Ed here: For the past four years Jerry and I emailed each other at least three times a week. We loved tormenting each other with our hilariously disparate political views. In addition to being friends and fellow writers we had cancer and alcoholism and depression in common, topics we'd discuss in between our barbs. He was very very clever and would have me laughing for a long time after some of his responses. I told him and meant it that he was a major writer and that his take on the private detective field would be long remembered. Like me he was a lapsed Irish Catholic who never spared the old Church a nasty joke when it was justified--which was always. My life literally won't be the same. A good share of the time when I sent out my political jibes I would think Man, is Jerry going to come after me for this one. And he would and he'd have me laughing out loud despite the fact that he'd just disemboweled my argument. There won't be any more e mails from him. So long, my friend.
Sandy Balzo posted this on her Facebook website:
Thank you, everyone, for your kind thoughts for me and tributes to Jerry. The stories are wonderful and the pictures posted on Facebook are some I've never seen. I'd love it if you'd tag them "Jeremiah Healy," so I can keep them on his page. I posted Monday about Robin Williams' loss, saying "Severe depression is about as far from 'the blues,' as Ebola is from a cold," based on seeing Jerry battle through a bad bout in May and June. You can't just "cheer up," or "see somebody" or "take something" and instantly make it better. Even the right drug, when and if you finally find it, takes days or weeks to work. Plain and simple, I said, depression kills. Little did I know that three days later it would claim my love. I plan to have the memorial at Jerry's beloved Lauderdale Tennis Club mid-November when the snowbirds are back in South Florida. You know how Jerry always loved a crowd. :-) I'll post the exact date and time on Facebook, as well as on the memory page: http://serenityfuneralhomeandcremation.com/book-of-memories/1929690/Healy-Jeremiah/index.php In the meantime, please know that I appreciate every single post and email, even if I don't respond directly. We are blessed in our friends. Jerry would have been so pleased. Love, Sandy
1 comment:
A very fine tribute Ed. It's been a couple of days and I'm still stunned and shocked. I knew Jerry had battled depression for years, but still, the news hit me like a punch to the gut. He welcomed me into MWA back in 1986, helped me get an agent, and blurbed my first novel.
What a loss.
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