Timothy "Tim" Naff, known to most of us as "Tarl", passed away in January 30, 2025 at the age of 73. He died peacefully at home, in his recliner, with his wife Estelle by his side.

Tim battled diabetes for years. When kidney disease followed, he spent the last fourteen years of his life on dialysis three times a week. From July 2024 on, he was hospitalized four times and went through two rehab stays before coming home for the last time under hospice care. His son Lorne, "Bear" to everyone who knows him, moved in to help care for his dad alongside the hospice team.

Even in those final weeks, Tim was looking out for Stell. He made sure to transfer the house to her name so she wouldn't face legal complications. He told her he would live long enough to make sure it was covered, and he did. There is no love truer than theirs.

Who Tim Was

If you knew Tim, you already know. If you didn't, here's a glimpse.

Tim was a "special education teacher" who spent his career working with kids nobody else had the patience for. He once described his affinity for them this way: "Oh look, a chicken... That's why I teach disturbed children. They're just like me."

In the Society for Creative Anachronism, he was "Sir Tarl Mapt", one of the first knights ever made in Texas, and the 2nd Baron of the Barony of Stargate, the oldest SCA group in the state. He held that title from 1977 to 1982 and was recognized with the Lion of Ansteorra, the kingdom's highest non-peerage honor. People spoke of him with such reverence that a story circulated about someone being scandalized at the casual use of his name, saying it was like calling God "Yahweh, baby." He would have laughed at that, and then sung you a wild Irish song.

Tim was a member of Cat Boxe Theatre, a comedy troupe born at the Texas Renaissance Festival in the early 1980s that became a chosen family spanning more than 40 years. Cat Boxe held each other through hurricanes, holidays, weddings, and funerals, and Tim and Stell were at the center of all of it.

He dreamed of Ireland and Innisfree. He loved dark chocolate and Diet Dr Pepper. He waged a lifelong war against the squirrels eating his bird seed. He sang songs in the shower and wore soft cherry red slippers he wouldn't describe further. His favorite book was Heinlein's Glory Road, and he rooted for the US curling team.

Why We're Asking for Help

Estelle "Stell" Naff is now facing the aftermath alone on a fixed income. Tim's Social Security and teacher's retirement income are gone.

Stell is dealing with significant costs remaining on Tim's cremation plan through Dignity Memorial. She's facing tens of thousands in outstanding medical bills. Every hospitalization generated separate bills from the hospital, doctors, anesthesiologists, ambulances, dialysis, and more. Medicare covered part, but the rest across four hospitalizations and treatments and help adds up fast. And with Tim's benefits gone, her income has dropped significantly.

On top of all this, Stell is managing her own health challenges. She had back surgery in 2024 for partial paralysis on her right side. She's on a walker and was making progress with physical therapy, until an insurance change in January 2025 interrupted her treatment.

Bear is living with her and they're supporting each other, but the financial reality is heavy.

How the Funds Will Be Used

The funds raised here will go toward the remaining cremation costs, outstanding medical bills from Tim's hospitalizations, bridging Stell's income gap during the transition to survivor benefits, and covering Stell's mounting costs.

Tim's Memorial

There will be no traditional funeral, Tim wouldn't have wanted one. Instead, his family and friends are planning a celebration of life in the spring.

Any amount helps. If you can't donate, please share this page. Tim and Stell's community stretches across decades and across Texas, from SCA fields to Renaissance Festival stages to convention halls to living rooms at Christmas. If this link can reach the people who loved them, it will make a difference.