Saturday, April 26, 2014

Farewell to a good man

Eike Hohennadl is in the center
Yesterday I received an email, sent to all of us who were recently in Lake Elsinore for the Skydivers Over Sixty event, that a very familiar face to all of us who knew him, Eike, died skydiving at Eloy in Arizona on Friday. He was attending an invitation-only 88-way event, because he was a very good skydiver, and he also happened to be 72.

Nobody knows for sure what happened, but when his parachute opened in a spin, he was unresponsive under canopy, slumped in the harness, and never did anything to stop it. It continued until he hit the ground, killing him. That is, if he was not already dead, or at least unconscious, from who knows what. Maybe a heart attack, maybe not.

I jumped with him for years, whenever I attended one of those events where we would both be included because of our advanced years. I was never in the same category as far as skydiving skill went. He was a local skydiver in the Lake Elsinore area, and he traveled often to events and was always sought after. It is a great loss to the jump community.

Plus he was just an all-around good guy. It happened yesterday, and every time I woke in the night, I would think of him and feel very sad that he is gone. There are many things I didn't know about him until I read about him in a local Lake Elsinore article, written by Sarah Burge.
Hohenadl had thousands of jumps under his belt and held numerous U.S. Parachute Association licenses and ratings, including safety and training adviser. Hohenadl had escaped from East Germany as a boy and eventually made his way to the United States. He had described that experience as “way more nerve-wracking than jumping from a plane.” Hohenadl fought in the Vietnam War, stationed aboard a 173-foot minesweeper that patrolled the Mekong Delta and the Gulf of Tonkin. In the 90s, he served as manager of a major disposal project at the Fallbrook Naval Weapons Facility involving Vietnam-era napalm. He retired from the U.S. Navy with the rank of captain after more than 30 years of service.
I was going to write about something else, but I just need to say goodbye to him, and wish him Godspeed. I also hope that his family and friends will find solace in the outpouring of love and respect that people all over the world are expressing for Eike. He will truly be missed.
:-(

30 comments:

  1. I am so very sorry. Perhaps he left this world as he would have wished, but that is no consolation to those who loved and will miss him.

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  2. So sorry to hear about your friend and fellow jumper, DJan. I too wish him Godspeed.

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  3. i am so sorry. i know your skydiving community is a close-knit group that are all grieving. i can only hope that he lost consciousness and never felt any pain, doing what he loved to the end.

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  4. This is a loss that is close to your heart. I am sorry.
    I love what Elephant's child said. I can not say it better.

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  5. My sympathy to your for your loss. they will for sure find out what happened to him.

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  6. Sympathies on the passing of your friend.

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  7. He died doing what he loved. No lingering for years in the home. I am sorry for your loss but if you have to go...why not fast:)

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  8. So sorry for your loss and the loss to your community of sky divers. Sending Hugs your way (())

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  9. Oh, DJan: I'm so sorry to learn of this loss of your friend, especially in a skydiving accident. How tragic.

    blessings and Bear his in a sad time.

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  10. So sorry to hear this about your friend. Peace be with you.

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  11. So sorry about your loss, DJan. Virtual hugs being sent your way!

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  12. He died doing what he loved. As Gertrude Stein said, How you die is as important as how you live.

    He'll be back, DJan.

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  13. How sad. My condolences to all of you, especially his family.

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  14. So very sad to hear of the loss of your skydiving friend DJan - he sounded like a really super guy and condolences to you, his family and friends.

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  15. My condolences to his family and friends. Yet, he died while doing what he enjoyed. Blessings in that regard.

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  16. To die doing what you love surrounded by friends sounds like a good way to die. Sorry, though, for the death of your friend.

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  17. My condolences on the loss of your good friend. It is hard to lose those. I'm always comforted to hear, though, of people who die doing what they loved to do. What better way to step from this life into eternity.

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  18. Oh Djan, I am so sorry. I guess that he passed doing what he truly loved is something we can all only hope for. My condolences to his family on the ground and his other family in the air.

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  19. Oh DJan....this breaks my heart. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

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  20. So sorry to hear that. Obviously something happened to him long before he hit the ground. One can hope he was already dead and instantly died in the air doing something that he truly loved. Sounds like he will be missed.

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  21. Sorry to hear. Condolences for you and your whole group ... and you be careful out there.

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  22. This is so sad. I'm so sorry for your loss, DJan. Such a shame. Hugs to you.

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  23. I'm feeling your loss!! It's always difficult to be left behind with just the memories. But, memories never fade away....they remain.

    May he rest in peace.

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  24. What a full life he led. Rest in peace.

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  25. Sad news for friends and family. My own version of this would be to take the last step on a mountain troutstream flyrod in hand. I've been with too many friends who took the nursing home route...

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  26. What shocking news for you to hear. I'm so sorry. I do hope he lost consciousness, as it appears he did. I can't imagine the shock and sorrow this must have sent throughout the sky jumping community.

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  27. Oh DJan... This is so sad. I'm sorry you've lost a friend.

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  28. Dear DJan, thank you for sharing with us your respect and esteem for your sky-diving friend. And thank you also for sharing the article that detailed the main events of his life. But we both know that are of us are not only the sum total of our life events but also of all the people whom we have met, whose lives have touched ours and whose lives we have touched. And so we are blessings--in one way or another--to all who cross our paths. Each can teach us something about living well. Peace.

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  29. He sounds like a truly wonderful person who led a very full life. My condolences to his family and many friends.

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  30. I hope Eike's family, friends, and your skydiving family find peace after such a sudden loss, and comfort in your wonderful memories of him.
    He sounds like a magnificent man who lived a brave & very full life.
    I'm sorry for your loss, DJan, and all those who knew him.

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