December 20, 2013

It is with a heavy heart that I report that Greg passed away peacefully at Duke Hospital this afternoon.  He was surrounded by a small group of close friends here in Durham. 

I know this sad news will come as a shock to most of you, especially given just ten days ago we thought he would be leaving the hospital for a stroke rehabilitation facility.  Unfortunately, after three weeks of steady progress, Greg's health took a dramatic turn for the worse last week.  Each day brought additional uncertainty and complications as the doctors tried to manage the interaction between various treatments and medical conditions that were too often at odds with each other.  Greg put up a strong fight and had moments of lucidity and seeming improvement, but in the end, his body was exhausted and his spirit ready to let go.

Greg's funeral will take place with his family in Cincinnati shortly after Christmas, and there will be a memorial service at Duke in 2014.  We will share plans for both on this site as they solidify.  In the meantime, we welcome posts here so that members of the global community that Greg helped create and nurture can honor their memories of him. 

We will all miss Greg's generous, kind, and compassionate heart, his humility, his brilliant mind, and so many other gifts he shared with the world.  No doubt the world is a far better place for his having been here, and we are all better people for his having been a part of our lives.  May he rest in peace and live on in our hearts, minds, and actions.