May Jonny Rest in Peace.
...normally, I pray to John Paul II for healing of family and friends. This morning around 6:45ish, I specifically asked my mother (who recently died of cancer) to intercede for my family, my friends, and FHSU.
Although I never met him, I pulled for him in private. I now believe my mother helped FHSU during his transition. May eternal light shine upon FHSU; Notre Dame, Our Mother, Pray for FHSU.
My deepest condolences and prayers are with your family.
I just checked the board after being gone all day...I'm so very sorry for your loss. This is deeply saddening...I'm aching deeply for all of you right now.
Prayers will continue for FHSU and for all of your family...a devastating loss. I will think of him tonight being led by choirs of angels into paradise, and welcomed by Lazarus at the gates of the eternal kingdom.
I will keep you and Jonny's family & friends in my thoughts and prayers. I don't check the board much and tend to lurk, but his story was really something else and was the first thing I'd scan for when the page loaded.
God bless.
I just read Jon's blog from start to finish. I have never met him, but it is obvious from his writings that he was a very special person. His blog is the story of one man's struggle againt insurmoutable odds. The way he was able to maintain a positive outlook throughout the whole ordeal is awe inspiring. If you haven't read his blog I encourage you to...it is a story about life and it will make you sob. I pray for his wife and family, may God bring peace to them during this difficult time.
http://www.jonnymay.org/
RIP FHSU.
Please accept our deepest sympathy and extend our condolences to your extraordinary family. Jon was and always will be a major part of our Notre Dame family.
One never felt that one was speaking to a "young" man when talking or communicating with Jon. He was "just" a man. It runs in the May family.
When I finally had the pleasure of introducing my wife to Jonny last Fall, he was clearly weakened (but not so much that he couldn't sit in the downpour at enjoy every minute of the Michigan destruction). Yet my wife's reaction was, "he's so strong".
Perhaps the greatest benefit I've enjoyed from being a member of the Notre Dame family is in meeting the others who share that blessing. Not only was he one of the family, he was as true an example of what an ND man can be as I've ever met. He would, of course, shrug off such a sentiment: that was part of his charm.
My day began with the news of the death of a high school friend, a fine and decent man who enjoyed a successful career as a college and high school basketball coach. He was 63 and had just been diagnosed with cancer; as he prepared for that battle his heart failed and he was gone. I mourn him, but he had a longer life. The feeling we get from your sad news -- as unsurprising as it might be -- is initially focused on the brevity of Jon's life. No life well-lived is ever long enough. But he touched so many people, his battle was so noble and inspiring, that he shall live on in all of us. Yes, he was strong beyond description. But he was also sweet, and funny. And he gave as good as he got, didn't he? Your loss is ours.
I saw a cartoon some years back, two guys next to each other on a playground swingset in Heaven. One says to the other: "Five hundred TV channels up here, and every one is tuned to Notre Dame football!". And so it will stay: Jon won't let anyone mess with the remote.
He persevered and earned that Master's in Public Health. He managed to tease his brothers whenever the opportunity arose. Thanks to Brandy, he found love and marriage. It was indeed a life well-lived. It goes on in our hearts. We are profoundly sorry for your loss, J.
Wow, this is a dark day...thank you for what must have been the most difficult update you've ever made bleedsgreen. Please send your family our love.
A lot of us prayed for you. Now you can pray for us. Go with God. You will not be forgotten here.
I really wish we could have met. I know we tried to connect for a Tigers game last year.... Now I regret that we did not.
I had the pleasure of meeting Jon twice and each time it struck me how positive he was about life. Even in a wheelchair with an oxygen tank, he had a better outlook than most of us. His attitude really put things into perspective.
And prayers to you, his brother and the entire May family.
Jon (a subway alum) was a bigger Notre Dame fan than most of ND folks I graduated with (no offense to them) and a bigger fan than me. I was privileged enough to spend 27 years of my life with him and one of the best memories I will have is a day that Jon and I had a few falls ago. We had a special mass with Fr. Hesburgh (in his office) and got a special tour of the stadium as the prepared to play Michigan (in '06 probably the highest point of the FB team in a long time). The link is a picture of that day.
I want to thank everyone back here for their kind words and prayers. Board ops if it is not too much trouble would you mind putting this picture with the text on the front page? Also any chance that this thread could be saved (in the almanac or somewhere?) I am thinking that I would like to print it out for my folks when I get to KS.
Thank you all so much. Yours in Notre Dame,
Jeremy May (OITLinebacker)
If it's not on the boards when you need it, let me know and I'll happily email it to you. Safe travels, and we're thinking of you guys.
You have been in our hearts and minds for quite some time. Now you're with our ancestors. Say hi to my dad. You'll know him by his laugh. There's only one like it. You fought the good fight and set an example for all of us. Prayers for you and your family.
I am sorry for you and your family's loss. Over the years Jon's struggles and faith ahve been such a strong inspiration to me, when things seem so bad in my life his courage made me realize how petty my troubles were. For such a young man to have that much strength in soul while his body betrayed him was a miracle. I hope the good lord find a place for him on his team , first team.
I never had the pleasure to meet Jon, but he touched me deeply. He and his family have been in my prayers since I first learned of his battle.
Rest In Peace and may the Good Lord welcome you with open arms.
God bless Jonny, Brandy, bleedsgreen, OITLinebacker and all of Jonny's loved ones. His was a life very well lived.
God bless him and his family.
your battle, your spirit and your inspiration with us.
We are far better people for having known you - even those of us who never met you. The love you've inspired from this special community is nothing short of remarkable.
This is both the saddest and most joyful days in the Back Room. We are deeply saddened by our loss of such a wonderful person but joyed to know you are now comfortably in heaven.
God bless you and your family, Bleeds.
God bless you all with strength, comfort and His love.
Prayers for you all.
touched many here. Many who never even met him and while the world is darker with his passing, he did give off a bit of light that lots and lots of people have retained. God bless.
Good thoughts and prayers for you and your family.
Your family will remain in my prayers, and I am thankful Jonathan's suffering is over.
he sounds like a real champ.
THE time you won your town the race
We chaired you through the market-place;
Man and boy stood cheering by,
And home we brought you shoulder-high.
To-day, the road all runners come,
Shoulder-high we bring you home,
And set you at your threshold down,
Townsman of a stiller town.
Smart lad, to slip betimes away
From fields where glory does not stay,
And early though the laurel grows
It withers quicker than the rose.
Eyes the shady night has shut
Cannot see the record cut,
And silence sounds no worse than cheers
After earth has stopped the ears:
Now you will not swell the rout
Of lads that wore their honours out,
Runners whom renown outran
And the name died before the man.
So set, before its echoes fade,
The fleet foot on the sill of shade,
And hold to the low lintel up
The still-defended challenge-cup.
And round that early-laurelled head
Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead,
And find unwithered on its curls
The garland briefer than a girl's.
-- A. E. Housman
My most heart-felt condolences to you and your family.
He will always be a champion in the Back Room.
or whatever one's concept of 'life after death' might be. Death may not be a very significant event for the one involved, but it sure can be tough on the loved one's left behind. Our thoughts, prayers and best wishes go out to them in this difficult time. Bon voyage Jon.
I've been worried about this for a while.
May he rest in peace and may the Lord being peace to him and your family.
...that a friend passed on to us 26 years ago, after our mother had died:
“Be at peace with your own soul, then heaven and earth will be at peace with you.”
It will take time--stay close to family.
be contagious.
We were lucky to have known him, even if only virtually. He shared a lot with this community and made this a better place. He inspired me to be a better friend and to live a more thoughtful life.
Thank you, bleedsgreen and OIT, for sharing your brother with us. Blessings and peace to you, Brandy, and your whole family.
You left one hell of a mark on this world, and we know with full confidence that you rest peacefully with the Lord today. You are a remarkable, inspiring man and I'm lucky to have known you.
I would be deeply humbled. He is an amazing human being.
Heaven's a little brighter now. Amen, Jon.
God, I knew it was coming. It's a helpless feeling. I honestly didn't know what to pray for this morning at Mass. I'm very grateful that his pain is gone. Imagine his happiness as Our Blessed Mother welcomes a true Man of God home; rewarding his fight and comforting him as we write in sadness.
Jon was so strong. When you wrote yesterday about how his body had deteriorated, it broke our heart. I read the post aloud to my wife and son - we were all in tears. He fought better than anyone would have expected. He is truly an inspiration.
I am proud to have known him and prouder still to call him a friend of my family's. Every time someone dismisses what we do here; a bunch of internet kooks talking about football and other stuff - they just don't realize what a gift this Board is. The relationships we develop here. Shit, I know what a lot of you are doing and can't say the same about half the people I went to college with.
That being said, it was an honor; a privilege to watch Jonny fight. How does the Lord permit such pain; such garbage to occur? He does it so we can realize just how precious our time - our lives - in this veil of tears are. Carry on as Jon would - fighting for what's really important.
Rest in peace, Jonathan May. Thank you for setting us straight. I'm sure God is rewarding you abundantly today. And I hope you'll welcome me and all of us some day, along with all of the other saints.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord
And let perpetual light shine upon him.
May his soul
And the souls of all the faithfully departed
Through the mercy of God
Rest in peace, Amen.
A true Notre Dame man. From a true Notre Dame family. He and the May family deserves it now, more than ever:
Rally sons of Notre Dame,
Sing her glory, and sound her fame
Raise her Gold and Blue,
And cheer with voices true,
Rah! Rah! For Notre Dame.
We will fight in every game
Strong of heart and true to her name.
We will ne'er forget her
And we'll cheer her ever,
Loyal to Notre Dame.
Cheer, cheer for Old Notre Dame
Wake up the echoes cheering her name,
Send the volley cheer on high,
Shake down the thunder from the sky,
What though the odds be great or small
Old Notre Dame will win over all,
While her loyal sons are marching
Onward to Victory.
I'll light a candle at St. Pat's for Jon today. He was an inspiration (in the finest sense of the word) for lots of folks, including me.
He has been in my prayers and will continue to be. We all know he is in a better place.
and a sense of peace to his family.
I only talked to him through the chat a few times, but I could tell he was a special person. I know he is in a better place right now, looking down on you. God Bless.
and another for his family.
family. Though I only met Jonny once, I can honestly say I'll never forget him. He was a great man. May he rest in eternal peace.
He was a hero to so many of us it is almost like we've lost a best friend or son.
You don't often see a person with as much courage as he exhibited throughout the whole process of dying. If he was ever bitter, few ever heard the complaints.
May we all die as nobly when our time comes.
I'll miss FHSU posts. Perhaps we should continue them as a testament to his courage. Jon'll know we still are thinking of him.
Many prayers for his wife and family. You all were certainly an inspiration in hope, faith and perseverance.
Rest in peace Jonny.
your family the grace to endure your loss.
for keeping us all informed of his struggles. May God Bless him and your family.
More importantly, Thank you FHSU for your Love of Life.
You were always an inspiration to me.
and remains to so many (who were fortunate enough to have met him) and to others, like me, who knew him through his blog and the postings from his family. While the world is lesser and heaven is greater with Jon's passing, it is also true that he has left this world a much better place through the courage, strength, devotion and love he showed and engendered. He showed us how to live well and how to face what life has in store for us even if it's not what we would ask for. May he rest in peace knowing he has been and remains beloved by many. May his family in their sorrow know that their life was blessed with his incomparable presence. He has more than earned angel wings. Good-by Jon and God Bless.
You have been through a lot, being strong for your brother, writing updates for us, when it was probably the last thing you wanted to do.
We have so appreciated your efforts to keep us posted and now, you go beyond the call of duty and let us know that your brother has passed into God's loving arms.
We love you and pray for you. We also weep for your wonderful brother. Be well. We are with you now and in all things.
God Bless you and your family.
I couldn't have said it better myself. I think I will take a little walk.
And to all on these boards who came to know him, either through his posts, or personal meeting. Our "Nation" lost one of its shining stars.
"Death is not the end of who we are. It is only a brief pause in the endless cycle of our lives. Each of us is a spirit that cannot die."
Your spirit will stay with me always, Jon.
you fought the good fight.
you inspired so many of us.
May God now hold you in the palm of his hand.
God bless you, FHSU.
and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest"
Anyone who knows, knows what that phrase means to me. OITL and bleedsgreen, you and your family are in my prayers. Your brother made all of us stronger and tougher.
FHSU was a truly wonderful young man who should be a beacon for all of us, especially young adults. God bless you all, May family!
thank you for sharing your courage and heart with us.
and he was a fighter and will be missed by those he touched (even those like me who never met him but felt I knew him).
You, your family, and Jon are in my thoughts and prayers.
'93
I always read the updates that you posted or OITLinebacker posted on this board. Your family will be in my prayers tonight.
RIP, Jonny..you inspired this Nation.
Here is a fitting musical tribute to him. Sorry but embed was disabled.
Jon will be missed.
Jonny's story was new to my life, but after reading his blog and many of the stories that were posted around here I was touched, inspired, and moved by his courage and strength.
We should all take a lesson from this and walk a little more upright in his memory. There is no doubt he is with God now and his light will forever shine bright on all of us.
Last night I prayed for Jon - I asked God to ease his pain or take it away all together. My intention was healing, but God's intention was having Jon serve him in heaven. I am both apologetic and relieved. I am so sorry he passed, yet relieved he is no longer in any pain.
God Bless you and your family. God Bless Jon.
mkovac was right - Warrior, indeed.
I'll see you on the other side, Jonny. My humble thanks for showing the way.
He was a remarkable guy.
He was truly inspirational in his fight. Your family will be in our prayers tonight.
Sympathies to you and the rest of his family.
May Jon now rest peacefully and in eternal life with the Lord in His kingdom.
I saw the post down below and was wondering if there is a public page in tribute to Jonny's fight against cancer.
I ask because I've been following his blog for a long time and I would love to put a face with all of this and let the family know how much of an inspiration Jonny is to me.
He was too young.
and may God comfort you and your family during this time.
and everything it entails. Condolences to your family.
shine upon him in eternal life where there is no pain and suffering, only glory in the lord's presence.
I've never known anyone who made such an impact on the world and everyone who met him.
He was so nice to me and offered words of encouragement when my brother was diagnosed.
He was such an inspiration.
strength, comfort and peace in the days ahead.
family. Jon was an inspiration to us all; as is the entire family. We will continue to pray for you all during this difficult time.
Thank you for the courage, strength and spirit you've shown to all of us.
Rest in peace, our good friend.
no longer to suffer his great pain. Blessings of comfort for you and all of Jonny's family and friends.
My prayers are with you and your family.
he was such an amazing person that, having never met him, I still want to weep. My sincerest condolences.
My thoughts are with you and your family.
deepest admiration for.
My sympathies for you and your whole family.
and your family.
I have been quietly keeping tabs on Johnny for a long time now. He was absolutely one of the most inspiring people I've ever followed. I loved his compassion for all things, his optimism in the face of negativity and his overall spirit.
He was far, far too young to leave this place. He's had more of an impact on people in 27 years than most do for a whole lifetime.
Rest In Peace FHSU.
than many people who have the privilege of living to old age. Jonny has inspired me to not take anything for granted, and not to wait until "the right time" to take a chance and just get out and live. The right time is now.
Like many here, I only got to meet him a couple times at tailgates, but he has touched my life. May God bless Jonny, your whole family, and special blessings to Brandy, who exemplifies for better for worse, in sickness and in health.
Though I never had the pleasure of meeting him in person, there have been numerous times in the past year that I have seen posts on this board either from or about FHSU and have used those posts as inspiration to get off my duff and do whatever it was that needed doing. Nothing I did (or tried to do) compared in the slightest to what FHSU did, but I am positive that his example had a tremendous positive effect on the lives of many, many others. He will continue to be an inspiration to me for his fight, his selflessness, and his lack of self-pity in the worst of circumstances.
God Bless Jon and his family. I cannot imagine what they are going through right now but I hope with all my heart that the overwhelming pride that they must feel as a result of the shining example that Jon set helps to alleviate the grief of his loss.
please accept my condolences on your loss. his fight and determination were an inspiration.
God Bless.
I don't know where you are now, FHSU, but you'll know about our love for you, and you'll be happy.
Your family will be in many prayers today and beyond.
FHSU was a source of strength and inspiration to countless numbers of us. I remember reading an article about him a few years back, and made a point to save a quote of his. It's been in my wallet, and I go to it when times are tough.
"As bad as things seem there are always other people struggling with problems or issues worse than yours. If you can keep that attitude, you'll be better in the long run. There can be beauty in tough situations. It is not a perfect world by any means, but if there were no obstacles, we would never get to see anyone shine." - Jonny May
I'm sorry I never got to meet him, but God bless your brother. I know he's peaceful and away from all the pain. Know he (and your family) are in all our prayers.
To tell the NDN family. I think the board will forgive us for not posting for a few days.
Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord.
Go be with your family.
Jon set the bar very high for the rest of us. God bless him.
I am terribly sorry for your loss. I hope God grants you peace through this time. Please know that we are all praying for you and that his courage (and that of your family) through this battle has made an impact on a great many of us here. God bless you all.
I hope the love and support of the good people on this board helped make your last days slightly less unbearable.
Peace be with you and your family during this tragic time. Jon was and will continue to be an inspiration, even to those of us who never had the privilege of knowing him.
It is a truly sad day, the ND family just lost a brave and beloved member.
Jon was a warrior.
You're all incredibly inspirational - you're all in my thoughts and prayers. Jon will undoubtedly be missed.
Jon was a fighter, and those of us who met him were lucky to have done so. Jonny and your family will be in my prayers.
Although I never knew Jon, I feel that I did.
Today, the tears fall like warm drops of sad friends, dropping from the skies - to take our hearts away from us.
Our tears connect us to Jon. But he is not here. He has gone on, forward, always forward.
Jon was a warrior, our kind of man.
We bouyed him with our courage and he bouyed us with his faith. We would pray for him and he would smile.
We so wanted the pain to go away, the suffering, the fear. Sometimes it was all just too much to bear. But Jon knew something many of us did not. He knew that as sure as the sun will rise in the east, that God's love surrounded him, surrounded us and would wash away his pain and suffering when He took Jon into His arms.
Twenty-Seven years: that's hardly enough time for a man to make his mark on this planet. But, Jon made his mark on our hearts.
Death? Jon was not afraid of Death. Jon had become so familiar with Death that he could spot Death at Starbucks trying to buy a latte incognito with a baseball cap on. "Death, hey man? What you doing here? You don't think anyone will recognize you?"
"Aw man, Jon, can't you give me a break? I can't even get a cup of coffee and you tell everyone I'm here?" Jon would strike up a conversation and Death would walk away, grateful to have shared time with one of the greats, and would always say to Jon, "I don't wanna, Jon. But I've gotta. It will be soon. You are just too sick and the Big Man needs you upstairs." Jon would say, "Ok, man, but I'm gonna fight like my Fighting Irish. Pass Right. Don't expect to just walk into the endzone uncontested. You've got to go through me - and the Irish."
Jon had a lot of friends - a lot of friends he never met. There's this place called ND Nation. It's a Notre Dame message board and people there loved to hear about Jon and his nickname "FHSU". One guy would always post "warrior" after his initials. FHSU warrior. Jon was a warrior.
Every day that he fought this disease he strapped on the armor of a warrior and fought the good fight. He did not give up. His spirit did not quit. His friends stood behind him. His family stood behind him. His thousands of Notre Dame friends stood behind him.
And now, Jon is standing alongside other warriors, in a new place. A place where there is no pain. A place where love shines all around like a golden glow. A place where our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and his Holy Mother have taken Jon in and set a place for him at the table of eternal happiness.
Surely, this side of life is glorious. It is where we are born; where we grow up with our families; where we go to school; skin our shin when we fall off our bike; where we fall in love for the first time - where our heart is broken for the first time; and where we learn the difference between tears of love, tears of pain, tears of rage, tears of loneliness.
But on this side of life, we also learn the value of life - that life is so very fragile, that it can be snuffed out in an instant. And this makes it more precious than anything. All the riches in the world cannot compare with the value of one human soul. Each soul is precious and unique and we are all diminished by the loss of each soul.
We, today, glorify the new resurrection of Jon's soul into paradise but we mourn his loss - his temporary loss - to us.
The word "paradise" is a Persian word for "garden". In ancient Iran, a dry and dusty place, wealthy people would build their homes, enclosing them off from the street with a central garden in the middle, a courtyard.
This walled off garden was called a "paradise" and was a place to refresh their bodies and their souls.
We often think of Heaven as a glorious garden, a place of green beauty and flowers. Maybe it is. I don't know.
But it is a place where Jon's soul will be complete and refreshed because he will be in the presence of God's love, a presence that will complete him and soothe his broken body and take all his pain away.
Today, the warrior marches home.
FHSU - warrior.
have a happy talent, a wonderful skill for writing. This was exceptional.
you. Peace in Christ.
But your grasp of the English language is unrivaled among many people that I have conversations with, both orally and through the written word on a message board.
Your post single-handedly brought me to tears in a room full of teenagers.
Thank You.
Hard to express it properly, but I'm really sorry for your loss. I had the opportunity to meet him at a couple tailgates, and follow his story here -- it was very inspirational for me as I went through some tough times of my own.
I will be praying for your family today.
I tend to be a bit of an unsentimental b***h but I sincerely found his desire to carrying on living his life in the face of such odds to be a very large kick up the arse.
Our condolences to your family.
I'm the King of pessimism but my God what an inspration young man he was. I'm ure he's resting in peace, pulling some strings for ND up in Heaven.