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Jerry McEwen, R.I.P.

Jerry McEwen was killed on Tuesday in Nashville. From The Tennessean:

Metro police said that McEwen, 54, was stabbed in the chest when he tried to stop a man who had just stolen a purse from a 60-year-old woman in a parking lot.

Jerry was one of the many windsurfers I’ve known through the windsurfing newsgroup, aka rec.windsurfing, aka wreckdot. I never met him in person, but I can tell you he was friendly and funny and we had more discussions about fin minutiae than is reasonable. Now I’ve learned that he was brave, too.

Jerry’s windsurfing blog is Southeast Lake Sailor. I was chatting with him there just two days ago. Now it’s a place to share thoughts with his friends. Some people are also remembering Jerry in this thread on rec.windsurfing.

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15 responses to “Jerry McEwen, R.I.P.”

  1. Nick Rather Avatar
    Nick Rather

    I’m so sorry to hear the bad news. Jerry and I played a lot of music gigs together in the late sixties and early seventies. We had some really crazy and funny times. He was a great guitar player and good friend and will surely be missed. He was a hero. From:Nick Rather

    Reply
  2. Lee Hall Avatar
    Lee Hall

    I am so sad to hear about Jerry. I knew him many years ago at Wright Jr. High and Glencliff High School. Even then he was an immensely talented guitarist. I remember him as a modest, quiet guy with a sly sense of humor.
    Lee Hall aka 1MAN1BAND

    Reply
  3. Durwood Edwards Avatar
    Durwood Edwards

    I knew Jerry both through music and web design. There was never a more giving and delightfully laid back guy on earth. Outstanding talent and human being.

    Reply
  4. Bunty Avatar
    Bunty

    That is really really sad. And I empathise with his family specially reading it today cos John got robbed on the bus this morning by two immigrants/refugees. He was about to run off the bus after them when the bus driver fortunately stopped him otherwise he could have ended up in a nasty way. Why do these people have to do these things? When you hear this stuff you kind of come down to earth with a bang. Very very sad.

    Reply
  5. human_catapult Avatar
    human_catapult

    man, that’s such a bummer. I’m a long-time recdot lurker, it’s almost like you get to know the people…
    Anyway if you didn’t know he had a blog too. Interesting how he has recent posts about day-to-day thoughts then bam…
    http://lakesailor.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  6. Michael Avatar
    Michael

    Damn it damn damn damn. Jerry is Southeast Lake Sailor too…who I’ve been linking to and he to me and we were just chatting…I heard from him on Tuesday. I didn’t realize he was Jerry McEwen Jerry.

    Reply
  7. Karen Cohen Avatar
    Karen Cohen

    I’m not sure if this is the same Jerry, but if so he was friend of my Dad’s and helped me with my computer with it was acting up. My Dad knew him when he worked at Black and Decker, if this is the same Jerry. Can anyone please confirm this, he used to come over with his girlfriend and they wre so kind. I’m so sad if this is the Jerry we knew.

    Reply
  8. Michael Avatar
    Michael

    Karen, according to this note on Jerry’s website, he once worked for Black and Decker. Sorry to bear this news.

    Reply
  9. Brett Anthony Avatar
    Brett Anthony

    A heartfelt good-bye to Jerry. My prayers are with his family. I moved to Nashville in 1990, windsurfing boards in tow. I spent many an afternoon on Percy Priest with Jerry windsurfing – even in calm air! If you knew him, then you knew his instinct to help was genuine. It is sad we loose a bright, energetic person to someone who probably should not have been out of prison. I will remember the fun times wind surfing with Jerry, may he rest in peace.

    Reply
  10. Ang DePriest Avatar
    Ang DePriest

    Jerry…I woke up to this news today. I’d seen the faces of the criminals on the news over the last few days and felt a pang of sympathy for the victim and his family – at Christmas. What a terrible time to bury someone. But I didn’t know it was OUR Jerry until this morning.
    Jerry built and managed our Web site, and the Web sites of several of our authors and friends. But more than that he was our friend. He was a sensitive, caring, wonderful man who had a heart as big as Texas and an even bigger attitude.
    I talked to him Tuesday morning, the day he was killed. And I feel awful because I owed him a phone call. But I remember my last conversation with him a day before. He told me about the loud neighbors and how he was having trouble sleeping. We talked about confronting people for bad behavior and Jerry said he was not afraid to confront evil.
    Now I can only imagine him standing like a rock in front of a purse-snatching murderer, ready to confront this evil in order to save a poor woman from losing a few dollars. I know he probably tried to reason with the murderer. I know he fell without regret.
    Will someone please tell me he didn’t die alone? That someone held his hand and talked him to glory? It’s selfish of me to want to know this. But I need to know our friend didn’t die alone.
    We love you Jerry. Ang & Dan DePriest

    Reply
  11. Yvonne Perry Avatar
    Yvonne Perry

    I just now found out about Jerry’s death. I was totally shocked.
    Jerry knew everything about technical and computer stuff. He was always giving me help whenever I need to update the Web site he created for me several years ago. Since he wouldn’t take money for the minor tweaks, I invited him to have his own column in my newsletter. I emailed him on Monday and we discussed the article he was going to write for January’s issue. He planned to have the piece for my on Wednesday. When I didn’t hear from him, I thought it was odd because he always got right back to me. I was thinking of him on the way home today and had planned to touch base with him this afternoon. When I got home, I had two phone messages telling me about his heroic death.
    We had networked on many projects and he was helping so many of my author friends with their IT needs. I just can’t believe he is gone. I will truly miss this guy.
    Yvonne Perry
    Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services

    Reply
  12. Michael Avatar
    Michael

    Funeral information can be found here as well as a link to an online guestbook.

    Reply
  13. Rebel Bailey Avatar
    Rebel Bailey

    A tribute webLog has been set up for Jerry. Please send me your story content and Ill post it, or I can send you an invite to post on that blog. Thanks everybody for all the kind words about my long time and good friend Jerry. He was character that will live in my heart forever.
    http://rememberingjerrymcewen.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  14. Donna Peerce Avatar
    Donna Peerce

    I just wanted to say how much I will miss Jerry. He designed my website and was unbelievably creative and fast. He was also a wonderful guide and mentor and helped me understand the importance of a good website name. I truly believe that when a person gives his life to help a fellow human being, that person soars ahead to the highest soul plane in the other worlds. He’s probably sailing away in a beautiful blue ocean, or reuniting with some of his musician buddies, celebrating life! I can just hear him telling everyone how he tried to help a woman who was being robbed, then laughing about how it cost him his “earthly” life. For the rest of us who are still on the planet, we will truly miss you, Jerry. Much Love to You! Donna Peerce

    Reply
  15. Monte Dobson Avatar
    Monte Dobson

    I still find myself missing Jerry McEwen. I only knew him in 2007, but we became friends through sailing very quickly. I went to the Metro Police department’s ceremony for giving awards to brave officers and citizens. It was a very moving thing to see Jerry’s sister Dianne accept the award and then give it to their aging mother.
    Fair wind and full sails to you Jerry.

    Reply

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