Thursday, August 24, 2006

A bad week

Chris Barefoot, Ester village resident who wrote about the 2004 tsunami and Koh Phra Tong, Thailand, in a letter and later in an article for the Republic, died a couple of days ago, very suddenly. Chris was a good man, and had been planning to go back to the island of Koh Pra Tong for the winter to help them create a community-controlled tourist industry. He had quit his job at the University of Alaska, found a housesitter, and was going to leave in a few weeks.

He's going to be missed.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I grew up with Chris in Ottawa, Canada before his family moved back to the USA. Do you have any details on his death? We (Canadian friends) are all so sad and shocked.

Deirdre Helfferich said...

Hi, sorry, no details yet. He died last Monday night, evidently very suddenly (coffee mug in hand). A friend of mine found him, and we've not yet heard what the cause of death was. His parents should be back soon from Denmark, or are already back (I'm not sure), and they have been contacted. I'll post more when I know, or you can contact me at the Republic.

Anonymous said...

Wow. That's so sad. Thank you for replying. I'll pass the word on down here.

Anonymous said...

Any details known yet? He was a friend from years back, and I'm stunned at hearing the news.

Deirdre Helfferich said...

There will be a memorial on the 17th, I believe, but there are still no details confirmed on his death. I'm expecting an obituary which I'll be publishing on the 15th. Please contact me via e-mail at editoratesterrepublic.com, or leave a way to contact you.