David Mann, a regular and popular contributor (under the pseudonym "Greycat Sharpclaw") to rec.sport.soccer was tragically killed in a car accident on April 8th 2003. His death shocked and saddened the entire newsgroup. More than fifty posters left tributes on RSS, and a selection of these are included below. -- SE From: Sven Mischkies Subject: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-04-30 03:44:03 PST RSS's most famous cat - in real life known as David Mann - died on April 8th in a car accident. He was killed instantly and leaves a wife, Robin. As he was a prolific poster on RSS who often amused us with his views from a cat's perspective Vicky and me would like other RSSers to post their condolences and their memories of our favourite cat. We will then forward this thread to Mrs. Mann. I am not sure if it is a good idea, but shouldn't this thread also be put on the rsssf website? Thank you all. Farewell Greycat Sharpclaw, may your future 8 lives be happy and full of nice furry things. Meow... ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Huw Morris Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-04-30 05:31:20 PST What a tragedy. RSS is the poorer for it. ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: MMcC Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-04-30 07:09:14 PST That knocked the wind out of my sails this morning. This is so sad, so very very sad. Greycat and myself didn't always see eye to eye on things and I tore into him on a couple of occasions over things that now seem so utterly mundane and silly in light of this awful news. My deepest condolences to his wife, family and friends. As they say in Ireland....... Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-anam uasal.... (may his noble soul rest on the right hand of God.) ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: mbabyak@duke.edu Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-04-30 07:11:21 PST My sincerest condolences. The recent thread about how long some of us have been reading this group made me think about the sense of community that I have gained through that time. Now the hard feeling of genuine loss upon hearing this very sad news brings it home all the more. Greycat Sharpclaw never showed anything less than pure class here and he will be missed. I'll be sure to raise a glass tonight in his honor. Mike Babyak ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: steve d Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-04-30 07:21:25 PST Thoughtful, witty, insightful and funny. He'll be sorely missed by all. My condolences go out to his wife and family. RIP Greycat - you were one of a kind. steve d ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Philip Lennox Beineke Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-04-30 08:10:05 PST Thanks for sharing the news, guys ... He invented a fun persona that made RSS more entertaining. Robin must have been through some very difficult times without his company. Like everyone else, I'm saddened for him and for her. Phil ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: David Tiemroth Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-04-30 10:37:30 PST He never wrote a dull post. His was a presence that we'll all miss. Meow... David Tiemroth. ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Moses Brown Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-04-30 08:38:47 PST Deepest sorrows. May his future be filled with catnip scratching posts and someone to forever scratch behind his ears. ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Doan Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-04-30 09:39:13 PST My sincere condolences to his wife and family. A very sad day indeed. Doan ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Peter Phung Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-05-02 02:22:03 PST It was very sad to enter #RSS IRC the other day and hear the news of Greycat's death. My condolence to his family, Peter Phung ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: John Rose Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-04-30 09:42:38 PST Very sad news, I would like to add my condolences ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Victoria Barrett (vbarrett@the-beach.net) Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-04-30 09:58:52 PST A touching, wonderful tribute Sven. Thank you for voicing the sadness the RSS community feel at this moment. Sven and I found out about Greycat's death yesterday when out of the blue, Mrs. Mann emailed saying he had been killed in a car crash, 8 April. Mercifully, as Sven mentioned, he was killed instantly and who amongst us doesn't feel a twisted pain in hearing this, almost as if, "Well if one has to go, let death take one unaware." Although her feelings are still "raw" (I quote), this lady who none of us knew, took the time out of her grief, to make sure someone on RSS knew about this tragedy, and in passing mentioned _how much_ he enjoyed rec.sport.soccer, and often pointed out the many witty, inane, provocative, controversial, silly, exasperating, and utterly treasured posts we have exchanged throughout the years, he and us all. (And words cannot express how I felt when I read that he mentioned my name to her sometimes...) Greycat Sharpclaw first caught my attention as one of the many "characters" we have in this newsgroup. In my country, Britain, we revere eccentrics, who often force us to see life through a different prism. In doing so, you learn something about yourself and others you wouldn't have otherwise; and this gift of whimsy he had in spades. But you need hardly have been British to have enjoyed Greycat, or indeed admired him -- as Stephen Halchuk said, he never once wavered from his cat persona, steadfastly proclaiming 'til his very last post, 3 April 2003...: "Cats of the world unite; all you have to lose is your collars!" Fittingly, the .sig on the last post of his was on a topic he felt vehemently about at times, an Off-Topic one at that, but who amongst us didn't admire his passion in defence of his country, whether or not the views he expressed we shared? And in another OT thread, dated 20 January 2003, he responded to Dani Sdao's "It's c-c-c-cold" post, "Fortunately I'm comfortable with cold." And Chris Horymski's reply, I've no doubt, had all of us in stitches: "Oh, please, like you've never sat on a radiator before." I think it is in _this_ exchange that we realise how much we will miss Greycat, Robin's David, our furry, irreplaceable RSS friend. And in memory of all those RSS'ers who have passed on without eulogy, but who have made this newsgroup the most special in USENET (without doubt), I extend my deepest sympathies to the Mann family, most especially to his widow, Robin. R.I.P. Greycat Sharpclaw. With affection, Victoria ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Bruce Scott TOK Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-04-30 10:17:04 PST Truly terrible news... I've seen Greycat on several newsgroups and he always brought such a positive sense of humour there, especially when the various posters needed to be reminded of the general perspective of how trivial the whole business was. All condolences to his family... he will be missed. ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Ava Greenwing (psittakos@lycos.com) Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-04-30 12:45:20 PST April 8th -- less than two weeks after I started posting and less than a month after I discovered the website. I thought his posts were often playful, and, looking back at some old posts, I realized what a wonderful sense of humor he had. I know birds like myself usually don't have a high regard for felines, but Greycat Sharpclaw was wonderful enough to overcome my instincts. I never thought I'd feel sad to see a cat depart this world, but I certainly feel that way about him. You're one cat I wish I could have known better, and that is high praise for you indeed. Farewell. ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Anne-Marie (anne.marie@sympatico.ca) Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-04-30 16:11:36 PST I would like to add my condolences to Robin and his entire family. His posts frequently has my mouth curling into a Cheshire smile. He will be missed. -AM ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Renato Guadagnolo Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-04-30 15:49:03 PST My sincerest condolences and prayers to the Mann family and friends. This tragedy has reminded me of a constant in the our lives, the circle of life. It was just the other day Daniele Paserman graced us with the news of his new born child and today we learn of the untimely death of a unique RSSer. It truly does all happen in the wink of a cat's eye. Renato ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Mike Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-04-30 17:49:10 PST Wow. This feels like a blow to the head and I had to read Sven's post twice to really grasp what it was about. Guess death lurks just around the corner for humans and felines alike, even though sometimes when bogged down in the trivialities of usenet debating it is easy to lose sight of that. Thanks to Robin for letting us know the sad news, without which we would probably never have found out. Which makes me wonder again about the strange online/offline dichotomy touched on elsewhere in this thread. Greycat Sharpclaw, your whimsical and surprisingly un-catty posts will be sorely missed. RIP and may your claws be sharp always. My sincerest condolences to your family, ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: James Allnutt Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-04-30 20:47:01 PST My deepest sympathy to Greycat's family. I will always remember the sig lines of "That darned cat" fondly. - does anyone have any spare tunafish?? - Cats of the world unite; all you have to lose is your collars! Be careful out there, people. James "Meow..." - Sven, it's the little things like these that are the most poignant reminders of what we all have lost. ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Dwight Beers Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-05-01 03:39:12 PST I didn't know David Mann. But, because a certain cat let us non-felines get to know him a bit, this dawg is gonna miss him a lot. Condolences, to all. ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: _Zhero864 Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-05-01 04:03:50 PST I only interacted with Greycat on a few occasions during my time here at RSS, but in doing so and reading his replies to others on the forum, he seemed like a genuinely friendly and funny person. I think his furry antics have amused everyone at some point, and he was a consistent and friendly contributor to the group. His family has my deepest sympathies and condolences. May he rest in peace. ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Yasuhiro Hernandez Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-05-01 10:29:53 PST I'm equal parts glad and sad that I chose to lurk back onto RSS at this point. Greycat struck me as a most decent sort. I recall how he gracefully parried what some could have construed as an attack that I made on him during some silly argument about "looking Irish". He was certainly a better man than I in that thread. I'm really touched by the reaction this has elicited from RSS posters. I'm so pleased that all of us are able to put acrimony aside and unify to express our grief at this tragedy. Meow indeed, Greycat! Requiem in Paw-cem. ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Lléo Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-05-01 11:35:24 PST My condolences to the family. These are very sad news. May he rest in peace. ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Chris Horymski Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-05-01 20:09:16 PST My condolences to Greycat's family...a friendly good-humored fellow who I'll miss. Chris ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Bordon Is Gone Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-05-01 20:37:29 PST My condolences to his family and friends. His wit and sense of humour will always be in the memories of all of us at RSS. ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Riffster Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-05-01 20:59:52 PST This is a very sad event - he will be missed! Bye gatto grigio - may you walk on cat's feet through a big field of catnip. - Paul Mettewie ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Alex Mizuki Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-05-02 04:13:33 PST Rest in peace, David Mann. God bless you and your family, for whom I send my deepest condolences. Alex Mizuki ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: gaborzinho Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-05-03 08:02:08 I just returned from a lengthy trip and was about to erase the thousands of posts that piled up in my mailbox, thinking that no way I can even begin to read them. I just happened to catch this one. I was never very good at knowing how to react to someone's death, and believe me, I have seen my share of them. I never met this fellow personally, I could only judge him based on his posts. But we had some things in common: football and posting on this ng. I am deeply saddened by his departure and we will miss him very much. May the Lord comfort those closest to him. Good by Greycat! ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Gabriel Rossetto Subject: Re: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-05-06 19:35:24 PST This is a time when I really regret not being really able to write properly in english to express what I actually feel. My deepest condolences to his family, he must have been a really nice and loving person, err, cat, who left us with a final prank... the only cat among us was actually called... Mann. Thanks for your fine sense of humor Greycat, your witty dialogue will be forever be in my memories, the world is a sadder place without you. May your journey continue wherever you are, surely we will meet again. meow Gabriel Rossetto ================================================================== No... no sig file this time. ------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Stephen Halchuk Subject: Greycat Sharpclaw, R.I.P. Date: 2003-04-30 04:54:00 PST Devastating news. In a newsgroup where emotions sometimes get the better of us and cloud our judgement, trajedies such as this sharply focus our attention on what is truly important. Mr Sharpclaw (I can't think of him otherwise) always had my respect and admiration. His ability to remain "in persona" was phenomenal, his views were thoughtful and his arguments reasoned. RSS is a poorer place with his loss. My sincere condolences to his wife Robin and the rest of his family. Greycat, may you romp long amongst the Elysian fields, ferreting out rats and truth in equal measure. Regards Stephen Halchuk Ottawa, Canada