We lost a member of our family yesterday.

Yesterday Roger "Bones" Ranch died after his trailer caught fire in the early morning hours.

Roger was a man well known to his many friends for having the gruffest of exteriors surrounding a heart of purest gold.

He looked very much like one might imagine Santa Claus would look if Santa dropped some weight and took on a combative, take no prisoners attitude.  And just like Mr. Claus, Roger was omnipresent.

He was everywhere.  And I DO mean everywhere.  If you were at a rally, he was there.  If you were at a meeting of Democrats, he was there.  If you were protesting something that needed protesting, you could damn sure count on the fact that he was there!

I met Roger for the first time at Shannyn Moore's house.  He had been standing off to the side by himself, but when somebody mentioned out loud that I was Gryphen he made a beeline right for me, shook my hand vigorously and told me he loved my blog.  This was over two years ago and I was still not used to meeting people in the real world who knew me from the internet.  But Roger had nothing but nice things to say, at first.  (Later in our friendship he had no compunction about providing me wtih suggestions for things I should write about in the future and what I should stay away from as well.)

He was very smart, very knowledgeable about local issues, and very free with his opinion.  I always came away from our interactions a little shell shocked but much better informed then when he first walked up.

After that I first time I saw Roger frequently at rallies, political events, parties, and protests, and always he made a point of walking up and shaking my hand and telling me what a good job I was doing. He was a HUGE supporter of all of the Alaska blogs and usually left comments under the name "BonesAK," a name left over from his days as a medic in the military and while working as a physician's assistant in Bethel.

Once Roger slipped a 50 dollar bill in my hand during a handshake, and though I tried to give it back, he would have none of it.  He said that what I did was extremely important and the least he could do was to give me a couple of bucks to help me do it.

I cannot tell you how much of a loss to our state, to our politics, and to our community, the passing of Roger Ranch will be.  There is just no tool with which to measure it. 

For me personally I know I will miss the sound of his gravelly voice, his infectious booming laugh, and his gentle spirit always clearly visible beneath his craggy features and behind his playful dancing eyes. Roger was a man who lived a full, and sometimes difficult life, but he never lost his enthusiasm for the promise of tomorrow. He was a tireless advocate for social issues, the squeakiest of wheels when one was required, and a passionate believer in the power of the individual to make a difference.

Good bye my friend. And thank you for everything you did to make this state, and this country, a better, saner, place for all of us to live.  We owe you a great debt that can only be repaid by earning the faith you placed in us and doing the work that you trusted we would continue to do.

Namaste Roger, Namaste.

If you wish you can read more about Roger over at Mudflats.