July 3, 2014

@patrickklepek: well put. Thanks Patrick.

Beautiful Patrick.

Here's to you, man. Best wishes, and all of our hearts to you, your father, and Ryan.

That was beautiful, Patrick. Really made me choke up. Thanks for having the strength to put these thoughts into words, and for still trusting what is mostly a fantastic community with reading this. Remind me to give you a big ol' hug at the next Chicago meetup.

I've got nothing but love for you and the rest of the duders on this site, Patrick. Your words never fail to bring a tear to my eye.

As rough as life gets, know that you're making all of ours just that much better by doing what you do.

Thank you for everything.

:'(

This was amazingly said Patrick. Keep your head up, and thank you for writing this.

Someone linked to this on Patrick's twitter feed. A hidden gem of the site

presumably edited by Ryan.

Thanks for caring enough to share this with us. We love ya man.

Thank you Patrick.

...

Wow. Thank you, Patrick. I way have never have met Ryan, but it brought a tear to my eye and I choked up. It's funny how that works. It's the beauty of the internet, I guess. And this beautiful site. You get close to people without ever actually meeting them.

And I never mean to act like I knew him like people like Patrick did.

I remember when I first learned Ryan was gone. It actually wasn't here. I opened Kotaku actually and saw their Goodbye Friend post with a photo of Ryan. I stopped the rest of my life. Everything else faded into the background. I couldn't understand it. I didn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it.

A friend was gone and I never actually met him. But thanks to Giant Bomb and it's awesomeness, I felt like I did. And I'm forever grateful that you guys share your lives with us like you do. Even if it means a tough goodbye.

Miss you, Ryan. It's been a weird year without you. Never gonna be the same Giant Bomb.

Thanks.

Not sure what else I can say about this post other than thanks Patrick.

@patrickklepek: Thank you for the great read. It helped me process today in my own little way. Stay awesome.

Thank you Patrick. We can all only hope to make Ryan proud with where the site goes and evolves, and how all of us operate within it all. I don't think I could ever forget Ryan's laugh, or the countless he's given me and I'm sure so, so many others. Even if I do it's amazing that they are only a click away. As well, god bless your father. Rest in peace, to as far as I will ever know, two incredible people.

@patrickklepek, you are an incredible voice, and your writing is beautiful. This is one of the most striking, most piercing things I have ever read. You have no idea the positive impact you've made on this community. Thank you so much, I love having you here.

To hear that you use your Dad's wedding ring made me smile, I have just recently got married and chose to do the same thing although my father passed away 15 years ago, it is nice to have a wee bit of him close by.

My father passed away a little less than two months ago, and it was completely unexpected. Ever since, every day has been a fresh new hell, adjusting to a new reality where he isn't there, but the world keep spinning. You expect everything to slow down for just a little bit, just to try to get a foothold, and it seems if you just had a few minutes you could fix everything, but you can't. There is just this huge hole in your life you have to adjust to, and carry on. All the things you wanted to say, but didn't have the courage or mindfulness to, and all the memories you won't get to make and were expecting to. I can't imagine going forward with this kind of pain, and losing a friend on top of it. I didn't know Ryan, but due to the nature of the content of this site, like many others I felt like I did. That said, my input may be of little consolation to you, but I am truly sorry for the loss you are continuing to feel, and I am grieving for you.

Beautiful piece Patrick

I can't say I like the reason it gets easier with time either myself. I guess that's why we must always try to live our lives in a way those we lost might appreciate. At least that way some of their spirit and our memories of them can stay with us.

This might be the best thing Patrick has written. Beautiful, exquisite, and moving. Thank you.

love ya, P

Whilst I don't remember what I was doing on the day Ryan passed, I remember the moment the news broke out. Where I was, what I was doing, like it was yesterday. I don't think I'll ever forget that.

@kalmia64 said:

Patrick, your work has been so inspiring to me. I cannot thank you enough for the hard work and dedication you have poured into this site. You may be too humble to grasp just how important you are to people, but believe me, you are. Thank you, and thanks Ryan.

What he said

People can forget as time marches on, but maybe, if enough of us can remember just a little piece of him, together we can keep Ryan's memory whole.

Thank you for writing this, Patrick. I got hit hard when I saw GB home page, today. Long live Taswell.

Thanks for this Patrick.

Loved reading that, duder. Thanks for posting.

Thanks so much for sharing Patrick. I still can't believe it's already been a year, feels like yesterday when Ryan was around.

Yeah.

Well said.

It is people like Ryan Davis that make me desperately wish that I could believe in life after death. With that said, I miss that guy immensely, and I am sorry to say that I have gotten used to him not being around anymore as well. Time and its cold indifference as it marches on can be a real bitch sometimes.

This was a nice piece, Patrick. Thanks for all of your writeups, I've got nothing but respect for what you do.

Keep up the good work man, and have a try to have a happy holiday.

Well put Patrick. Life is pretty weird.

Jesus christ this hit me right in the heartbox. RIP Scoops SR and the Motherfuckin' Nacho Boss.

Cheesy as it sounds, Scoops, Giantbomb is a community. That's what makes it special. When we lose something, we go through it together. We're here for you, you're here for us.

Thanks for the touching words Patrick. I was tearing up at the end. My condolences for both your father and Ryan.

On yesterday's freedom stream I thought fondly of Ryan and had hope for the future of the site. Jeff was having an honest conversation with Dan, and looked like he was having a good time for the first time in a long while. It reminded me of the way he fed off Ryan, becoming truly LIVELY!!

Remember the little things, because the life is made of little moments we ignore while waiting for big events. Notice the little things, because you'll be able to remember lost loved ones more wholly and appreciate those that continue on with you more completely.

Wonderful piece, Patrick. Remember to revel in the good times with Ryan and Mr. Klepek on this difficult Independence Day. I bet they'd both be pissed if you didn't enjoy a burger, a beer, and some pretty lights in the night sky.

So how old was your Dad and how old are you? Feels like losing a parent early on in life must be really shitty. *big hugs*

It's peculiar that the GB team comes across as a family and tight knit group of old friends than merely coworkers. Losing Ryan must have been the fucking worst.

Selfishly, I'm grateful for only being able to imagine how hard these past two years have been for you, @PatrickKlepek. Thanks for the great piece. Like most people here, Ryan touched my life with his infectious, up-beat persona, even though we never met.

Damn, Patrick. Beautifully written and another reason why you're so good, and respected, for your work. Condolences to you and everyone who was touched by your father and Ryan. And if it means anything, I'll happily high five the shit out of you whenever you want.

Beautiful, thanks Patrick

Thank you Patrick. I miss Ryan too. Didn't know him in person but damn it I wish I had.

That was beautiful Patrick.

Stay strong buddy.

Thank you.

That was really great Patrick. I miss Ryan every day. Taswell fo' life.

Thanks for sharing Patrick.

So much love, Patrick.

This hits the spot.

I wish your post had been longer, i didnt want it to stop. I wanted us to remember Ryan together, reading your post. All this, this we do, feels strange and bizarre.

Now I'm really sad again. Nicely written, Patrick.

Miss you, Ryan.