RIP Arcitennoir - Donald Robertson
Greetings All,
We will be using Donald's LiveJournal account to keep everyone updated as best we can about services, wakes and other news for Donald. Posted below here is the letter his father sent to deliver our sad news.
Services are scheduled for the afternoon of February 6th at the Congregational Church (UCC) on Mercer Island. More specifics will be posted as they develop.
Thanks so much to all of you who have sent your condolences and loving support through this difficult time.
~Donald's Family
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Greetings to you all -
Some of you know of Donald’s status because of personal involvement or phone calls. For others this e-mail will be a most unhappy surprise. However, I am obliged to inform you that Donald committed suicide in the very late evening of the 19th of January behind his house in Skyway, WA. He had struggled with depression for a number of years. He also had bouts of active alcoholism for decades. He had attempted to achieve sobriety in recent months but suffered lapses from time-to-time. Along with these challenges, he had faced unemployment for most of 2009 and believed his benefits were being cut off. Thus, he saw himself as a liability for those whom he cared and who cared about him. On the 14th, he was arrested for a DUI, and the probable jail time together with a suspended driver’s license meant that he would have had major problems meeting financial obligations. Such was his thinking as evidenced by the note he left behind.
Of course, his friends and family that have known of Donald’s action are devastated. We had long recognized his potential and regretted the challenges he faced but had hoped he would have been able to surmount them. He was a hard and skilled worker respected for the care with which he tackled each job. He is and will be missed, with reason.
Peter
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Here is a recent picture of Donald at his Art Show at Starfish Studios on January 7, 2010.
We will be using Donald's LiveJournal account to keep everyone updated as best we can about services, wakes and other news for Donald. Posted below here is the letter his father sent to deliver our sad news.
Services are scheduled for the afternoon of February 6th at the Congregational Church (UCC) on Mercer Island. More specifics will be posted as they develop.
Thanks so much to all of you who have sent your condolences and loving support through this difficult time.
~Donald's Family
-------------------------------
Greetings to you all -
Some of you know of Donald’s status because of personal involvement or phone calls. For others this e-mail will be a most unhappy surprise. However, I am obliged to inform you that Donald committed suicide in the very late evening of the 19th of January behind his house in Skyway, WA. He had struggled with depression for a number of years. He also had bouts of active alcoholism for decades. He had attempted to achieve sobriety in recent months but suffered lapses from time-to-time. Along with these challenges, he had faced unemployment for most of 2009 and believed his benefits were being cut off. Thus, he saw himself as a liability for those whom he cared and who cared about him. On the 14th, he was arrested for a DUI, and the probable jail time together with a suspended driver’s license meant that he would have had major problems meeting financial obligations. Such was his thinking as evidenced by the note he left behind.
Of course, his friends and family that have known of Donald’s action are devastated. We had long recognized his potential and regretted the challenges he faced but had hoped he would have been able to surmount them. He was a hard and skilled worker respected for the care with which he tackled each job. He is and will be missed, with reason.
Peter
----------------------------
Here is a recent picture of Donald at his Art Show at Starfish Studios on January 7, 2010.