Jerry's Recovery

The Big Night!

Cailean — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 16:43:43 +0000

Just a last minute reminder about the Memorial Concert tonight in honour of Jerry.

Doors open at 7:30pm, concert starts at 8:00pm. Bring your instruments!

The Tranzac Club, Main Space 292 Brunswick Ave., Toronto

Asmission: $10.00 (if able)

Jerry’s Birthday

Cailean — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 19:59:00 +0000

Hi All,

We’re working furiously to put the finishing touches on Monday’s concert. What details I have can be found at the bottom of this post.

The real reason for this post is to remind everyone that today, December 7th, is Jerry’s brithday. He would have been 59. I invite you to have a good meal, or a glass of wine, or simply flash someone a smile in his honour today.

Hope to see you all Monday.

Concert Details:

Monday December 11th, 2006
The Tranzac Club, Main Space 292 Brunswick Ave., Toronto
Doors Open 7:30pm
Concert Starts 8:00 pm
Open Session 10:00 pm-Midnight (bring your instruments!)
Admission $10.00

Featuring:

Rick Bauer
October Browne
Duncan Cameron
The MadriGALS
Marguerite Senecal
Alex Sinclair
Jamie Snider
Aaron Solomon
Two Roads Home

Memorial Concert Announcement

Cailean — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 02:45:14 +0000

Hi Everyone!

I am happy to announce that a date and location has been set for a memorial concert in honour of musician and friend extraordinaire Jerry Gonnelly who passed away November 10th.

The concert will be held in the main stage space at The Tranzac Club on Monday December 11th. More details will follow shortly.

I’ll be in touch shortly with all the info, but mark the night your calendars and come out to raise a glass and a tune to our much loved and missed friend!

All the best,
Abby

A few days…

Cailean — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 18:14:25 +0000

It’s been a few days now since we all said goodbye to Jerry. For those who couldn’t make it to the memorial service, we know your hearts and thoughts were with us. We now have to face the daunting task of getting used to life without Jerry. Sarah and I are now back at work and Mom has her brother and father in town for a while to keep her company.

I made reference in an earlier post about a possible ‘Evening of Music’ in Jerry’s honour. Those plans are progressing – we have a tentative date of December 11th, which hopefully being a Monday won’t interfere too much with pre-Christmas plans. The venue has yet to be finalized, but will be in downtown-ish Toronto. There will likely be some ‘performers’ but everyone is encouraged to bring their instruments – an open mic or jam session (or both) is definitely on the agenda.

~ Colin

Home Movies

Cailean — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 21:00:45 +0000

I dug up some video I shot of Jerry (and friends) performing at the Ontario Renaissance Festival in 2004…

Video 1

Video 2

~ Colin

Home again

Cailean — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 01:17:55 +0000

Mom finally returned home this evening after having spent the almost three weeks in Toronto. Being home is bittersweet – so many reminders of Jerry are both a comfort and a source of sadness.

Many of you have offered to do whatever you can to help. So far, we’ve not taken advantage of these offers, but with Mom home now, having meals for her to eat is an area where a little assistance might be useful. If you’d like to bring a meal around, just send us an email to let us know – but PLEASE, PLEASE do not feel any obligation to do so.

Here again are the details for the Memorial Service & Visitation:

Visitation: Thursday, November 16 from 7pm to 9pm

Memorial Service: Friday, November 17 at 2pm followed by a reception

Coutts Funeral Home
96 At. Andrews Street
Cambridge, Ontario N1R 5W6
519-621-1650
www.couttsfuneralhome.com

Colin & Sarah

Memorial Service

Cailean — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 19:39:02 +0000

There will be a Memorial Service for Jerry on Friday, November 17th at 2:00pm in Cambridge. Visitation will be Thursday evening from 7-9pm. More details to come.

For those unable to attend the service and/or visitation, we are planning a Memorial Evening of Music in Jerry’s honour in Toronto in early December. Details to follow.

An Explanation

Cailean — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 01:52:09 +0000

I just wanted to explain to everyone what happened yesterday as it must be confusing to many how it could have gone so badly so quickly.

Early Friday afternoon, very soon after Sarah’s post, Jerry suffered heart failure. His heart had become enlarged (who would have thought Jerry’s heart could get any larger!) as it was straining against the embolism to get blood to his organs. Though Jerry survived the heart failure, we were told early in the evening that there was nothing more, medically, that could be done for him. A few peaceful hours later, he was gone.

But not forgotten. The doctors have all said that he was a ‘remarkable’ patient – we all know he was a remarkable man. Now is the time to focus on the years that we had with Jerry. His smile, his music, his kindness. We each have stories – fond memories of his life and I invite you to share them here* so that we can all smile together at the memory of Jerry Gonnelly.

~Colin

* if you are reading this on the main blog page, simply click the title of the post to reply directly to this post. You can also email your memories of Jerry to us at jerrysrecovery@gmail.com.

Thank You.

Cailean — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 21:45:57 +0000

Your support has has kept us strong. Your love has warmed our hearts. You were all there for Jerry when he needed you most.

Jerry Gonnelly passed away peacefully at 11pm Friday, November 1oth held in the arms of his family.

Arrangements are being made through Coutts Funeral Home in Cambridge. Details will be posted here when they are known.

Linda is staying at Sarah’s in Toronto for the time-being.

Things are looking up!

Sarah — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 19:07:25 +0000

Jerry has been pretty stable for the last 40+ hours! As a result, they have taken him of his JET ventilator, his paralytics, and his sedatives! Now, they can better assess his neuro function.

Jerry hasn’t moved yet, but that is understandable as he is quite swollen from lying in bed and his muscles haven’t moved in several days.

We haven’t talked to the doctor yet today, but I will update you all further once we have more details.

This is very heartening news!

Sarah