
07-20-2011, 12:48 PM
Do not like...

Jedi...sorry man...just realize he spun things for the good and made a difference in your life and others....sounds like a great guy...
Telle
07-20-2011, 01:06 PM
Very sorry about your loss.
JediKooter
07-20-2011, 01:21 PM
Do not like...

Jedi...sorry man...just realize he spun things for the good and made a difference in your life and others....sounds like a great guy...

Thanks MG. He was a great guy with a great sense of humor.


Very sorry about your loss.

Thanks Telle.
BYU 14
07-20-2011, 01:25 PM
Very sorry for your loss JK, it is really hard to lose a good friend and your description of him makes him sound like exactly that.

Thank you for sharing your memories of him.
tyketime
07-20-2011, 01:29 PM
Sorry for your loss. Sounds like you had more than a co-worker... a true friend. It's nice that his work "lives on" in the movies.
JediKooter
07-20-2011, 01:32 PM
Very sorry for your loss JK, it is really hard to lose a good friend and your description of him makes him sound like exactly that.

Thank you for sharing your memories of him.

Thanks BYU. It is hard for sure and I really feel bad for his wife and family. You're welcome. I had to say something and this place is a good audience, so that helps. :)
JediKooter
07-20-2011, 01:39 PM
Sorry for your loss. Sounds like you had more than a co-worker... a true friend. It's nice that his work "lives on" in the movies.

Thanks tyketime. I knew him for less than a year and seems like I've known him for much longer. Yes, his work will live on for long long time which is pretty cool.
Subby
07-20-2011, 02:41 PM
Sounds like a great guy and a good friend. I always like to hear stories about people who lived their lives to the fullest and I posit that your friend fit that description.

Hang in there.
JonInMiddleGA
07-20-2011, 02:57 PM
Condolences on your loss.

I hope providing this link comes across as intended, as a tribute to his work rather than anything that would diminish his importance as a person.
His imdb listing (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0394855/) is impressive, your description of him even more so.
JediKooter
07-20-2011, 02:57 PM
Sounds like a great guy and a good friend. I always like to hear stories about people who lived their lives to the fullest and I posit that your friend fit that description.

Hang in there.

Thanks Subby. He was without a doubt a great guy. I don't think he wasted a second of his free time.
3ric
07-20-2011, 03:00 PM
John Horn - IMDb (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0394855/)

That's a great resume to have.
JediKooter
07-20-2011, 03:05 PM
Condolences on your loss.

I hope providing this link comes across as intended, as a tribute to his work rather than anything that would diminish his importance as a person.
His imdb listing (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0394855/) is impressive, your description of him even more so.

Thanks Jon. Awesome, definitely comes across as intended. He would sometimes refer to bug hunting as working in the code mine. He also worked as an engineer at the Diablo Canyon facility and found out that they built it in a mirror image of what it was supposed to. After that, he left and joined ILM.
JediKooter
07-20-2011, 03:08 PM
John Horn - IMDb (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0394855/)

That's a great resume to have.

Not too bad at all. :)
RainMaker
07-20-2011, 04:15 PM
Very sorry to hear. Life can be cruel sometimes.
JediKooter
07-20-2011, 04:23 PM
Thanks RainMaker. It definitely can be and you can only control so much.
Sun Tzu
07-20-2011, 10:59 PM
Brian,

That sucks man. In all, it's more my style to be happy than sad. It sounds like the guy truly lived life up while he was around, and...he went out on top! Sure he left a little earlier than he might have wanted, especially if you had asked him that day, but at least he was healthy, active, and worked on something he loved (not to mention did some pretty damned cool work!) for the majority of his life.

So, I say, cheers to John Horn! Hell of a life. Thanks for making those movies look so radical. w00t!
Marc Vaughan
07-20-2011, 11:05 PM
Sorry to hear that.
FBPro
07-21-2011, 07:33 AM
Sorry about your loss, sobering though makes me reflex on how I need to treat those who i am close to on a daily basis as I never know when it might be the last time I see them.
dolfin
07-21-2011, 08:31 AM
Sorry to hear Jedi.
JediKooter
07-21-2011, 11:03 AM
Brian,

That sucks man. In all, it's more my style to be happy than sad. It sounds like the guy truly lived life up while he was around, and...he went out on top! Sure he left a little earlier than he might have wanted, especially if you had asked him that day, but at least he was healthy, active, and worked on something he loved (not to mention did some pretty damned cool work!) for the majority of his life.

So, I say, cheers to John Horn! Hell of a life. Thanks for making those movies look so radical. w00t!

I'm sad because I've lost a friend and a co-worker, but, he did live an awesome life and that is a very good thing. We (us at work) are supposed to be doing a celebration of his life here soon and I have always liked the concept of celebrating ones life rather than mourning someone.


Sorry to hear that.

Thanks Marc.


Sorry about your loss, sobering though makes me reflex on how I need to treat those who i am close to on a daily basis as I never know when it might be the last time I see them.

Thanks FBPro. It definitely makes you take a step or two back and think about a lot of things.


Sorry to hear Jedi.

Thanks dolfin.