Please Support Us After the Loss of Our Dear Linus

On July 4th, 2025 Linus suffered a respiratory event at home that caused him to go into cardiac arrest. He was able to call 911 and open the door for EMS before he became unresponsive. Police responded and began CPR. EMS was able to get his heart started and he was intubated on-site, then taken to the ER. He was put on a ventilator and admitted to the ICU where hypothermia protocol was initiated in an attempt to prevent damage to his brain. Unfortunately, despite all efforts, Linus suffered a severe anoxic brain injury. Supportive care was continued, and we prayed for a miracle. More tests were done several days later which showed that the swelling in Linus's brain had increased, and the injury to his brain was "global", meaning there was no chance of recovery.

On Sunday, July 13th our dearest Linus passed.

Linus made the wonderful decision years ago to be an organ donor. Anyone who has ever met Linus (or even heard stories of him second hand) will know that this is so completely in line with his life of kindness and giving. He would be so, so honored to know that this horrific loss will save lives and prevent other families from suffering as we are.

Linus was so talented and so many things to so many people. He was a licensed EMT, an electrician, (most recently) a car dealer… there wasn’t a job to big or complex for Linus, there wasn’t a tool he didn’t possess (in either his extensive collection, spanning multiple toolbags or in his brain that was like a computer)- and if he didn’t have it, he would make it out of something! All he had to do was watch something done once and he picked it up. He did every single thing with exactly the amount of strength or gentleness needed. He did his very best and gave his all every single moment of his life, whether he had an audience or there wasn’t another person around for miles.

Above everything, though, Linus loved the people (and dogs!) in his life. He loved me (his partner of almost 2 decades) and our dogs with every fiber of his being. Me, the "boys" (our dogs), his parents, siblings, and his best friend meant more to him than anything in the world.

Nothing words can say could ever do justice to what Linus means to this world. The love he had for all of us and life, in general, isn't something that could be diminished even by the sadness that's come with the loss of his physical being. He was and will continue to be the biggest, brightest light in so many of our lives. We will never stop smiling and laughing and spreading kindness in Linus's honor. But, in this moment the pain of this loss is immense (and it always will be). Something Linus worked the hardest for was knowing that his family would be ok; that we would worry as little as possible, that fear and uncertainty wouldn't distract us from the peace and happiness he wanted for us all. For the time I've been his partner, Linus has provided a place of safety and security I've only ever known with him. We always said, "as long as we have each other, nothing else matters". I never felt so sure of anything in my life. And he carried this sentiment through his entire family. We've always known that as long as we had Linus, everything would be ok. And we all tried, tirelessly, to give him that same sense of love and security. But at the end of the day, he was the center of our family, and of my world. Despite his selfless way of helping anyone in need, Linus often struggled to ask for help. He never wanted to "burden" anyone. I had the privilege of having been one of the people Linus often called for help, and I would thank him most times (which he usually didn't quite understand) because... imagine your biggest hero asking you for help- what an honor! But, despite Linus's reluctance to "burden" the world by asking for help, he implored us all to always reach out whenever things got to be too much. Linus's ideal world was one where everyone stood together and cared for each other always, but especially in times of great sorrow and need.

Linus is the hardest working man I've ever met. And he worked so hard, not because he coveted the material things and status wealthy people had, but because he wanted to provide for me and our dogs and our families. He wanted to make a life for us where we didn't have to struggle financially and we could spend as much time together as possible, because that is what he valued- time with the people he loved.

While even thinking about money during such a horrible time feels strange and uncomfortable, I know that the world around us doesn't stop just because my world feels like it has. Unfortunately, Linus and I did not yet have money set aside for something like this. We were planning for our future and working towards being prepared for emergencies... this was just so sudden and unexpected. But, when I realized that it would be necessary to reach out for help, I realized that asking for help from the massive community of people who will always love Linus is exactly what he would want. If this were anyone else and Linus was still with us, he would be the first one to step up to do whatever was needed, and he'd be rounding up everyone he could think of to help.

Funds raised will go towards Linus's final expenses, paying any necessary bills, and ensuring that our dogs and I are able to remain in the home that Linus made just for us.

We will be organizing a Celebration of Life for Linus in the near future, and we will all work hard to be sure everyone is notified when a time and place are decided on. And we can continue to celebrate and honor Linus's life every day by spreading the kindness and love that he embodied always.

Thank you so much to everyone who has loved Linus and shared in his life. Please feel free to leave stories about Linus or anything you'd like to share with us along with your donation using the "words of support" feature.

With love,

Rachel