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Eamonn was brilliantly funny, uniquely generous, unusually handsome, a trickster, a lover of animals, talented at impressions, a man with an incredible memory, he was a lover of music, he was extremely knowledgeable about films, cars, politics, language, and he had a poetic unpretentious way with words unlike any person I have ever met.
Eamonn could communicate as easily with a musician as he could with a businessman. Eamonn grew up in a family who sought out opportunities to connect with people across many backgrounds and walks of life, and as an adult, Eamonn lived a life that seamlessly blended with all the communities he was part of.
Eamonn was effortlessly witty without being deriviative, and he was a man of absurdly and wonderfully diverse tastes. Eamonn had the most diverse group of friends of anyone I ever knew. He saw through age differences, worldviews, disabilities, cultural, financial or ethnic backgrounds to the center of what’s most important in life; the idomnitable curiosity for a truer vision of love.
Eamonn’s life had many happy times, and even in his darkest times, his true nature could be seen in his humour and desire to be understood. I think a celebration of his life is why we are here today but I also think his death will be a learning experience for everyone in his life and possibly for many more people who he has touched somehow or who share a similiar life. Eamonn’s death is simply the saddest moment of my entire life, but I know through mindfulness we can render him in our hearts and minds, keeping his beautiful soul with us in the truer moments of our lives.
- Aleks Berland
by Aleks Berland
7th June 2011
6:45 pm
by Jody Berland
7th June 2011
7:52 pm
When Eamonn was a boy we went to movies together. To him it made no difference whether the movie was intended for adults or children. He liked them all. He was already a grown-up soul in a child’s body. It was like there was always one Eamonn who was part child and part grownup and when he grew up it was the same Eamonn, part child and part grownup, but sadder and funnier. When he was a little boy sometimes he would look at you as though he saw everything. He had a lot of intuition, a lot of fear and a lot of love. What a brave man he was.
by Donna Brodish
8th June 2011
1:43 pm
When I met Eamonn he was nine and I was 28.
We immediately took to each other and became friends.
We had a mutual, sincere likeness for each other.
In some way, I think he filled a hole in my life, having no children of my own.
When I think of Eamonn, I think of good times and silliness.
He was my little buddy. I really felt comfortable with Eamonn, and he me.
There was easiness between us. Often we would just take rides. He really enjoyed that.
Eamonn would say out of the blue, “Hey, let’s drive to Truck World and get some pie!”
So we did.
I remember fondly the time I took him to Geneva on the Lake. We spent the day
swimming, roaming the boardwalk, playing carnival games and visiting shops. He was fascinated by the magic shop. I recall that we got hopelessly lost on the way home and I began to panic, as it was nearing 2:00 AM. We must have driven around for 3 hours. (Remember this is the time before cell phones). I said to Eamonn, “Oh my gosh, your Dad is going to so worried and mad!” He said, “Oh. No, he won’t,” in his carefree style and he fell fast asleep. His confidence that we wouldn’t “get in trouble” for being late, comforted me and we eventually did make it home. Kevin was sitting in the living room waiting for us, and just smiled when we walked in. (although I’m sure he was a bit worried) What a great day that was.
I am very thankful that Eamonn was a part of my life and I his. He will always be fondly remembered and I feel special that he chose me as a friend.
When I think of Eamonn, I will smile.
by Joe Rodriguez
9th June 2011
6:22 pm
I’ve kinda been scarred to write because I don’t think I’ll be able to describe how special Eamonn was to me. So, I thought I’d just write randomness… just sentances that come to mind when I think about Eamonn…
Even though I’m not entirely sure it was his intention, Eamonn was the first person to make me understand that it didn’t matter what other people thought; that it was important to be honest with yourself.
He really was “brilliantly funny, uniquely generous, unusually handsome, a trickster, a lover of animals, talented at impressions, a man with an incredible memory, a lover of music, extremely knowledgeable about films, cars, politics, language, and he had a poetic unpretentious way with words unlike any person I have ever met”…. I really couldn’t have said it better…
He should have been a cook…
I’ll always remember the time we went to Canada to his families cabin on that lake, the time we went to State College to visit Aleks or the time we went to Toronto… sleepovers… we had so many great times together…
I’m really sorry I wasn’t able to be there to see you one last time…
This site and all the photos help me remember his smile… help me remember all those moments on the front porch or the garage or the backyard or the kitchen… they take me back to every single one of those beautiful moments that I had almost forgotten… almost…
Those are some really great pictures…
I remember the very first time I met him… I was with Art and we went to his house looking for Aleks and he answered the door… I remember the last time I talked to him over the phone about a year and half ago… he called me…
I remember walking to school with him… going to his house after school… I remember when I started hanging out with him more than Aleks…
I wish I could have told you how that you were awesome; I love you, man; I’m gonna miss you.
by Lisa Berland
11th June 2011
12:05 pm
Eamonn’s Grandma loved the child he was just as she would have loved the man he grew up to be, if only she’d been able to get to know him. Though she wrote this poem many years ago for another child, it brings a loving message from her heart that resonates for me now.
Summer: An Affirmation
For Paul McLarty
Time is not long
but deep.
A small boy sat in the grass
and laughed at the lilacs last summer,
and was for his while the centre
of smiling and sunlight, last year
in this garden where the fresh leaves grow again.
He grinned at the blossoming apple tree
and reached for the blooming birthing petals in the air.
He gave all day long of his glee
and basked in love that, like a sunset,
splattered gorgeous colours in our sky.
We mind the cold and stunning fall of time,
here in this heat.
The other beautiful children run, laughing riotously,
through dandelion grass.
The child who is not here
is more real than any seed or petal we can touch.
Time is not long
but deep. Time is
not long. Time is.
–Jayne Berland
by Rosa
13th June 2011
12:09 pm
dear eamonn, i miss u
by Kevin Berland
16th June 2011
5:43 pm
In preparing for Eamonn’s memorial service, his family agreed that we should ask people who knew and loved Eamonn to make a memorial contribution in his name to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. His NAMI memorial webpage is here:
http://www.nami.org/myNAMICause/Tributes/EamonnBerland
by Mariah Moore Khanna
16th June 2011
6:42 pm
Dear Aleks,
I am so Glad you have made this site. The Photo Montage is Quite Touching; many of the photos being from a Childhood that my sister, Ellie, and I shared with You and Eamonn.
The Love and the Freedom of Running Through Back Yards and using One’s Imagination to Climb Trees (which were actually Fortresses) and Recite Dreams (or make them up, and we all wanted to believe in each others’ dreams). You and Eamonn were our Childhood Partners. All of Us Bearing Witness to that Beautiful and Tumultuous Time.
Eamonn, it seems, was the first to Realize Life had many cruel jokes, and he was also the first of us to Really Laugh at them. I think of his Big Eyes, Big Cheeks and Curls, and I feel so Lucky, so Blessed, to have had them in my Childhood.
Thank You Aleks
and
Thank You Eamomm,
I agree that you were very brave to Laugh at Life for as long as you did.
I hope that wherever you are, You Are at Peace and You Are Laughing.
Love,
Mariah Moore Khanna
by Phillip R. Hosch Jr.
25th July 2011
11:16 pm
Eamonn….. wow……its crazy cuz no matter wat I’m doin, i can always hear u n my head laughing wit me nd i catch myself laughing out loud 4real, but i just wanted 2 say that i wish i had just 1 more minute 2 share a laughing fit like only me nd u can. I can still hear u clear as day yelling ” come wit me!, get over here nd there’s others that i can’t mention but its so darn funny….. i just wanted 2 take the time nd personally thank u 4 being nd having such a powerful impact on my life nd i appretiate the good nd bad times nd wat it showed me n all is 2 live wit my heart open nd 2 not b afraid of the wicked n this world nd 2 love as hard as i can. I miss u so much that there isn’t a word n the dictionary 2 describe wat nd how i feel but i love u nd I’m so thankful that u chose 2 befriend me. I always keep u n my heart until we meet up again n my father’s house n heaven, I’ll see u when i get there, 1 love!!! God Bless us all. Ur bestfriend….. Phillip R. Hosch Jr.
by Tee
26th July 2011
11:13 am
eamonn was such an amazing man..
ridiculously intellgent, and amazingly funny..
i remember moving from one house to another and at that time i hadent seen or spoke to him for a few weeks.. i was irritated and hot because of the weather conditions we moved in and lack of help during the move so once i was done, i locked myself in my bedroom as to not redirect my frutrations to the next person… about 10 min. later, i get a knock on my door and ask who it is.. they dont answer, so i dont open it.. 10 sec later another knock a little harder, asking who it is again still with no answer.. a breif pause is followed by a continuous banging on my door and of corse this got under my skin, so i went to the door cussing and unlocked it only to yank it open, and INTENDED to give who ever it was a peice of my mind!- there stood Eamonn with a pair of funny looking sunglasses, with his head tilted to the back, pretending to be blind, swaying his head back and forth imitating Stevie Wonder, singing “theres a ribbon in the sky” and all i could do was laugh.. smile, and hug him…
how he found me in a new house i was unable to ensure he had the adress for just yet, is still a puzzle to me.. but at that very moment… all that mattered was that he was there
I LOVE YOU EAMONN
by Mariah Moore Khanna
27th August 2011
12:23 pm
For some reason, I was thinking “Yeah, I bet Eamonn would find this ‘big storm’ scaring everyone kind of funny.”
This week, I went through an earthquake and watched people scram only to get locked in traffic…funny we humans are!!!
I’ll be laughing with you Eamonn!
-M
by John Cifer
6th October 2011
3:10 pm
As I reflect upon time spent in the company of Eamonn, one of the first things I associate with Eamonn is the designation and typification of the term ‘Renaissance Man’. Moreover I use the term Renaissance Man when describing Eamonn in that he displayed a formidable amount of knowledge on a wide and disparate array of disciplines(i.e. verities classical curriculum), as well as current topics relevant to the world community.
Additionally, Eamonn was well apprised in what we refer to as the Arts, and it should be noted that Eamonn’s forte was his comprehensive voluminous knowledge of music.
Simply stated, Eamonn really enjoyed the genre of 1960′s Motown Rhythm and Blues, as well as most other post 50′s styles of the ever evolving Rhythm and Blues Scene.
If I may, I’d like to interject a nuance of my own subjectivity. I, John ‘Ci’ Cifer have been a lifelong musician and personally have a deep abiding affinity and respect for the Blues and Jazz.
With the aforementioned in mind, I’ll always savor those happy hours just diggin’ Tuneski’s with Eamonn.
You will be deeply missed Eamonn.
With love and respect, John’ Ci’ Cipher.
by evelyn berland
22nd December 2011
7:15 pm
Eamonn is an uncle again! I know how proud he is!
by Eileen
28th December 2011
1:36 pm
I crossed paths with Eamonn for a short while, about 10 years ago. I’ve never forgotten him because he was such a unique, cool person. What I remember most about him was how he made me laugh. Laugh so hard I would be crying and my cheeks would hurt and I thught I might wet my pants. I also remember him as a very kind, sensitive person; smart and wise beyond his years. Although I only knew Eamonn for a short time he really made an impression on me because he was he was clearly a special person.
by evelyn berland
16th April 2012
3:55 pm
Today is your birthday Eamonn. We love you so much. Tonight your best friend and I will be getting together for laughter just like when you were here in person.
You would call me up and say “I’m coming over , lets laugh at the dogs!”
And we would call them ridiculous things and they would be in ecstacy, the more ridiculous we would get seemed to inspire both our laughter and their joy.
You are still my beautiful boy!
by Aleks Berland
16th April 2012
7:58 pm
Eamonn my awesome brother who is impossible for everyone who knew him to forget , even when they only met him once, well, he would have been 30 today. Some things I can recommend to do to honour him any day (in no particular order) :
1. Call someone you love and leave a 20 minute hilarious rambly message in a character voice of your choosing.
2. Watch a Jack Nicholson Movie!
3. Throw on Outkast’s Aquemini on your music player.
4. Err on the side of Human rights and Social Justice.
5. Make fun of someone who is acting way too seriously or pedantic.
6. Make friends with someone who has a hard time making friends.
7. Make friends with someone who is completely different from you.
8. Steal something from someone to buy that same person a present.
9. Let an animal know it is loved.
10. Call someone you love and try to figure something out about life in that phone call together, don’t hang up until you do.
11. Have some moments of vivid honesty with someone no matter what the consequences.
12. Make food for someone.
13. Go for a long drive just to discover a new town.
14. Use your last dollars to buy someone else a gift.
15. Glare at someone menacingly who should know better than to be scared by you.
16. Eat 5 chili hot dogs from Sheetz or your local equivalent.
17. Time to visit someone lonely.
18. Watch one or all of the following movies: Without a Paddle, The Shining, Easy Rider, Clockwork Orange, I’m gonna get you Sucka, One flew over the cuckoo’s nest, Enter The Dragon, Witches of Eastwick, Grease, Mo’ Money, Any Jackie Chan Movie, Saturday Night Fever,
19. Puzzle someone by weaving in long passages from the script of one of the above mentioned movies randomly in conversation.
20. Add to this list! I Love you Eamonn!
by Aleks
20th July 2012
2:47 pm
Hey Dude… missing you today. I wish you were around so we could watch an episode of Eagleheart which I am sure would have made you laugh very hard. Is there TV in multi-dimensional nexi?
by Trish Johnson
8th February 2013
12:53 pm
I remember one Christmas when Eamonn was visiting. He had just been to PeeWee’s Great Adventure and he just loved Pee Wee Hermann. It was such a creative and whacky show. We had a tape of Jack Nicholson reading The Elephant Child and Eamonn really liked Jack Nicholson’s voice. We visited Sharon the fall of 1985 and we had just gotten all the Children to bed and there was Eammon’s impish grin peaking around the corner. We let him stay up and talk to us for a while. His mother just couldn’t resist. The other memory of that visit is the kids, Aleks, Eammon, Laura and Ian and a Fisher Price remote control toy– a space vechicle of some sort an a real live lizard going for a ride on it. It was so funny. That poor lizard, he didn’t understand what was happening to him at all.
by Rivka S
16th April 2013
7:02 pm
I didn’t know Eamonn but he sounds like a wonderful person; I’m sorry for the loss of his life and the loss to those who loved him.