The Theo Fund - in Honor & Memory of Greg Straks
Donation protected
In Honor & Memory of Gregory Aleksander Smukler Straks:
The below was written by one of Greg's closest and best friends, Jeremy Clyman. With Jeremy's permission, we have included it here in Greg's memory as it so accurately reflects Greg's presence and spirit.
--
We all love Greg so much. He was deeply and easily lovable. And he loved all of us, passionately.
To so many, Greg was a most loyal friend - and for many - a best friend. Greg and his memory are engraved in so many of our most treasured experiences. Objectively, he was a fantastic friend; super endearing, interesting, fun-loving, and supportive. The kind of friend you were happy and proud to introduce to other friends. But, even deeper than that, he was uniquely thoughtful, kind, caring, and deep. Greg felt the world and relationships deeply, probably too deeply. He was the kind of friend who’d help you with a 3am crisis, no questions asked, and always remembered your birthday even though he never remembered his car keys.
We all know that, especially in recent years, Greg suffered from relentless and unshakeable depression and self-hatred, and we watched as his wonderful qualities, including a zest for life, gave way to an unfathomable inability to forgive himself for tolerable mistakes. It’s an epic tragedy that Greg could never be the kind of friend to himself that he was to all of us.
Greg had a razor-sharp intellect and was a natural academic, but his impressive brain power all too often manifested as stubbornness. Despite the uniquely loving and awesome efforts of his family and close friends, a hopelessness somehow crept in and cemented itself into his psyche and he became rigidly committed to the idea that he didn’t deserve, and couldn’t tolerate, a full, extended, and happy life. Greg's love for us and the love he knew we had for him was the light that sustained him through these darkest of years.
We'll all continue to love him and miss him, and cherish his memory until the day we join him.
Condolences to all and may we treasure his spirit and carry it with us.
--
This fund was created in Greg's memory and for his son, Theo, who we love and will guide, support, and cherish with equal strength as that towards Greg. For those of you looking for ways to create meaning from this loss, strengthen bonds with him and those who loved him, as well as celebrate his life, consider donating here to help us carry forward Greg's memory and wishes by enabling the happiest life for his son that we can.
A few notes & alternatives:
1) We had to set a minimum, so entered $5,000 arbitrarily, though we hope to maintain this fund into the future and allow it to evolve over time as we identify the best ways to honor Greg's memory (such as donating to the campaigns of Trump's opponents for 2020).
2) Theo has a college savings account, to which we will likely allocate most of the funds from this campaign. To make a gift contribution directly to Theo's college savings plan, follow these instructions:
1. Go to Ugift529.com .
2. Enter the Ugift code: Y06-35H
3. Enter your name and the amount of your gift.
4. Make your gift via electronic funds transfer or check.
3) A non-profit that Greg was involved with is called Memorial Society (www.memo.ru/en-us), which seeks to publicize histories and human rights violations in post-Soviet states. We're confident that donating to this organization is an appropriate tribute to his life.
The below was written by one of Greg's closest and best friends, Jeremy Clyman. With Jeremy's permission, we have included it here in Greg's memory as it so accurately reflects Greg's presence and spirit.
--
We all love Greg so much. He was deeply and easily lovable. And he loved all of us, passionately.
To so many, Greg was a most loyal friend - and for many - a best friend. Greg and his memory are engraved in so many of our most treasured experiences. Objectively, he was a fantastic friend; super endearing, interesting, fun-loving, and supportive. The kind of friend you were happy and proud to introduce to other friends. But, even deeper than that, he was uniquely thoughtful, kind, caring, and deep. Greg felt the world and relationships deeply, probably too deeply. He was the kind of friend who’d help you with a 3am crisis, no questions asked, and always remembered your birthday even though he never remembered his car keys.
We all know that, especially in recent years, Greg suffered from relentless and unshakeable depression and self-hatred, and we watched as his wonderful qualities, including a zest for life, gave way to an unfathomable inability to forgive himself for tolerable mistakes. It’s an epic tragedy that Greg could never be the kind of friend to himself that he was to all of us.
Greg had a razor-sharp intellect and was a natural academic, but his impressive brain power all too often manifested as stubbornness. Despite the uniquely loving and awesome efforts of his family and close friends, a hopelessness somehow crept in and cemented itself into his psyche and he became rigidly committed to the idea that he didn’t deserve, and couldn’t tolerate, a full, extended, and happy life. Greg's love for us and the love he knew we had for him was the light that sustained him through these darkest of years.
We'll all continue to love him and miss him, and cherish his memory until the day we join him.
Condolences to all and may we treasure his spirit and carry it with us.
--
This fund was created in Greg's memory and for his son, Theo, who we love and will guide, support, and cherish with equal strength as that towards Greg. For those of you looking for ways to create meaning from this loss, strengthen bonds with him and those who loved him, as well as celebrate his life, consider donating here to help us carry forward Greg's memory and wishes by enabling the happiest life for his son that we can.
A few notes & alternatives:
1) We had to set a minimum, so entered $5,000 arbitrarily, though we hope to maintain this fund into the future and allow it to evolve over time as we identify the best ways to honor Greg's memory (such as donating to the campaigns of Trump's opponents for 2020).
2) Theo has a college savings account, to which we will likely allocate most of the funds from this campaign. To make a gift contribution directly to Theo's college savings plan, follow these instructions:
1. Go to Ugift529.com .
2. Enter the Ugift code: Y06-35H
3. Enter your name and the amount of your gift.
4. Make your gift via electronic funds transfer or check.
3) A non-profit that Greg was involved with is called Memorial Society (www.memo.ru/en-us), which seeks to publicize histories and human rights violations in post-Soviet states. We're confident that donating to this organization is an appropriate tribute to his life.
Fundraising team: Family & Friends of Gregory Straks (2)
Mark Smukler
Organizer
Montclair, NJ
Joseph Smukler
Team member
