Karl died on Easter Sunday (April 11th), 1998. This was a couple of weeks after his 46th birthday. The official cause of death was renal failure, caused by liver cancer; but the reason for the illness was hepatitis C. Karl had been so healthy that by the time he felt ill, the Hep. C had already metastasized throughout his body, and it was too late for treatment or transplant. As you may know, Hep. C can lay dormant for as many as 20 years -- so chances are, he got the illness as a young man.
Karl loved Alaska, and loved life, and loved a wonderful woman. He didn't want to die.
There are a lot of boomers who wish they went to Woodstock. Karl was there and that's the kind of guy he was. There were talkers and then there were folks who just stuck their thumb out in the wind and did it.
I have the postcard Karl sent us when he left Woodstock and went on to NYC. It says that there were 500,000 people for three days and no crime -- no rape, no murder, no robbery. He asked if we could imagine three days of peace in Indianapolis -- which in those days, had a population around 500,000, I believe. He had a wonderful time!
There is a plaque in Karl's honor in Cordova, Alaska, where he lived. It was paid for by the town. It says, "Friendship was his life's work".
Thanks for sharing some of Karl's life with us ~ it sounds like he really lived it (not everyone can say that).
Although we weren't close friends, he was in some of my classes & I have very good memories of him. He seemed like a very genuine kind of guy who didn't care about your perceived popularity or who you knew or what activities you were in. He was easy to talk to, friendly, smart, and "real" in a way that a lot of people weren't. He was who he was and was comfortable with that.
It doesn't surprise me that a town would put up a placque to honor him. Sorry he had to leave so soon.....
Mark Hughey
Karl died on Easter Sunday (April 11th), 1998. This was a couple of weeks after his 46th birthday. The official cause of death was renal failure, caused by liver cancer; but the reason for the illness was hepatitis C. Karl had been so healthy that by the time he felt ill, the Hep. C had already metastasized throughout his body, and it was too late for treatment or transplant. As you may know, Hep. C can lay dormant for as many as 20 years -- so chances are, he got the illness as a young man.Karl loved Alaska, and loved life, and loved a wonderful woman. He didn't want to die.
There are a lot of boomers who wish they went to Woodstock. Karl was there and that's the kind of guy he was. There were talkers and then there were folks who just stuck their thumb out in the wind and did it.
I have the postcard Karl sent us when he left Woodstock and went on to NYC. It says that there were 500,000 people for three days and no crime -- no rape, no murder, no robbery. He asked if we could imagine three days of peace in Indianapolis -- which in those days, had a population around 500,000, I believe. He had a wonderful time!
There is a plaque in Karl's honor in Cordova, Alaska, where he lived. It was paid for by the town. It says, "Friendship was his life's work".
Regards, Karen Kinsel
Christy Black (Stephens)
Thanks for sharing some of Karl's life with us ~ it sounds like he really lived it (not everyone can say that).Although we weren't close friends, he was in some of my classes & I have very good memories of him. He seemed like a very genuine kind of guy who didn't care about your perceived popularity or who you knew or what activities you were in. He was easy to talk to, friendly, smart, and "real" in a way that a lot of people weren't. He was who he was and was comfortable with that.
It doesn't surprise me that a town would put up a placque to honor him. Sorry he had to leave so soon.....
Christy (Black) Stephens