It is with a sad heart that I must tell you all of the passing of danceswithcats. Paul, a member here since 2002, took his own life in early July. 
Paul and I met at a Dopefest in 2005 and enjoyed a pleasant conversation. We exchanged a few friendly emails through the year, and when we met again the next year, as my marriage was falling apart, he…as he liked to put it, ‘saw his chance and swooped in.’ 
We started dating in January of 2007. He was loving, kind and attentive. He was a formidable opponent at Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble, and an awesome backgammon player.
He had the world’s best movie collection, and an amazingly eclectic collection of CDs. He’d put five CDs in the player, and it wasn’t uncommon to hear Sinatra, The Beach Boys, Sarah McLaughin, The Dropkick Murphys and The Traveling Wilburys in one night.
He was the doting father of a young teenage daughter, who I am sure misses him terribly.
He was ‘Fud Guy’ to a small herd of cats, who have been adopted by his neighbor.
He was a member of a volunteer firehouse for over 30 years. He served that firehouse in a variety of positions, most recently in two terms as President.
He was passionate about fire safety, and recently attended a conference on mandating fire sprinkler use in residential construction.
As kind and loving as he was, I could tell he was battling some terrible inner demons. We talked a lot, and I had suggested he get some professional help, but he always declined.
He broke things off with me abruptly in June, and refused all contact.
I was only informed of his passing this afternoon by a friend of his from his firehouse. His funeral was small and private.
I’m not even sure what else to say. I think I’m still in shock.