Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Karl D. Weikel



Karl Daniel Weikel of Tinicum Township (Pipersville), died on Friday, November 11, in Niland, California.  He was 30 years old.

Karl was born in Williamsville, New York, but grew up in Tinicum Township, Bucks County, graduating from Palisades High School in 2000. 

During his twelve years in the Palisades School District, Karl entertained many – on stage and off - and was a reliable source of laughter, inspiration, witty comebacks, and playful irreverence.  Karl won awards for his drawing and visual artistry, especially his original pen-and-ink creations which he humbly referred to as “Nothings.”  He was a staple in all Palisades musicals and dramatic productions, from PALMS through high school. 

Beyond using his gift for comedy to gain attention and notoriety, he also managed to entertain the sporting crowd by playing striker for Palisades High School’s soccer team all four years of his tenure.  He was a District XI champion in the 110 hurdles and a state qualifier three years running in that event.

He was a Rotary Exchange Student to Norway in the fall of 1999, where he attended high school, became adept at “DJ’ing,” and began composing electronic music.  He also played soccer for a semi-professional “futbol” team.  Upon his return to Pennsylvania from Norway, Karl published an independent-label CD of original trance-dance/electronic compositions, “Crazymaker,” under his DJ name of Ray Jookie.

Karl attended the Atlantic Acting School of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and was profoundly impacted by his personal experience of September 11, 2001.

Giving true meaning to the term “free spirit,” Karl was, at his core, a Traveler.  He reveled in moving from place to place, making music, creating art, and connecting with and learning from people of all walks of life and from many different backgrounds.  He loved listening to his friends – and after speaking with Karl for ten minutes or so, most people considered him a friend.  Karl never tired of engaging in challenging conversations on subjects ranging from the nature of reality to the latest episode of “Cops,” or simply playing around with his peculiar sense of humor or offering quirky, yet stunningly perceptive, perspectives on life.  His wit was beyond compare; his humor was devastatingly sarcastic, often off-color, yet never mean-spirited.  He could defuse intense situations with a spot-on imitation or a sleight-of-hand card trick leftover from his “magic” days of adolescence.  He hated confrontation.  He was a master mimic, amazing man, and brother to many.

Karl is survived by his parents, Karl C. and Lisa JG Weikel (nee Guerke), his brothers, Maximus (presently of Baltimore, MD) and Sage (at home), and Katie (presently of Baltimore, MD).  He is also survived by his grandparents, Frances and Joseph Wondoloski of Elysburg, PA, as well as numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends-who-were-family.  Karl will also be desperately missed by his beloved Sheila, Spartacus, Princess, Precious, and Gandalf.  


All who knew or loved Karl are invited to a gathering in his honor, which will be held at 

11:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 26, 2011 at

Tinicum Park
963 River Road 
Upper Black Eddy, PA 18972

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Doylestown Food Pantry (in support of either food or shelter), 470 Old Dublin Pike, Doylestown, PA 18901 or the Ann Silverman Community Health Clinic, 595 West State Street, Doylestown, PA  18901.  Karl believed that food, shelter, and healthcare are fundamental rights to which we are all entitled.

31 comments:

  1. Karl was a dear friend of mine. We shared much laughter and love and he will be missed forever. He was a friend I could always count on for a smile or a hug. The world was a better place when Karl was with us.
    I will love you and miss you forever Karl!
    rebs

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  2. Thanks for posting, rebs. I, too, love him and will miss him forever.

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  3. Very beautiful Lisa... Brought tears to mine and my Mom's eyes. I miss him so much.

    Love, Courtney

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  4. Thank you for sharing, Lisa. My heart goes out to all of you. Peace and love, always. Lauri and Mats

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  5. "IF ONLY." Those must be the two saddest words in the world.

    It's 3:57 AM and I have an early morning ahead. I lay here, unable to sleep. I'm in the very apartment which Karl and I scoped out together-searching for some thread of information on what happened to him. And finally I've arrived here.

    I received a note from Veronica, his "road-sis" just a couple weeks ago.

    Thinking Karl was trying to make amends through his sister's Facebook account, I ignored it. Too soon I thought. If only.

    I am SO stunned of the news forwarded by Veronica. Earlier this evening I gave an essay exam in my Death class (that's right a class on the Psych of Death) about the "Kubler-Ross five stages of death. "The first stage is one of shock-numbness, denial and disbelief..." So on and so forth...

    Before that, I had watched " Moonlight Mile " by myself on my laptop with headphones on- A movie written about the loss of a friend.

    The universe seems to have found a means to keep me tranquil for the news to come.

    Unfortunately however, my anxiety about death will probably return. But I digress.


    I CANNOT believe my friend is GONE. Even as I read his mother's blog, I am wondering if this is one of Karl's antics. (Karl loved to pull a fast one on me). If this is not the case, well then, I am just dancing to the tune of my textbook it appears.

    I last saw my friend this past summer. We took a roadtrip down to Long Beach, CA from Humboldt County and stopped at several points along the way. We ran into adventure and made many single-time friends, while upsetting the sensibilities of others. My cousin's new wife for example, was not only mildly amused. (smile)

    But we lived, loved, cried.
    Me, and Karl...AND my cat Tiger ate, slept, and journeyed in his Honda for about a week. From San Fran to Visalia, we raged. A handle of Sailor Jerry and just enough food stamps sustained us. And with enough change to scrape by on gas for another mile, we had always found a way to keep the wheels turning.

    Karl was never fond of money, so I pretended I had none.

    As the summer was a hot one, we were becoming a bit travel weary and so naturally a bit of brotherly quarrel ensued...
    ...which I estimated, would heal over time.

    If only.


    Karl, I wish you could tell me what the other side is like. I'm going to miss you showing up in my house unannounced.

    "Dayyyyyyymmn dtttawwg" (I will miss you)

    <3<3<3 your brother,
    Numair

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  7. Thanks for sharing your sorrow at hearing about Karl, Numair. The best I can tell you is that Karl is not being shy about sharing his present experiences, so PAY ATTENTION.

    My sense, and correct me if I'm wrong, is that this is Karl's ultimate, "Wah wah." Just a guess. But I think (hope) you get what I mean.

    I would love to hear more stories of your traveling adventures with Karl. Please feel free to email me any time. And I'd also love to hear about any connections you continue to have with him.

    Truly, he seems to be keeping very busy since 11-11-11 (at or pretty darn close to 11:11 p.m. from everything we can piece together), and I want to honor his efforts by both paying attention myself, and encouraging others to do so as well.

    In the grand scheme of things, does it surprise any of us who knew Karl well that he would want to "go first" and scope things out for the rest of us? Not really. But man, we sure will miss him and the ability to see and speak with him in the physical.

    Please stay in touch: owlmedicine@gmail.com.

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  8. Hi, Lisa (Mrs. Weikel)!

    I had the honor of meeting Karl while he & Numair (Jolly Bengali) were on their 2011 Brotha From Anotha Motha Summer Road Tour. Numi & I have been close friends for a few years so he, Karl, & of course Tiger (lol) spent 2 days & 2 nights here at my place in Visalia.

    The second I saw Karl, I was like "Dang! Numi brought a hottie!" I'm a SUCKER for white boys with baby-blues & his had an extra sparkle. The 5 of us (Numi, Karl, Tiger, my dog D, & myself) were like a big family that weekend! It was so much fun! Karl was super respectful & very polite & 5 minutes after meeting him, I knew he was extremely intelligent, creative, forward-thinking...an all around stand-up guy!

    We had a great time just hangin' out here at my place - eating, drinking, listening to music, watching TV, hiting up the jacuzzi, chatting. We were also able to go out, have a few drinks, then come home & cook like a family, literally! Numi, Karl, & I were in the kitchen prepping the food & when my portion was done, I took pictures of the men at work!! Karl was in charge of the veggies & I can still see him diligently & passionately chopping away. Maybe the memory is still so vivid because I captured the moment on camera. I'd love to send you all the pics I took!!

    Then it came time for them to leave & I was sad. It was soooo nice seeing Numair & you know how it is (most of the time) when you have company, there's life in your home (especially when you live alone) & all that life left.
    ...
    I logged on to Facebook this evening around 5:20pm, & had a notification informing me Numair used 1 of my pictures as his profile, so I stopped by Numair's page to see what pic he chose & I was immediately drawn to Karl's picture from the link of this post, & I clicked on it thinking "Heck yeah, Karl started a blog!" (I'm an Internet Marketing Consultant so I get all geeky & excited about blogs, content management systems, social media, etc), so my initial thought got me all gitty. Then I read the 1st paragraph & I honestly think I stopped breathing. Like my body totally froze. How could this be? He was just here a few months ago, sleeping on my couch!!!

    See, that weekend has a very special meaning behind it for me. Not even Numair knows this so this is all new to him as much to you, but the day they left I was in a horrible car accident later that afternoon. My SUV flipped on my side with the windows down & as my ride slid down the street, my left arm was dragging with it. I shouldn't be alive. Honestly! My car was total'd, I woke up to paramedics rushing to pull me out of my sideways car. I was hauled away in an ambulance & ended up with 2nd degree road rash on my left forearm from my wrist to my elbow. Paramedics, nurses, doctors all told me it was a miracle I survived that accident. If my burn had been any worse I would've needed a skin graph. Miraculously, all x-rays came back negative with not even a fractured bone. I saw my car the following day & broke down because I agreed with the medics, docs, & nurses - it WAS a miracle I survived. I realized I've been given a 2nd chance at life because it wasn't my time to go. My purpose here is much greater than I could ever imagine & my spiritually has grown tremendously. Yet, day after day I complain about not having a car then I hear Karl is gone...it's like that could've been me, I'm also 30 years old. But because it wasn't my time, the Lord let me stay but He took Karl instead. It just breaks my heart but I know the Lord needed him for a much bigger job!!!!

    Something keeps pressing on my heart that we meet people for a reason, even only for a season & what a great season it was knowing Karl. I send you & your family lots of love, light, blessings, and peace. I'm here for you always!!

    Lots of love,
    Angel Soria

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  9. I spent over 3 years of my life calling Karl my love, and the next 7 calling him my friend. I would not give up a single moment of that short time for anything in this world. He taught me so much about life, love, freedom, and spirit.

    I was lucky enough to visit with him last summer, and I am so thankful for that. 10 years after we first met, and he was able to put a smile on my face like it was that very first day.

    The world is a better place because he was in it, and I am a better person for having known him.

    All my love,
    Hillary Geddes

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  10. I did not know Karl before. He sounds extraordinary. My deepest condolences.

    Charleee

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  11. I didn't really know Karl, but I met him and spent a bit of time with him in Ocean Beach, San Diego November 2010.

    I'm from England and California was the last stop on my round the world trip.

    As New Year just came I was thinking about people I had met in the past couple of years and so I did a search for him and found this. It probably sounds stupid because I didn't know him well but it was devastating.

    I'm sure I'm not the only one who has met someone, even briefly who had a profound impact on their life.

    I remember he was gorgeous, intelligent, funny, unique and he changed me. I think his sense of freedom was infectious and he made me want to live. I returned to England two weeks later a different person. I think I met him for a reason.

    I am very grateful I got the chance to meet him, and I will never ever forget him. x

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    1. I'm sorry I didn't respond to this lovely post sooner. I'm sure it came as quite a shock to discover that Karl is gone (at least from this plane of existence). Karl was full of surprises, and always living on the edge, but I don't think he ~ or any of us ~ saw this coming.

      I don't think there's much more of a better legacy for a person to leave than to have people feeling and expressing what you expressed in this post. Thank you so much for writing here.

      It's amazing how sometimes the briefest encounters in our lives can have the most profound impact.

      Live joyfully.

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  12. We did not have the pleasure to meet Karl. Knowing Lisa, Karl Sr, Max and Sage, he must have been just like them. Good hearted, extraordinary, spirited, “real” people. Our hearts and thoughts are with you all.

    Kindness and love,

    Christine & Dennis

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    1. Thanks, Christine and Dennis. You're sweet.

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  13. In one of my dreams i had miraculously saved Karl from a tidal wave, and somehow ended up happily eating at a family dinner. That was the first good dream i had in years. It was relieving. My life has never been the same since i have met him. He had introduced to the his deepness, tears, and love. The way he would explain things to me, opened me up and expanded my understanding. I had never related to anyone in this way and I don't know if i ever will. Meeting was one of the biggest blessings in my life. Even if i wanted to i could never forget him or stop missing him.

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    1. For as funny and sarcastic as he could be, Karl also had a deeply philosophical perspective on life. A lot of people mistook his humor for shallowness or an uncaring attitude. Too bad for those who so completely misjudged him.

      Thank you for sharing your dream. Interesting that it involved a tidal wave, when his cause of death was drowning.

      Thank you for being his friend and for allowing him to open up to you...

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  14. its ayla I just wanted to let u know that I still think about Ocean Beach with ur son and the time we shared in the slabs I'm thankful that I was lucky enough to hug you and meet u guys and even luckier to have had karl as a friend even though our time togethe was cut short I will always feel blessed because of his love and please know that I felt the same intencity and and often wished I had just said yes

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    1. Yes, me too, Ayla. It makes me wonder what so many of us miss by saying, "No, not now...maybe later..." or how things might be different if we only said, "Yes."

      Be well and find much to smile and laugh about all around you, every day.

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    2. I still miss your son I loved him very much I'm writing cause I'm sure today was hard for you too -ayla- stacie wilson

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    3. Hi Ayla,

      Thank you so much for thinking of us and Karl on the 11th day of the 11th month...a day that will always hold far more significance than I ever would have expected when it dawned in 2011.

      That day felt thick with thoughts and memories of Karl. A day never goes by that I don't think of him, love him, "talk" to him, and I suspect that's probably true for a lot of people. In many ways, he is more "present" now than he was in the physical - at least I do, occasionally, have the sense that he is even more "in his element" now than he was while in this world.

      Thank you for staying in touch. Be well and find reasons to smile.

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  15. Karl, I've been thinking about you a lot lately. When I met you I was a scared, weakened person trying to find my lost soul; drifting around in Ocean Beach... Running away from all my responsibilities and fears of reality. I am glad to say our talks have stuck with me throughout my journey of freeing myself from the toxins i was surrounding myself with. In a way you were a stepping stone that helped save my life. Your smile was always contagious. Your life should be and will be celebrated forever. You are beautiful.

    love, light, and laughter

    Forever, -R

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  16. Thank you for expressing your feelings and revealing a glimpse of your experiences, R. It lightens my heart to know that Karl is remembered so lovingly ~ and that he made a difference in yours. I think he made a much bigger impact on a lot more people than he ever imagined.

    Stay strong and share your own smiles. I'm sure you make a difference when you smile as well.

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  17. I stumbled upon your blog after googling Owl Medicine. After reading through I saw the tribute to you son. I read through the stories, I wasn't sure why until now. Sometimes we encounter people who aren't good, who aren't kind and loving. I had been feeling a little disappointed in the people around me and I think I stumbled upon you and your son to remind me how many beautiful souls are out there. Your son has touched this total stranger, just by the love and stories told here. I am so sorry for your loss and hope you have found and are still finding solace in the love your son has shared and seems to still be sharing. The universe works in beautiful ways. Namiste.

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  18. Dear "Anonymous,"

    It's comments like yours that bring joy to my heart and a smile to my face when I, too, become sad and maybe a little disappointed in what I "see" in the world around me sometimes.

    Thank you so much for taking the time to read and - even more considerate - actually leave a comment here. Your words reach out and touch not only my heart, but the hearts of anyone who loved and appreciated Karl for his quirky, huge heart, irreverent humor, and creative, idealistic bent on life.

    I hope you know that your caring and compassion make a difference. Even if you haven't seen it, you probably have made a difference in the lives of those around you who've exhibited unkindness or a lack of love toward those around them. It's hard to maintain our hope in humanity when we see or experience too much of those things, and yet ironically, those people are almost certainly the ones who, deep down, need to experience love and kindness the most.

    It's hard to show it all the time, and to expect ourselves to do it in the face of all the meanness we potentially encounter on any given day is being mean to ourselves. But it's the little gifts like your comment today that give all of us the sparkle we need to keep smiling and hoping our example touches the hearts of the many wounded beings sharing our world.
    Thank you for visiting!

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  19. I too echo the thoughts of Anonymous from the post dated 27 February 2013. I too was googling "Owl medicine" and stumbled across the blog, the story. Thank you for your thoughts and your reminders...May your day be blessed with small reminders of that "sparkle" that was Karl and that sparkle that is within all of us sometimes just needing to be nurtured and encouraged and expressed. :)

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    1. Ah, Anonymous, I so appreciate that you wrote these delightful words. True to your wishes for us, I am lucky enough to receive occasional reminders of Karl's sparkle - just enough to keep me going some days, I suppose.
      Thank you for writing. And I hope you found some helpful - or at least interesting - information here about Owl medicine!

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  20. Dearest Lisa,

    Like the anonymous above, I too have stumbled upon your blog and Karl's beautiful essence expressed in many ways while looking for the owl medicine on Google. I know this is not a coincidence and the fact that 11/11/13 is almost about to be here, I feel grateful to have been touched by his story, his loving family and friends. Thank you, and thank you Karl. It sure is a true sign that he has taken the exit out of this realm on a major portal opening and I'm sure he is continuing to do his work over in his new realm as we speak. Looking at your work and the pictures of your family, I can see the abundance of love, light and wisdom in all of you and how proud you must be to be a part of such a sacred and beautiful family. Wishing you all many blessings, health and happiness. May you always be connected through the mysterious ways of Spirit and blessed with the gift of love at all times. Namaste.

    ISHIL

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  21. ISHIL,

    I am humbled and touched by your words. I hope you can sense how sweetly they're being received.

    Anyone who knows me well knows that this time of year, and 11/11 in particular, is a profoundly sensitive time for not only me, but also Karl's father and brothers. I think that as time goes by we realize even more how close we all truly were - and are - and how deeply we love each other. Perhaps the real surprise is the realization of just how lucky we were to genuinely enjoy each other's company so much.

    After two years, it seems like he should come home now. It feels like he's been on some crazy trek "long enough," and he should be showing up at our door any day now.

    My deepest wish is for others to feel love in their lives the way our family has felt it in ours. That love truly does transcend time and space.

    Thank you so much for your sentiments. I'm grateful that you took the time to share such beautiful thoughts and feelings.

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  22. Thank you dearest Lisa.

    I am so grateful for this wonderful serendipity and the gift of "owl" and Karl to remind me again that we are all ONE.

    Blessed we all are to be connected, to be one with another and to feel each other's pain, joy, love and affection. I am holding you and your family close in my heart as I am deeply moved by your beautiful angel's presence which I must say it feels like still very much around, continuing to receive your love and affection and showering you with his.

    I will be thinking of you and holding the space on 11/11/13 for your heart to be filled with deep love and joy and the knowing that he is always around and will always be with his family. When we are part of a huge family of ONE no matter where we happen to be, we still continue to serve our 'family' in all other dimensions, and I'm certain Karl is doing just that! Proud you are and you should be to have brought through such a special spirit and to have released him with deep uncoditional love which allows him to continue on his sacred journey and gift others with LOVE.

    Much love, affection and my blessings to you and your beautiful family. Consider yourself receiving a BIG hug on the 11th! xoxo

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  23. Just saw a twitter hashtag, #worstyearbooksuperlative and immediately went and unearthed the 2000 Palisiadian for the first time in years.

    it ripped me back. to the best one ever.

    "Karl plans to build a time machine and go back to when he was in 8th grade and make sure he goes to a different high school."

    crying. missing him real hard right now. out of nowhere.

    he was that kinda guy.

    tim

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