Sal Hemingway

I was informed of the death of Sal Hemingway (britsal @ aol), who has passed away on 20th June 2026. None of her blogs remain on line; I believe they were titled A Perfect Life. She had been ill in hospital since early April. I found a poem on her Facebook page which she reshared once or twice. Sal was of course known for her poetry, and was an original AOL J-land blogger.

Look for me in Rainbows.
Time for me to go now, I won't say goodbye;
Look for me in rainbows, way up in the sky.
In the morning sunrise when all the world is new, 

Just look for me and love me, as you know that I loved you.
Time for me to leave you, I won't say goodbye;
Look for me in rainbows, high up in the sky.
In the evening sunset, when all the world is through,

Just look for me and love me, and I'll be close to you.
It won't be forever, the day will come and then
My loving arms will hold you, when we shall meet again.
Time for us to part now, we won't say goodbye;

Look for me in rainbows, shining in the sky.
Every waking moment, and all your whole life through
Just look for me and love me, as you know that I loved you.
Just wish me to be near you, and I'll be there with you.

Gerry King Hitt

I am deeply saddened to announce the death of Gerry King Hitt at the age of 95. Gerry was one of the pivotal members of our J-land community, a published author and gifted writer. Her blog was entitled Daughters of the Shadowmen. The image shows her with her son Raymond, who announced her passing. Gerry had not been on-line for a couple of years, as she found it increasingly difficult to cope with Facebook and the like. Her blog remains  as do the memories of a towering figure in our community. RIP Gerry, we'll miss you.

The image shows Gerry and her son Raymond.  

 

Updates

A brief comment regarding updates on those J-landers who have passed away. 

In some instances, news reaches us within hours, or days. In some instances not for months. And in some instances not for many years. That is the nature of life on-line, where a Keyboard may fall Silent, without immediately being noticed. On Facebook, I tend to check birthday notifications, as many of someone's FB friends just blindly follow the prompts, without being aware of, or (worse) remembering the death of the user. 

I update this blog from the Silent Keyboards group on Facebook, and am sometimes months behind. My apologies. 

Any tributes welcome.  

 

Connie Higginbotham

 I have just received confirmation that Connie passed away earlier this year, 2025. Further details are awaited. 

Bob Hall

Bob Hall has passed away on 4th June 2024 of biliary duct cancer. He is survived by his wife Bonnie. I point to the obituary from the funeral home (https://www.gundersonfh.com/obituaries/Robert-A-Hall...) and to his final post, published by Bonnie after he had died. https://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2024/07/im-dead.html. Personally, I did not know Bob in J-land, but may he rest in peace.

Pat McCormick-Neil

I was informed by Kathy Zolla that former J-lander Pat McCormick-Neal passed away on 13th June 2025. Apparently, she would blog about books and movie stars. Further information as I receive it. May she rest in peace.

May Moore and Terry Townsend

Bethe Caoutte has advised us the passing of J-lander May Moore of Plant City near Tampa Florida. This probably happened about a decade ago, when her Facebook profile was closed.

Terry Townsend (and her husband) lived in the Clearwater area, west of Tampa.
This couple was apparently already in their mid 80's 15 years ago.

Bethe told me that she once stayed in Terry's house at Zephyrhills, not far from Tampa, one day.

Ora Louise Bowling Carmichael

Ora Louise Bowling Carmichael 🤍
May 8, 1938 – March 29, 2025 

Tribute courtesy Robin Murphy Rodrigues
My heart is broken. I’ve known Ora for so many years—our oldest Facebook messages date back to 2010, but our friendship began long before that.

We first met online back in the ’90s, in the early days of the internet, and though we never met in person, she was as real a friend to me as any I’ve ever had.

Ora was a retired Army wife, devoted to her husband, a retired Army chaplain. After retiring they built a life together in Lexington, KY, grounded in family, faith, love, and service to others. She was an encourager, always helping me see the good in life, no matter how hard things got. We shared stories of being military wives, swapped tales about our troublesome knees, and she never failed to keep me and my family in her prayers.

Her love for Jesus was steadfast, and she radiated kindness to everyone she knew. I will miss her flower photos—she had such a gift for capturing beauty, both in nature and in life. And I will miss her—her friendship, her unwavering support, and her gentle wisdom.

Ora loved the song You Are Not Alone by Michael Jackson, and how fitting that is. Though she is gone, she will never be forgotten. I know she’ll be there to greet me with a hug when I get to heaven.

Save me a spot, my dear, sweet friend—she will be so deeply missed but forever cherished. 🤍

Linda Smith Shook - Linda's World.

Today, March 16th, 2025, Linda Smith Shook passed away, aged 82, after a lengthy spell of ill health. Only a few weeks ago, she had to transfer to a hospice-style home, after her medical condition no longer responded to treatment.

Linda was one of the old stagers of J-land, blogging from just outside Seattle (Washington State), often sharing images of the Tacoma Narrows Bridges with me - one of which collapsed in 1940 during a spell of strong winds. 

 

When I first joined J-land, Linda had her little cat Gabi, who sadly died 15 years ago. Gabi would have been at the Rainbow Bridge, welcoming Linda. 

 

We shall all miss her, a sadness that is alleviated by the knowledge that her suffering is over, and has rejoined her beloved Bob, who predeceased her by a number of years.

 

Good night, Linda. Thank you for the friendship. Rest in peace.

 

Parts of her old AOL blog remain.

Gary Wood - Old Woody's Boomer

Gary Brent Wood (Old Woody's Boomer) passed away on 3 December 2024 at the age  of 77. I refer to the obituary page for an overview of his life. 

As far as I am aware, he is the 71st J-lander whose Keyboard has now fallen Silent. 

RIP Gary. You will be missed by many