From the 2006 SSQQ Halloween Party
with Liana Waldberg

Tim Green

My friend Tim Green passed away on Wednesday, January 30, after a lengthy fight with cancer.  Including Austella and John Jones, we have now lost three members of our community to this dread disease in the past year.

Unlike Austella's ordeal, I witnessed Tim's fight first-hand. He and his girlfriend were all set to go on the 2007 Conquest Cruise last summer when he got sick and had to cancel.  He would only have six months to live.

Amazingly, despite how sick he was, Tim spent practically every one of his last weeks on earth here at SSQQ.  Although he skipped the cruise, Tim continued to take classes throughout last fall. He had to be one of the toughest men I have ever met.  Tim never said a single word about his sickness.  He refused to accept any sympathy.

One day I noticed he had lost some weight. Like a moron, I remember going up to Tim and complimenting him on how handsome he looked after dropping the weight. Tim smiled and thanked me for noticing. How bizarre is that?

Then Tim began to sit on the couch for long periods during dance class. That's when I finally snapped to the painful realization that something was wrong.

I asked his girlfriend Liana what the story was. Liana frowned and explained that Tim had asked her not to say a word. Out of respect for Tim, I didn't ask again. But I could see whatever he had was serious.

When Tim appeared at our 2007 Halloween Party, he was so gaunt that I wanted to cry. This man was so tough, he still wouldn't say a word!  Tim had to be in so much pain, but he didn't want to hear a single word of sympathy. It broke my heart. Finally in late December, I couldn't help myself, so I asked again. This time I got a straight answer from Tim's friend Liana - esophageal cancer. No wonder the poor man had lost so much weight. He could barely eat.

In late January 2008 I got word that the cancer had spread.  This meant Tim had begun the morbid countdown. One week later and he was gone.

Over the past few years, I got to know Tim better than most of the students here. In addition to Tim, I had the privilege of meeting his mother-in-law Mary Gillespie and his vivacious daughter Morgan, age 17. Tim's daughter Morgan was so special that I knew he had to be a great Dad.

Tim was an exceptionally intelligent man. Believe it or not, he had just gotten his law degree not long before he fell sick. A couple years ago, Tim was very helpful to me in my struggles with my studio landlord. Tim was the kind of man who was the best of the best - kind, sensitive to others, quick-witted, a very giving man. Tim will be remembered by a lot of people here at SSQQ because he was a big part of this studio for a long time. I know I will miss him very much.