Kevin Gast
From BayTeam
About member Kevin Gast (June 25,1963 - March 1, 2008).
- Joined: Aug-2003-2004, Feb-2005
Sam (Shetland Sheepdog, 05/04/98 ) - PD1; C-ATCH 08/06/06 [AX MXJ; EAC ECC OJC O-TN-E WV-E TG-E Elite Versatility Award]
Contents |
[edit] Obituary
- In SF Chronicle (March 23, 2008)
[edit] Memorial service
From Loni:
| We have the final word about services for Kevin. They will be held on March 30, 2008 at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, 450 Powell Street in San Francisco. Services will be at 5pm; food and drink will follow at 6pm. |
Please help me spread the word, as I know this is somewhat short notice, particularly for those of you coming from up north. Thank you for your patience and please contact me if you have additional questions or a logistical problem that I might be able to help with.
We are also still looking for the perfect agility home for little Cooper, so please be on the lookout and tell people they can contact me with questions, etc. I’ll be at the Sunnyvale Bay Team CPE trial this weekend, and Cooper and Sam and Joyce and Robin and I will be at the NADAC trial in April in Santa Rosa.
You can contact me at home at (lonic (at) astound (dot) net or by phone 650-996-1823 (cell) 650-273-1362. It’s also perfectly fine to contact me here at work (lonic (at) amgen (dot) com.
[edit] Tribute book
Loni Cummings says (Tues, March 4): I'm thinking of putting together a book for Kevin's mom with stories and tributes to Kevin. I'd like to include photos, since Kevin LOVED to send and receive them. If people would be willing to take a moment and communicate how he touched their life, maybe include a photo if they have one. something like that. I'm thinking 8-1/2 x 11 that I'd print out in color on some nice paper. They could scan a photo, make a color copy, or send an actual that they wouldn't need back. If people could send them to me within the next week or so, I think that would be great. I don't think there's a big rush. I'd rather it be nicely put together than to rush it. People could email them to me at home (send email with a subject line "Kevin's Book" or snail mail to:
Loni Cummings 550 Palm Avenue South San Francisco, CA 94080 I'll also be at the Bay Team CPE trial so people can give me something there if they'd prefer. Any other ideas would be welcome. |
[edit] From Candy R
It is with a deepest sorrow that I pass along this message. Kevin Gast passed away Saturday at 10:55pm. He was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis. The infection caused irreversible brain damage. He left us Saturday night at 10:55p.m. with his mom and closest friends by his side. Sam is said to be appearing okay but somber, Cooper the puppy is fine and enjoying living at his grandma's house with her 3 dogs.
This was sudden and unexpected. He was a young, vibrant young man and I am so honored to have known him and experienced his enthusiasm of life and dog agility.
[edit] From Sandy R
As I walked courses this weekend, I looked at the faces of so many people whose company I have grown to enjoy, that I have known for years, and I realized that there were many that I could not introduce to you by name. So when I asked folks if they knew Kevin Gast, I understood why some people hesitated long enough for me to say, "he's the tall blonde guy with blue merle shelties". One after the other they replied with "oh yes! I know him".... then each and every person said a variation of the same thing.... and that was how much they liked him followed by the question "why?". On Saturday, my answer was that he is very sick and, on Sunday, my answer was that he had passed away last night. His illness took him in days. Marie Mori and I posted some photos of Kevin at the score table. I stood there staring at the blank piece of paper that we taped next to the photos; Marie took the pen and wrote "Kevin Gast June 25,1963 - March 1, 2008. We've lost one of our own".
For this man to be gone is simply wrong. He was loving and sweet and funny and you only had to talk with him once to know it. I'm the lucky one that got to be his agility instructor. Kevin was the student that any teacher would have loved to teach. He was the student that was keen to learn all he could, had clear goals that he worked hard to reach and he had the talent to reach his goals. I will never understand why he was robbed of the time that was his to finish Sam's fantastic career and start Cooper's. I will never understand how it came to be that his beloved dog, Katie, died just days before he did. I'm mad that I never got to get him back for that impersonation that he and Loni did of Nancy and me that Halloween in 2005. I don't ever want to forget Marie Mori and me checking to see which of us ate more of the cupcakes that Kevin brought to class each time Katie or Sam had a birthday.
(Anyone that knew Kevin knew how much he loved his dogs, what they were to him, but what you might not know is that in all our lessons to address the usual missed contacts, dropped bars and distance (we had a lot of fun with the distance ones), I cannot recall Kevin voicing disappointment in Sam, not ever. He was the truest of partners to Sam in every sense. Kevin did not criticize himself either; he would get excited and say "yeah, I can do that" or "that is sooo cool". He would always send me an e-mail with the details of his weekend after we had been focusing on something in particular, he would let me know how well that part had worked and I would have to read it twice to know if he actually got the Q or not. When he reached particularly special goals he would send me a gift with a special note. He expressed gratitude from his heart on a regular basis; it was who he was, how he lived, maybe that was a part of what made him seem to me to be a truly happy person that loved his corner of the world.
I spoke with his friends and Mom at the hospital on that last Saturday. I felt that I spoke for all of us when I told his Mom that there is an arsenal of people to step in and help with the dogs on a short term, long term, temporary or permanent arrangement. Joe, who was Kevin's partner for many years, spoke of the decision to remove the ventilator. He said "Kevin would not have wanted to live if he could not run his dogs". It was my turn to feel grateful. I'm grateful that the people outside of agility in Kevin's life totally got what agility was to him. I'm grateful for Loni staying with him until the end, knowing she was there for all of us and for the memories and friendships that were Kevin's born and grown through agility; but mostly I'm grateful for having Kevin as a student. I had a lot to learn from him.
[edit] From Paulette C
Kevin was the first person I ever met at my first fun match. He was wonderful and kind and caring from our first meeting. I never missed a chance to spend time with him. Words are not coming right now but, if you knew Kevin, you know how much you already miss him and the hole that will be there when he is not at the next trial. Let us learn from this that life can be unpredictable so be kind each and every chance you get.
[edit] From Angela S
I used to joke with Kevin that he was my good luck person. Whenever he ran in agility directly before us in CPE or AKC, we always did exceptionally well. Maybe it was just his hallmark humour that lightened up the moment and helped us along the way, or maybe it was just the magic of Kevin. He was always a bright shining star, forever making us smile and laugh. We'll never forget him.
[edit] From Nancy C
There are many many great memories I have of Kevin, but one of my fondest memories of Kevin was in 2004 at the CPE Nationals. Kevin with Sam, myself with Chili, and Loni with Robin were on a roll. We were all on a high.. laughing, joking, course strategizing. Kevin and I especially both loved snooker and we always strategized about our snooker course, sharing our ideas. Our pet name for each other then became "snookems". Kevin, Loni, and I supported each other throughout that day and we both wound up winning high in standard in our respective levels and Loni won Reserve in Standard. I do believe Kevin's upbeat attitude, support and joking around helped relieve a lot of stress that day which is why I think we all did so well.
Kevin always went out of his way to go to a trial to support his fellow classmates and friends, even if he was not entered! I would hear a friendly "HEY SNOOKEMS!" and turn around, there he would be with a big smile on his face.
And who can forget about the 2005 Annual ACE Halloween Match when Kevin and Loni came in costume dressed up as Sandy any me! OMG! Priceless!
Kevin Gast... What can you say about him? Loving, caring, FUNNY, kind, thoughtful.
Oh my...it is too hard to comprehend that he is gone. He is dearly missed.
[edit] From LFrench
Kevin was a wonderful agility friend & classmate. I loved to watch him run Sam & could see how they developed a wonderful bond. He was always upbeat & positive at trials no matter what the outcomes of his own runs. He was supportive & encouraging. What I will mostly remember is how much fun Kevin was. He genuinely loved his dogs, loved agility & loved hanging out with people. He volunteered in every position and did each with grace & good will. I am so going to miss seeing him! This kind funny man died way too early!
[edit] From Rossean H
I hadn't gotten to know Kevin that well yet, but have always liked him and kidded with him. At the Fun Paws NADAC trial weekend of 2-16 & 17 I found myself sitting next to him. He had Cooper in his lap and we were admiring Cooper's ears and chatting. I can still see him hugging and looking so lovingly at Cooper. It's hard to know such a gentle man who so loved his dogs is gone, and gone way too soon. What a loss to us all.
[edit] About posting to this page
Bay Team members can log in and add photos or additional comments. We don't have a guestbook capability for nonmembers at the moment, but you can send email and we'll post it for you.
