Lost a friend

I'm just, putting this here to give you all a heads up that I have lost someone very close to me.  Things will continue to post to the Patreon as usual, I just may be a little distant for a bit as I take some time to grieve and process my feelings.

You don't need to read this, I wrote it up to help myself come to terms with all this.  Basically tl;dr My friend died from a shitty disease, he was special and I'm devastated. 

It is with a heavy heart that I have to say I will miss my friend Brun.  
Many in the furry community knew him as Brun Bera. He often suited at conventions as his Dragon Geolu or his Otter Fuzzy toes or as his Coyote Shuffles. But I knew him as Brun, a man who opened his home to me when I was young and dropping out of college. Madly in love with his roommate and struggling to make ends meet. He had a small Apartment with 2 small rooms and he graciously let me come and move along in with him and my partner.
I spent many years with Brun, he was absolutely brilliant, kind and loving. Generous to a fault, he gave his whole heart freely and he touched many lives in his quiet and supportive way. He became family, and even as time and circumstance moved us all on, we still met up as often as we could, weekly for a long time to catch up and stay in touch. He was always there with an encouraging word (and to play guard at my Dealer table while I would run off for a bathroom break) and he always helped me feel just a little better when I was stressing out too much. He introduced me to his favorite drink, a nuts and berries, which I also very much loved but had to have mixed at a very weak level. He commissioned me often for badges when I was just starting out and my skills weren't very good, he still loved everything I made for him and wore it for every con he went to. Once he had gotten into hats he had me make a small Geolu to peek out of his hat trim and I saw him with it often.
We shared good times and hard ones. I remember long car rides and quiet dinners. I remember tearful nights and rough days. I remember how happy he was as we moved him into the Condo he had so carefully researched and saved up for. And how much we all were bitching (good naturedly) as we struggled to get his Tempest arcade cabinet moved into place. And I remember when he decided to let us all know that he was sick, he'd gotten Parkinsons and how hard that was for him. Didn't matter how much he struggled, he always reassured us that he was okay, he was dealing with it, he was going to take care of himself. I don't think he wanted to burden us with how bad it could get...did get. The last time I saw him I could tell he had declined a lot, but he had some friends living with him and I hoped they were helping him get by. It was at the beginning of the pandemic, we had moved a state away as had more of our friend group and we were all getting distant. Communication dropped off and we all struggled along as best we could.
Finally, at the wedding of the friends who had been living with him, we learned things had gotten much, much worse. We did some research and contacted his family and they shared with us his info, now we could talk to him again. And we tried. He had a hard time communicating at all, it was a deep struggle and we felt for him. Hoping he would make a comeback, that he could recover and be himself again. And then this afternoon I got the news. He'd lost his struggle against Parkinsons and he has passed away peacefully yesterday.  
I don't know how I feel...numb mostly I guess, I don't think it's hit me yet, that my friend, Brun, is gone from the world. I want to cry and scream and say its unfair, and I'm sure I will I just....can't process it yet. It doesn't feel real, but it is real. Our community lost one of its most kind hearted individuals, and I am heartbroken over it.  
His family has asked that if anyone wants to do anything in memory of Brun please have a drink in his name (nuts and berries perhaps?) or if you're inclined, donate to the Parkinson's Foundation.  
Goodbye Brun, I will never forget you, and I will always miss you.