In Memoriam

This page is dedicated to the members of the Myst/Uru community whose names appear on the Explorers Memorial.

Stuart "Dichromus" Allen

23 March 2019

Surface name: Stuart Allen

He was instrumental in preserving karaoke songs by founder Sil-Oh-Wet and regularly played some of her songs at his karaoke shows after she passed away. He was also a musician and singer.

Memberships: MOUL forums (September 2006)
Remembrances: MOUL forum thread by janeerah: Another loss (WM)

Richard "ShadowCats" Bader

17 August 1962 - 24 June 2010

Perth, Australia

Shadowcats was active in the Myst/Uru community by 2003, becoming a member of the Guild of Greeters that year and being appointed as a Guild Master in July, 2004. He participated in the Uru Live Beta (Choru), Prologue, Until Uru, and Myst Online: Uru Live (GameTap era). His beloved cat, Wicket followed him in death just two months after his passing.

Memberships: Ubisoft (Nov 2003), Guild of Greeters (Dec 2003), The Great Tree (Apr 2004), Myst Community (Jun 2004), Lostkin Shard (Nov 2005) WM, DRC Forums (Dec 2005), Mystralia Forums (Aug 2006)
Remembrances: Guild of Greeters forum thread by Nyrphame Danilaise: Sad News, Shadowcats Remembered (WM); Myst Online forum thread by veralun: Sad News, Shadowcats Remembered (WM)

Brian "Piper Driver" Bainter

Surface name: Brian Bainter

Jeannie "jmb30321" Barcus

18 September 1956 - 6 July 2015

Painesville, Ohio, USA

Jeannie was active in the Myst/Uru community by 2004 and participated in the September 9th Cone Races (WM) on the Tapestry Shard.

Memberships: D'ni Explorers Guild Forums (Mar 2004), The Great Tree Forums (Sep 2004) (WM), Guild of Greeters Forums (Oct 2005), Ladies Garden Club
Remembrances: Jean Marie "Jeannie" Barcus obituary (WM)

Don "Sailor86" Billow

15 September 1956 to 21 January 2018

Surface name: Don Billow

California, USA

Sailor86 participated in MystOnline: UruLive during the GameTap era, appearing in multiple chatlogs. When MOUL closed in April 2008, he joined Second Life as Sailor86 Supermarine. He was a member of the D'ni Refugees group there and regularly attended the weekly Story Nights on D'ni history held by Rehnehmtahn Later (shoktootahn Rehn). As PirateRoberts Marenwolf, he was a beloved member of the role-playing sea-faring Antiquity group.

Memberships: Second Life groups: D'ni Refugees, URU Tayma's Bevin, Rehn's Den
Remembrances: MOUL forum thread by Mystryman: Sailor86 Has Passed photo by MisterCloak; An elaborate memorial service was held by the Antiquity group in Second Life which included a burial at sea. Headstone at Antiquity Cathedral and Memorial Garden

Jason "Ja'run" Bobyarchick

29 August 2019

Surface name: Jason Bobyarchick

Died at the age of 34, a victim of gun violence. He was one of the early explorers and beta testers of the Cavern.

Remembrances: MOUL forum thread by Braggi: Repost and Update: Loss of a Friend (WM)

Joan Daisy "Tink" Burkey

20 January 2022

Surface name: Joan Daisy Burkey

Sedalia, Missouri, USA

One of the earliest Cavern explorers, Tink was the explorer who was chosen to speak with Phil Henderson when the DRC was holding him in the Kirel Eggroom. Her meeting with Phil affected her greatly. Tink was a multifaceted individual with unique and creative ways of looking at things. She had a personal Website: Tinkian Space

Memberships: MOUL forums (May 2006)

Janet "Pehpsee" Burress

5 December 1953 - 28 December 2004

Arkansas, USA

Known on the forums and by her friends as Pepsi and using the name "Pehpsee" in the cavern (Ubi's policy prohibited avatar names with copyrighted products in them), Janet was active in the community by 2003. Joining the Ubisoft forums as Pepsi1953 in June of that year, she would become a Moderator and Community Assistant on the Ubisoft MystWorlds forums. Later that year, she would participate in the Uru Live Beta (Choru) and join the Guild of Greeters. She also participated in Prologue and was one of the original members of the DLA (D'ni League of Activities). Pepsi received many well wishes in her last days and many tributes upon her passing, including one from Cyanist Richard Watson (RAWA) written in the D'ni language, thus earning her entrance into the D'ni Dictionary as a reference for those phrases.
More than a decade after her passing, Janet continues to be fondly remembered by her cavern friends: Sheri Pate (Sh'aeri) frequently mentions Janet as an inspiration to her in her blog, The Eternal Sophomore, most notably, "The Janet Initiative" on January 1, 2015. Cyan's 2016 game, Obduction, which gave Kickstarter backers a chance to have personalized objects inserted in the game, includes a motorized wheelchair specified by Justin "Jibjustin" Esparza in honor of Janet.

Memberships: The Lyst, Ubisoft Forums (Jun 2003), Guild of Greeters (Dec 2003), DLA (D'ni League of Activities)
Remembrances: Guild of Healers webpage: Pepsi Remembered; Ubisoft forum thread by Khatie: Message to you all from "Pepsi" (WM); Guild of Greeters forum thread by CAGrayWolf: Another Very Sad Day., We have lost a dear friend (WM); MystWorlds forum thread by Whitch2: Very Sad News......; The Voice of There article by by Rose_Blossom: Farewell, Dear Pepsi, A Wonderful Friend to There; Dec 2006 MOUL forum post by pad: Rememberance of Pepsi and the Reasons why Uru deeply touches (WM); Feb 2008 MOUL forum post by mcladyb: Tribute to Pepsi and an impact that Uru made on people (WM); Special Dedication: Ubisoft Forum Thread: The Mystery of the Bahro Caves (WM).

CAGrayWolf

3 February 1964 - 21 June 2008

Surface name: David R Sweeney

Riverside, California, USA

Known as Wolfie to his friends, CAGrayWolf was active in the Myst/Uru community right up until his death in 2008. He participated in the Uru Live Beta (Choru), Prologue, Until Uru and Myst Online: Uru Live (GameTap era). (He tells his own history with Uru on the MMORPG thread, Where did you first hear about URU Live? (WM)). He joined the Guild of Greeters in November 2003 and served as a Guild Master, worked on the Mysterium Planning Committee and served as a DRC Liaison. CAGrayWolf had an extensive collection of Myst and Uru memorabilia as seen on his Photobucket page: Myst Collection Album

Memberships: MYSTcommunity (Jan 2003), Guild of Greeters (Nov 2003), DRC Forum (Dec 2005), Myst Online: Uru Live Forum (May 8, 2006), Mysterium Planning Committee (? to 2008)
Remembrances: Guild of Greeters website: In Memorium (WM); elledeegee's In Memorium of Wolfie (WM); Mysterium 2008: CAGrayWolf Memorial (WM); Guild of Messengers article by Crisger: A tribute to CAGreyWolf (WM); Aug 2014 MOUL forum post by Marten: A story about Uru... (WM)

James "Aquila" Carpenter

24 November 1961 - 24 January 2006

Modesto, California, USA

Aquila was a member of the MYST community from the time of Riven's release, creating Aquila's Riven Pages, participating in CyanChat, The Riven Lyst and Rivenguild. When the latter two ended, long time Lyster Lehsa started "The Lyst" and Aquila created and administered the website for it. A question asked by Aquila on the Riven Lyst, "What is Rubber Gut?" is on a RAWA page of Cyan's website. Aquila also participated in the Uru Live Beta (Choru) & Prologue. In October, 2005, he was interviewed by Inside Mac Games for the article, "Myst Uber Fan Interviewed" (WM). Aquila was active in the Myst/Uru community right up until his unexpected death.

Memberships: Rivenguild, The Lyst, MYSTcommunity Forums (Jun 2001), Ubisoft Myst Forums (Nov 2003), DRC Forums (Dec 2005)
Remembrances: MYSTcommunity forum thread by Tweek: Rest in peace Aquila (WM); Ubisoft forum thread by DebbieDec2003: The Lyst Administrator has passed away (WM); DRC forum thread by jetuser: Sad News; DRC forum thread by Aeronie: UU Vigil for Aquila; The Lyst.com front page, 2006 (WM); James "Aquila" Carpenter Memorial Auction; Acacia Memorial Park - James Lynn Carpenter(WM); The Lyst - Yahoo Groups

CharlotteMarie Tigerpaw

13 October 2021

Surface name: Charlotte Marie

Memberships: D'ni Refugee and D'niJ in Second Life (CharlotteMarie Tigerpaw), Min Tigerpaw on Kitely.

Virginia "Terra" Cinova

31 December 1942 - 25 February 2011

Des Plaines, Illinois, USA

Terra, also known as Advocate (on MYSTcommunity forums) was a member of the community by 2002, participated in Prologue, joined the Guild of Greeters in October 2003 and served as a Guild Master. She attended the 2004 Mysterium. In 2008, she moved on to "Middle Earth" (LOTRO) where she was known as Starligher and Kaprica.

Memberships: MYSTcommunity (Oct 2002), Guild of Greeters (Oct 2003)
Remembrances: Obituary/Tribute page for Virginia A. Cinova (WM)

James Coppola

16 June 1991 - 20 August 2020

Surface name: James C. Coppola

James was an avid gamer who loved all of Cyan's games. He was also active on World of Warcraft.

Al "Wamduskasapa" Edwards

1 March 1948 - 8 February 2017

Surface name: Alvin Lee Edwards

Columbia, Missouri, USA

Co-developer of the Age of R'Oshanhnin Korvahkhn. Personal Website: http://www.wamduskasapa.com/

"I am The Traveler, The Wanderer, The Seeker of the Vision;
The Search, The Quest, The Longing that now must begin;
For Haunted by Great Mystery, Wanting, needing and desiring;
To find the hidden knowledge, forced to endure the chagrin;
The Wish, The Need, The Craving that exists within."

Memberships: Guild of Writers (April 2010), MOUL Forum (Feb 2014), Cyan Forum (Feb 2014), Guild of Wizards
Remembrances: Alvin Lee Edwards (WM); 21 Feb 2017 MOUL forum thread by ZestyOfXeniphers: RIP dear Wamduskasapa; GET-TOGETHER for Wamduskasapa (Al Edwards)

Cindy Farrar

1998

Cindy was a big fan of Myst and Riven.

Gandhar

2 November 1955 - 11 October 2009

Dayton, Ohio, USA

Gandhar, also known as Tralfaz and Jusme, participated in Myst Online: Uru Live (GameTap era) and was a member of Myss Terrie's Bevin. His daughter, Charura became an active member of the community following her father's passing.

Memberships: MOUL Forums (Sep 2007), Myss Terrie's Forum (Jun 2008)
Remembrances: Myss Terrie's forum thread by ms. isis: About our Friend Gandhar (WM); MOUL forum thread by Dae Randoran (Ms. Isis): Our Friend Gandhar (WM); Guild of Writers forum thread by fachia: For friends of Jusme (WM); MOUL forum thread by Charura: Gandhar Memorial (WM); Webmouse Publications: Gandhar Memorial (WM)

Dan "Nvr2Old" Goetz

Surface name: Dan Goetz

Memberships: MOUL Forums (Nov 2006)

Sheila Goold

16 December 1963 - 9 July 2017

Surface name: Sheila Mary Goold

Seattle, Washington, USA

American film, stage, television and voice actress, best known in the Myst community for portraying Catherine in Riven, although the character was voiced by Rengin Altay. She was also a copywriter, consultant and administrator to various businesses. Her other works include numerous stage, film, and advertising credits in Seattle's local arts community and in L.A., voicing Cassandra and Roxy in Shank, and minor roles in A Bit of Bad Luck and The Architect.

Memberships: Her IMDB page
Remembrances: 27 Jul 2017 Legacy.com page: Sheila Mary Goold; 19 Sep 2017 Adventure Gamers forum thread by AprilLives: Remembering Sheila Goold, Catherine In Riven

Grandbad

1950 - 30 December 2021

Surface name: Bill Brownless

United Kingdom

Grandbad had a great sense of humor and was very good at manipulating Age objects using the extra commands in the Open Cave client; he used to take explorers on journey tours through the Ages stopping at various places. He used to play more on The Open Cave and Deep Island than MOULa, but often helped out with door runs and testing marker games. He had been suffering with a long term illness for which there is no cure; he passed surrounded by family and friends.

Memberships: MOUL Forums (Oct 2013)
Remembrances: Post on the "The Ages of Doobes" Facebook page

"I first met Bill in The Open Cave (TOC) Shard. He was in the 'City Of Dimensions' (COD) age playing with Jodok and invited me to join them. We immediately got along and became firm friends. Sadly we never physically met. he was a wizard at manipulating the various objects in 'Relto' and 'The City Of Dimensions' to make items and move them around. He used to get all the cones to march from the Disco in COD to the edge of the age and back again. He also used to move the tent at Takotah I and the ferry in COD all over the place in COD. He used to get them to travel around the top of the Great Zero or through the Plaza. He wrote a script that attached the two smoke pillars at the Guild hall to the smoke stack of the house boat on the lake. he then moved the houseboat through the Arch and back again. He also would also get us all seated then take us on journey tours through the age stopping at various places. He used to enjoy moving the Bahro pillars, pine trees and other stuff around in Relto using the extra KI commands available in TOC. he caught me out once when I linked into his Bevin. he had built one of the obects allowed by the Ki at the linkin spot. When I linked in it exploded and sent cones and Eddie the beachball in all directions. It was very funny. He had a great sense of humour. He was always willing to test the marker games In TOC for me.
We also used to play a lot in Deep Island. He introduced me to SandDoone who has also become a very dear friend. We all played a lot together investigating the ages. I am going to miss that very much. We did not play much in MOULa. The two of us played a bit in Minkata Prime and Minkata-Alpha s well as Adam's Trollland. We played a bit in MOULa and helped out with door runs. Jodok will be able to tell you more about his time on MOULa."
—Philip

Kees "Grassie73" Grashoff

2 Jan 2016

Surface name: Kees Grashoff

The Netherlands

Known as C'Jay in the cavern, Kees joined the community in August 2003 and participated in Prologue, Until Uru, Myst Online: Uru Live (GameTap era). He was an artist who sometimes created images and videos about Uru and was a frequent contributor to the MOUL Forum Pictures Chat Thread for the Gentle Souls. He expressed himself through a DeviantArt page, Instagram site, YouTube page, Renderosity page and a personal website called C'Jay's place.

Memberships: Ubisoft Forum, Aug 2003, Dutch MYST Community, Chuckles58's URU Page, MOUL Forum (May 2006), Guild of Artistians Obduction Backers.
Remembrances: 12 Jan 2016 MOUL forum thread by Geert: C Jay aka Grassie 73 is niet meer;

Daniel Dea "Watashi" Grindle

21 November 1942 - 20 March 2020

Surface name: Daniel Dea Grindle

Des Moines, Iowa, USA

Watashi was the founder of the URU Skydivers group (in its original meaning: jumping from high spots), and used to host the Watashi's Gira webradio.

Memberships: Myst Online forums (Feb 2008), Cyan forums (Feb 2008), Myst/URU Obsession Forums, URU Cavern Skydivers, Guild of Writers (Mar 2012), Guild of Maintainers, Second Life (SkydiverWatashi Fall)
Remembrances: Hamilton's Funeral and After Life Services obituary

Ron Hayter

1957 - 17 February 2015

Vancouver, Canada

Also known on some forums as RSHayter or RonHayter, Ron was best known in the community for development of the programs, Riveal and Revelator which allowed users to extract sounds, movies and textures from Myst games. While the programs were appreciated by many fans, their legality was sometimes questioned, but a post by Chogon put those concerns to rest. Ron was a long time Myst fan and attended Mysterium 2003 in Spokane.

Memberships: The Lyst, Ubisoft Forums (Oct 2004), MYSTcommunity Forums (Dec 2004), MOUL Forums (Feb 2007), Guild of Writers Forums (Mar 2010)
Remembrances: The Vancouver Sun (WM); Aug 26, 2015 MYSTcommunity forum post by realXCV: He’s… dead. (WM)

Jahuti

15 November 1941 - 16 December 2008

Surface name: Michael Morrison

Santa Rosa, California, USA

Jahuti (sometimes known as "Jahuti Rhys") participated in Until Uru (Tapestry Shard, Volcano Shard, Alpha Blue shard), D'mala, and Myst Online: Uru Live (GameTap era). He was a member of the Amber Horizons neighborhood and is fondly remembered by his hoodmates for his humor and his convictions. He helped create the popular "Sardines" game, which was a favorite pastime on Tapestry Shard and was known to perch on "his" corner of the Takotah tent.

Memberships: Amber Horizons Hood, D'ni Explorers Guild, Guild of Greeters Forum (Mar 2004), The Great Tree Forums (May 2004), DRC Forums (Dec 2005), MOUL forums (May 2006), Myst Embassy Ambassadors (WM)
Remembrances: MOUL forum thread by CrisGer: Sad News Jahuti Has Passed On (WM); MOUL forum post by SuperGram (WM), Amber Horizons forum thread by Mari: Jahuti Update; March 2009 Guild of Messengers newspaper which includes "A Tribute to the late Jahuti Rhys"; Jahuti Memorial in Second Life

Maureen "Mo'zie" Jannot

1943 - 6 June 2007

Birmingham, Alabama, USA

An avid Myst fan, she was mostly a solitary player and not a forum poster, but one of her favorite times in the cavern was when a group of explorers helped her and her son, J'Ankenne to open the doors in Delin and Tsogahl. A ceramic artist who created sculptures based on the sea, she loved the beauty of the Myst games, and the creativity that she saw displayed in the Myst community.

Memberships: J'Ankenne's Bevin
Remembrances: MOUL forum thread by jankenne: An Explorer Death Outside the Cavern WM; Michigan.com Obituatry (WM)

JDrake

18 January 1952 - 28 April 2007

Surface name: Douglas C. Souter

Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

JDrake, also known as JD, 6, jdrake06 and John_Drake06, participated in PreAfter, the Uru Live Beta (Choru), Prologue, Until Uru, D'mala, and Myst Online: Uru Live (GameTap era). According to his introductory post on the Guild of Greeters forum, JDrake was "credited with discovering the whereabouts of the long lost 'Rocky Jones, Space Ranger, Silvercup Bread Touring Rocket'" which looked similar to the Selenitic Spaceship on Myst Island. During PreAfter, he and three friends created a Journey Hand sculpture of muffler parts for the contest, a photo of which can be found on his website, The Grand Rapids Four "Journey to D'ni". JDrake joined the Guild of Greeters, November 10, 2003 and was quite active during Prologue, being one of the first 100 Greeters and instrumental in helping to run the Youth Greeter Program. Following the closure of the cavern in February 2004, he moved on to play Ryzom with several other Greeters. Although he returned to the cavern when it re-opened, he had retired from Greeting.

Memberships: Guild of Greeters (Nov 2004), MOUL Forums (May 2006)
Remembrances: Guild of Greeters forum thread by Memiki: Passing Of A Great Friend (WM); Douglas Souter obituary (WM)

Deirdre Karris

September 3, 2015

Surface name: unknown

Kingman, Arizona, USA

"Deirdre Karris" was the name of the Facebook account for the Uru avatar, Deirdre, known as Deirdre_1 on the forums. A long time Myst/Uru fan who joined the community by the end of 2003, she participated in Until Uru, D’mala, Myst Online: Uru Live (GameTap era) and MOULAgain. Deirdre was active in the cavern music community as both a regular attendee and sometimes DJ at the Friday Night Dance Parties, broadcasting her own events, attending the weekly Karaoke event and helping to organize the 2015 CavCon Awareness Event.

Memberships: Ubisoft Forums (Nov 2003), MOUL Forum (May 2006), DRC Forums (Jan 2007), URU After Dark (WM)
Remembrances: MOUL forum thread by Patricio: Deirdre Karris Memorial Service; Guild of Messengers news report, September 9, 2015: Memorial Service: Deirdre Karris (WM); MOUL forum post by dreammaster4: Deirdres memorial

Postscript

---

On September 8, 2015, Deirdre's friend, Patricio posted "On September 3, 2015, Deirdre Karris left this world for a far better place" and announced a memorial service to be held on Sunday, September 13th. The next day, he posted that on August 31st, Deirdre had informed her friends (maggie, zia, Snickuster and himself) "she had inoperable brain cancer and the doctor told her she from a week to a month left" and that on September 8th, he was contacted on Skype "by someone who was instructed by Deirdre to contact me with the news of her passing." He also noted that he had "contacted Tor'i to request her name be added in the Kahlo Pub."

Deirdre’s name had not yet been added to the memorial by October 7th when RAWA posted information about how to submit a name for addition to him. On October 9th, larryf58 posted that he had received an e-mail reply to his request to RAWA and that the name was now on the memorial.

On October 30th, the name was removed from the Explorers Memorial.

On February 21, 2020, the name was reinstated.

Katzi

December 2007

Germany

26 Jun 2006 chatlog

Memberships: H'Uru Age Building Team.
Remembrances: H'Uru forum thread by Itep Edor: Abschied von Katzi ([1]); There is a memorial to Katzi in Takla Ma'kan. and a plaque in I.Brattin's memorial age, Aquh.

John Keston

5 December 1924 - 13 February 2022

Surface name: Francis Douglas Arthur Keston

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

John Keston was a British-born American stage actor and singer who was best known as a world record-breaking runner. To the Myst community, he was the face and the voice of Gehn, father of Atrus and Writer of the Age of Riven.

In 1967 he appeared on London's West End in the musical "Sweet Charity" in the role of Vittorio Vidal; this was the first West End production of Neil Simon's Broadway hit. In 1974 he appeared on Broadway in The Royal Shakespeare Theatre's revival of "Sherlock Holmes" from 1974 to 1976, in the role of Sir Edward Leighton, at the Broadhurst Theatre.

He wrote, produced and performed a one-man show, "Expressions of Aging". This two-act play with music reflects his love of history, acting, music, and the English language, on the theme of growing old. He performed selections until late in his life.

Eventually Keston moved to Bemidji, Minnesota, where he had been recruited by Dr. Fulton Gallagher to teach voice in the music department of Bemidji State University.

He began running at age 55 to combat mild hypertension. On 30 September 2001, at age 76, he set a world age record when he ran a 3:22:59 marathon in the Portland Marathon. At ages 80 and 85, he set world age records for 12-kilometers in the Bloomsday Run in Spokane, Washington.

Keston died at the age of 97 from complications of COVID-19.

Memberships: Online articles about John Keston include Wikipedia; IMDb; IBDB
Remembrances: 15 Feb 2022 University of St. Thomas: In Our Prayers: John Keston

Gary Andrew "Andy" Legate

11 October 1966 - 14 January 2020

Surface name: Gary Andrew Legate

Aiken, South Carolina, USA

Andy was a prolific Age builder, being the author or contributor of Camp Bravo, Zephyr Cove, Andy's Nexus, Ahra Pahts shell 315, Serene, Eder Bahvahnin, Neolbah, Eder Tomahn, Eocene. He also wrote extensive tutorials about creating Ages with 3ds Max and Blender, and was a moderator on the Guild of Maintainers' forum.

Memberships: Myst Online forums (Jul 2007), Cyan forums (Jul 2007), Guild of Writers (Oct 2007), Guild of Maintainers (Nov 2007)
Remembrances: Hatcher Funeral Home obituary, Tribute Archive obituary

William "oldmanjob" Maier

12 September 1939 – 30 April 2012

Surface name: William H. Maier

Dana, North Carolina, USA

OMJ as he was known to his friends, participated in Prologue, Until Uru (“GoG mainly, Tapestry, Great tree, Slackers, the Desert shard, Lost kin, Lost City of Atlantis and Adsolema” ), D’mala, Myst Online: Uru Live (GameTap era) and MOULAgain. He joined the Guild of Greeters in December 2004 and was a regular attendee to Ktahdn's "Up On The Roof!" parties and "Music Night."

Memberships: Guild of Greeters (Dec 2004), DRC Forums (Dec 2005), The Great Tree Forums (Feb 2006), MOUL Forums (May 2006), Guild of Writers Forums (Aug 2010), OpenUru.org Forums (Oct 2011), Rooftop Volunteer Group (RVG)
Remembrances: WGCR.net obituaries (WM); Patriot Guard Riders forum thread: Patriot Guard: William H. Maier, USA Veteran, Hendersonville, NC (WM); GuzziTech forum thread: Moto Guzzi loses a Great Ambassador (WM); Guild of Greeters forum thread by Tai'lahr: Oldmanjob / William H. Maier

David "Different Dave" Mains

1956 - 2 April 2022

Surface name: David Patrick Mains

Browns Mills, NJ, USA

"Different Dave", aka David P. Mains, passed away after a hard-fought battle with cancer. He was at home surrounded by family.

Along with being a familiar face in the cavern, Dave was an accomplished bass guitar player, having recorded with an extensive number of groups, including Society, Tommy Straight, Same Day World, Psychopop, DMX, Entropy, Lipman and the Lips, Urban Buffalos, Same Day World, Dark Heart, Leaving Trains, and The Trouble Dolls, the last of which he toured with nationally.

Dave was also an avid carpenter, furniture builder and electronics specialist.

David is survived by his widow, Carol Kingsolver (karoh), his brothers Larry and Michael, daughter Melissa, granddaughter Anna, step-grandchildren Xavier, Jeydon, and Rose.

Remembrances: Obituary

Len "Flyboy" Mumbower

4 September 1925 - 29 July 2008

Surface name: Leonard E. Mumbower

Foley, Alabama, USA

Flyboy participated in Myst Online: Uru Live (GameTap era) and recorded songs for the weekly Karaoke nights. He recounted his long musical career in a post on the Beyond Uru forums: Flyboy’s URU/Karaoka & Music/Career Story (WM) He also wrote a column called Hangar Talk for "Flying Simulator," the newsletter of the AF/D Society.

Memberships: Beyond Uru Forums
Remembrances: MOUL forum thread by Donahoo: Flyboy R.I.P.; Leonard E. Mumbower obituary

Myst'Aken

February 2011

Surface name: Jerry

Ft Collins, Colorado, USA

Also known as Zedicus, Seeker53 and Zedicus McMillan (Second Life), Myst'Aken participated in D'mala, Myst Online: Uru Live (GameTap era) and MOULAgain.

Memberships: MOUL Forums as Seeker53 (Nov 2006)
Remembrances: MOUL forum thread by Dudemom: Passing of Myst'Aken

Larry "Lord Chaos" Nelson

18 August 2022

Surface name: Larry Nelson

Larry was known in the Cavern Community as Lord Chaos, Lady Chaos, and Ktahdn Vesuvino.

In Real Life, Larry was a Signal Systems Electrician and designed the communications protocol for traffic signal control for over 4,500 signals in Los Angeles. His protocol is still used today. Larry was a sand sculptor, often out on the beach near his home in Santa Monica. He was also a poet and a blogger. He has several blogs that show his creations.

In early 2005, he became interested in radio broadcasting to share his love of music, and during that summer began broadcasting on Teamspeak. One of his earliest events in the Great Tree Shard was the Up on the Roof party. This was held every week on the Takotah Rooftop in the Cavern. When the D'mala shard opened in 2006, the Rooftop was no longer accessable as a public instance, and so the parties moved to the Watcher's Pub to become the Under the Roots parties.  

He joined the D'ni Refugees that moved to other virtual worlds in 2008 and eventually settled in Second Life. There, he was best known as Ktahdn Vesuvino. He became a popular DJ, sharing he eclectic taste in music with many different audiences. He was involved in many special events, usually playing music wherever he was.

Memberships: Vivarium of D'ni, MOUL forums (Sep 2006), D'ni Refugee in Second Life (May 2009), OpenUru.org (Dec 2009), Guild of Writers (Aug 2014), Guild of Greeters, Guild of Healers, MystCommunity Forums
Remembrances: Posts on the "Myst Online: Uru Live (again)" Facebook group and the "The Ages of Doobes" Facebook page, "Up on the Roof for Lord Chaos" event in Cavern on 27 August 2022.

Gorma Louise "GLO" O'Conner

February 2016

Surface name: Gorma Louise Curry O'Connor

Memberships: MOUL Forum (July 2010)
Remembrances: Gorma O Connor Memorial Fund (GLO)

Perlenstern

10 September 2011

Berlin, Germany

Perlenstern (Pearl Star) participated in Until Uru, Myst Online: Uru Live (GameTap era), MagiQuest, MOULAgain and fan shards. She created the Ages of Wianeroy, Soundgarden and Set Age.

Memberships: MOUL Forums (Sep 2006), UruReallife (Black Dragon)
Remembrances: UruReallife forum thread by der 3. Mann: Trauer um Perlenstern; H'Uru forum thread by Nobby deNobbs: In Gedenken an Perlenstern; MOUL forum thread by Kai-Uwe: Perlenstern has passed away (WM)

Mark "Zardoz" Plummer

5 September 1954 - 24 May 2014

Planet Pluto (Federal Way, WA.)

Zardoz's roots in the Myst/Uru Community can be traced back to at least Spring 2001 when he pursued the mystery of the realMyst Easter Eggs, documenting it thoroughly on his website, Zardoz's realMyst Easter Egg Hunt and other Goodies (WM) and a year later, documenting Zandi's mysterious clues with the pages, Zandi Facts. He participated in the Uru Live Beta (Choru), Prologue (opening the Bahro door in Eder Kemo to let Phil Henderson out), D'mala, Myst Online: Uru Live (GameTap era) and MOULAgain. Although he was "not much of a social explorer" in the cavern, Zardoz was very active in the community through CyanChat and forums, gave a "realMyst flymode" presentation at Mysterium 2003, assisted with the DRC Liaisons election near the end of D'mala, answered Myst/Uru related questions on the forums, and offered advice on many other topics. His sense of humor is revealed in the February 2007 D'ni Network Pen and Ink Interview with Zardoz, his creativity can be seen in the OpenUru Writers Club: The Fall of a Sparrow: A Zardoz Project, and both are evident in the brief storyline he conducted in the summer of 2007. Zardoz backed Cyan's Obduction Kickstarter in October 2013 and was generally active in the community until a few months before his death.

Memberships: MYSTcommunity (Jun 2001), Ubisoft Forums (Nov 2003), Guild of Greeters Forum (Dec 2003), The Great Tree Forums (Jan 2004), DRC Fourms (Dec 2005), Myst Online: Uru Live Forum (May 2006), Guild of Messengers Forum (Nov 2007), Guild of Writers (Dec 2007), OpenUru.org (Dec 2008); UruObsession ()
Remembrances: Mark Plummer obituary (WM); MOUL forum thread by Tai'lahr: Memories of Zardoz

Ramsine

13 June 1954 - 27 June 2006

Surface name: Angelika Pahl

Germany

Participated in Until Uru. (Remembered by Joorea.; Uru Reallife posts)

Memberships: Member of the FFA Forum - Fakultät für Forschung und Abenteuer • Forum anzeigen - The Path of the Shell
Remembrances: Uru Reallife forum thread by Kai-Uwe: Funeral Service for Ramsine (translated chatlog) (WM)

Jim "Dust'ei" Rhodes

7 May 2000

Dust'ei was a regular in CyanChat during the Riven era.

Memberships: Rivenguild
Remembrances: MOUL forum post by Alahmnat

Terri "Tai'lahr" Richardson

16 October 2019

Surface name: Terri Richardson

She was a prominent member of the Cavern Community, organizing events, helping new users, compiling information on each explorer that passed away. When the Cavern closed and many refugees went to other worlds, Tai'lahr again helped many new Refugees join the groups there, remaining active nearly every day in Second Life.

Terri was, with JWPlatt and Jamey, one of the co-founders of OpenUru.org.

Memberships: Beginner's Bevin (Beta), Guild of Greeters, Guild of Messengers, MOUL forums (March 2007), D'ni Refugee in Second Life (Apr 2008), OpenUru.org (Dec 2008)
Remembrances: MOUL forum thread by ghaelen: Prayers for Tai'lahr (WM), Guild of Messengers post by Nev'yn: Passing of Tai'lahr, Blog post on OpenUru.org by Mac_Fife: Tai'lahr, SL Newser post: Remembering Tai'lahr Winnikow.

"You were always a constant source of inspiration, kindness, and fun in the cavern. A perfect example of this community at its best. This Age of Veelay Tsahvahn is for you.
Be well, Tai...wherever you are. You will be missed always."
—Doobes

Josef Riedl

2008

Josef co-founded the Guild of Linguists with his brother, Simon in November 1998.

Memberships: Guild of Linguists (WM)
Remembrances: MOUL forum thread by K'laamas: R.I.P. Josef Riedl (WM); MYSTcommunity forum thread by K'laamas: R.I.P. Josef Riedl (WM)

Richard "Battlebotsboy" Riley

2 March 1993 - 24 December 2021

Surface name: Richard Riley

Santa Clara, California, USA

Battlebotsboy was a big BattleBots fan: he was the owner of Spinning Mayhem, created multiple battlebots for competition with a 15-18 W/L record and recorded robot competitions in his YouTube channel. In the Cavern, he was an attendee of r'Tayrtahn's Story Night since 2010 and a beloved member of that community. In 2012 and 2014 he hosted a Story Night on Fridays, where he read from the book Myst: The Book of Atrus, reading one chapter per night over 23 weeks. He was also an avatar operator for some of the early episodes of The Lost Art machinima. He died after a long battle with cancer at the age of 28.

Memberships: Tsahno's Hood
Remembrances: his Facebook profile, The Lost Art episode 13

Phil "Enders" Rose

9 March 2021

Phoenix, Arizona, USA

He had a favorite spot in the Hall of Kings to dance during music events, and his favorite age was Minkata, for which he collected or made himself many marker games, one of his favorites being The Horse with No Name (attributed to Goren). With around 25 avatars, despite his failing health he would be online as often as he could, as a D'niJ, in pellet or marker competitions, or helping new and returning players.

Memberships: MOUL forums (November 2014)
Remembrances: Facebook posts by Janeerah and Philipgr; video by Minasunda

Gayle "GemPanzy" Senatore

2019

Surface name: Gayle Senatore

June "JuneTMP" Shaputis

12 October 2019

Surface name: June Shaputis

Long time member of the Meeting Place, since Beta, passed away after a long illness.

Memberships: The Meeting Place Hood.

Teresa "Tee Jay" Shepherd

25 December 2019

Surface name: Teresa Shepherd

Much loved explorer on MOUL, Deep Island, The Open Cave and other shards.

Memberships: Tereeza's Hood, in MOUL
Remembrances: Facebook post by Claidi Song

Sil-Oh-Wet

February 2012

Surface name: Lisa Watson

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

SIL_OH_WET on the forums, sil_oh_wet in the cavern, and just "Sil" to her friends, Lisa was an active explorer during the early Myst Online: Uru Live (GameTap era) days, participating in many storylines, hosting dance parties in the Kahlo Pub and hosting events in her neighborhood. "sil_oh_wet’s Bevin" was a popular place in those days, used to summon Yeesha (and she actually appeared), a gathering place to wait for news from Rils when he went on an expedition to Negilahn with Douglas Sharper, and of course for parties, including the weekly Karaoke. Karaoke nights were Sil's idea and she organized and hosted them for several months before sharing the duties with other D'niJs. When the cavern closed in April 2008, the event continued in Second Life and continues to this day, both in SL and in the cavern.

Memberships: MOUL Forum (Oct 2006), DRC forums (Oct 2006), SIL_OH_WET / Lisa's Flickr photo page, Lisa Watson's (SIL_OH_WET) PhotoBucket
Remembrances: MOUL forum thread by Dudemom: Passing of Sil-Oh-Wet (WM); MOUL forum post by Lobo: Rememberances of Sil-Oh-Wet (WM); The D'ni Voice: Remembrance (WM)

David Ogden Stiers

31 October 1942 - 3 March 2018

Surface name: David Ogden Stiers

Newport, Oregon, USA

An American film, stage, television and voice actor, David Ogden Stiers was probably best known for his role as Major Charles Emerson Winchester III on the television show, M*A*S*H. But to Uru fans, he was the voice of Jeff Zandi, our desert guide sitting beside his Airstream who assisted us in finding our way into the cavern. He also lent his voice & likeness to Esher in Myst V: End of Ages (2005) where his pronunciation of "D'ni" led fans to say it sounded like he was saying "duck knee." Stiers also provided the voice of Dr. Richard Watson in a recording found in the Kirel community room in the offline versions of Uru. Fondly remembered by Cyan employees who met him, his name was added to the memorial on 06 March 2018.

Memberships: Online articles about David Ogden Stiers include Wikipedia; IMDb; CNN; New York Times
Remembrances: 04 Mar 2018 MOUL forum thread by poutrew: R.I.P David Ogden Stires (Esher); Amber Horizons forum thread by Juli: good night Zandi

Frank "Stungthumbz" Whiting

1940 - 2020

Surface name: Frank Whiting

Corning, California, USA

A father figure in The Meeting Place neighborhood, Stungthumbz was a close friend and mentor to many in the Uru community. He was featured heavily as "Wingman" in Dr. Celia Pearce's "Communities of Play."

Memberships: The Meeting Place Hood, MOUL forums (September 2006).

Mary Beth "Aderyn" Wilkinson

11 October 2017

Surface name: Mary Beth Wilkinson

In addition to all her work with the Greeters, Aderyn was a pillar of the GameTap-era Amber Horizons neighborhood; she co-hosted, built for and otherwise helped sponsor many of our events, both in the Cavern, and later in Second Life, and was generally available to contribute whatever assistance or advice her friends might require.

Memberships: Amber Horizons Hood, Second Life, MOUL forums (February 2007)
Remembrances: MOUL forum thread by Ace: the loss of Aderyn (WM)

Jeff Wise

26 February 1983 - 21 October 2020

Surface name: Jeffrey Wise

California, USA

In addition to being a long-time contributor to the The Cavern Today podcast, Jeff was also a musician and composer, who often wrote music inspired by Uru.

Memberships: Guild of Archivists, The Cavern Today

Yutiel Yoshi

19 March 2018

Memberships: MOUL forums (November 2015)
Remembrances: MOUL forum thread by Kayara: Yutiel memorial letter (WM)

Zanda Myrande

19 December 1955 - 24 July 2019

Surface name: Zanda Myrande

Tiverton, Devon, England

Also known as "Zander the Heretic", she was one of the early explorers of the Cavern, back from at least 2006.

Memberships: MOUL forums (March 2010)
Remembrances: MOUL forum thread by AdamJohnso: Zander (WM), Zanda's page: Zanda Myrande

Jeff Zandi

16 February 2019

Surface name: Jeff Zandi

Texas, USA

A friend of the Miller brothers and the inspiration for the Uru character of the same name, Jeff Zandi was well-known in the Texas Magic: The Gathering community for forming the Texas Guildmages, which has run for over two decades. He was a part of every meeting up until his death.

He also helped found the Hunter Burton Memorial Open, a regular Magic: The Gathering charity event to promote awareness about suicide prevention within the gaming community, named after a young man from the MTG community who tragically took his own life in July 2013.

Jeff is survived by his wife Willa and son Lawson.

Memberships: Hunter Burton Memorial Open, Texas Guildmages
Remembrances: D'ni Jazz Club post by Tweek: Jeff Zandi has passed away; Reddit post by Level 2 Judge: Jeff Zandi, the original Guildmage, has passed away.; Hunter Burton Memorial Open post: The loss of a legend... Jeff "Zanman" Zandi

Other Tributes & Memorials

Aquh

On July 9, 2009, the Memorial Age Aquh, by I.Brattin, was announced on the Guild of Writers' forums.

Celebrating Explorers We've Lost

In Second Life, Tai'lahr created a tribute to these explorers which was displayed for one day, Sunday, November 1, 2015. A stone podium held a Relto linking book which displayed their names in rotation and would give anyone who touched it a notecard about the person whose name was being displayed. A waterwall served as a backdrop and twenty-two candles framed the podium. The candles would light at sunset and each one displayed the name of one of the explorers. A light would shine on the podium and Kadish Gallery music would play throughout the night. At sunrise, the music would stop and the candles extinguish one by one in order of the explorers' deaths. (Nighttime happens every four hours in SL and lasts for about an hour, so this happened six times during the RL day.) Throughout the day, the parcel was tuned to Radio KRHI where Ghaelen was broadcasting Myst/Uru and other appropriate music. In the evening, the parcel was tuned to Ktahdn's Music Night broadcast which was also a special tribute. Ghaelen captured the tribute in a video here.

Veelay Tsahvahn

On March 7, 2020, the Memorial Age Veelay Tsahvahn, by Doobes, was released on the Gehn shard, and on August 21 on MOULa. The Age includes the text from this page, as a series of journals.