I was deeply shocked to hear last night of the death of Michael Dowd, creator of the wonderful PostDoom.com.  He and his wife Connie Barlow have been good friends to me, as they have to so many others.  Michael and I had exchanged a few words on Saturday, so I knew that he was in New York with his family, after the passing of his father on Thursday. 

I had absolutely no idea that he himself passed away that night. I’m very much still processing the news, but wanted to share the below beautiful tribute from Jordan Perry, approved by Connie, with whom my thoughts are.

Michael Dowd lived a life of love in action and he thrived in the thrill of being alive! On Saturday October 7, while in his sleep, he returned to the infinite joy that he had never left.

Michael died in New York where he went to be present for his father’s final hospice moments. His father died Thursday October 5th and Michael stayed after his death to continue to work through the process.

Michael was staying at a friend’s house, took a fall helping clear dishes, opted not to go to the hospital despite feeling the effects of the fall, and did not survive the night. An autopsy and cremation will precede his final resting. These simple facts fail to capture the arc of the man and his life.

I’m not one for tradition. Others may be. I don’t claim to understand what Michael would have wanted but I do believe he always sought to inspire everyone he met to live fully with gratitude as if it could be your last year, last season, last month, last day. One last hug. One more glance. One more joke. One last laugh.

One last opportunity to watch a bird fly overhead and alight on the withered branch of a dead tree leaning over a river. Life and death, guts and glory, all captured in a single breathtaking moment that leads by necessity to the next, equally breathtaking moment. A post-doom death in a pre-doom world asks us to rise to the moment with joy, love, gratitude, and grief. I accept the challenge and the gift. Thank you, Michael.

I wish I could have hugged him in person. I’ve gotten his “cyberhugs” in many emails. They always felt real, and I’m not someone who feels things like that. Years spent reaching out of his persona from stages, pulpits, and computer screens honed his ministering to a fine point and he cyber and live hugged his way through all these mediums with ease. His electric, surround sound version of loving attention was wild and joyful to experience. His limitless curiosity and bombastic reverence for life never ceased to compel me to want to lean into my life with more authenticity. He could challenge, cajole, compel, and confuse with grace. I loved the man.

Michael has many close associates, friends, colleagues and co-conspirators. Whether you knew him or just knew of him, his work lives on through us. As we all grieve and allow the necessary stillness of the moment to saturate lets actively imagine the ongoing love-in-action living with gobsmacked joy that always lay at the core of Michael’s message. There is always work to do, service to offer, love to share. Saturday was a good day to die. Let’s make today a good day to live.

Michael Dowd, November 19, 1958 – October 7, 2023
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Dowd

Michael and his father Pete Dowd, March 2005 – Breakneck Ridge, above the Hudson River

Michael’s work lives on at PostDoom.com

Update: On October 12th, two hundred of us joined an informal online Celebration of Life in memory of Michael. 

His wife and partner-in-action Connie wasn’t present, but shared the below photo-tribute to Michael:

And many of us there were also reminded of her work on death, which she said was proving a great balm in this time:

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Note that comments are closed on this post, but may be left on the original announcement, which was lovingly prepared by Jordan Perry and Peter Melton with approval from Connie.