Robbie Greenberger

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

UPDATED 3:27 PM FRIDAY:

Viewing and funeral arrangements are below the cut line.

For those of you who don’t know, or haven’t been following Bob Greenberger’s board, his son Robbie has been fighting leukemia for the past year.

Bob called me around 9:30 last night to tell me that, an hour earlier, his son lost that fight. I’ve waited until Bob posted about Robbie’s passing (which he has done on Robbie’s facebook page) to post about it now.

Ariel, who has known Robbie all of her sixteen years, is devastated, as are we all…but it’s always the worst the first time you lose a peer. She wrote the following poem:

ROBBIE

So much to say
So much to do
Man, you had this fire in you.
Dance a song,
You jammed along
Losing you is just so wrong.
You made us laugh
You made us cry
I don’t want to say good-bye.

I’m sure Bob will post viewing and funeral information as it becomes available.

Do yourselves a favor today. Whatever you’re up to, at some point, just stop and take a few deep breaths of air and be appreciative of the fact that you’re still alive, and that you have tomorrows to look forward to.

Friends may greet the family Sunday from 3-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. in the Spear-Miller Funeral Home, 39 South Benson Road., Fairfield. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Monday, August 18, 2008 at 1 p.m. meeting directly at Saint Pius X Church 834 Brookside Drive, Fairfield. Interment will be private at Oak Lawn Cemetery, Fairfield. In lieu of flowers contributions in Robbie’s memory may be made to The Tommy Fund for Childhood Cancer, Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital, 20 York Street, New Haven, CT 06511-3202 (www.tommyfund.org). For information or to offer an online condolence please visit www.spearmillerfuneralhome.com

42 comments on “Robbie Greenberger”

  1. Terrible terrible news. When I saw Kathleen’s reference to bad news this didn’t even occur to me…I always thought he’d make it. Just seems too unfair.

    It’s a sad day for a lot of us who never knew him, which is just an indication of how deeply he touched those who did. My condolences to all of Robbie’s family and friends.

  2. What Bill said. This sucks.

    Best wishes to everyone in this sad time, especially Ariel — as you say, it’s really hard the first time you lose a peer.

    And a good closing thought from you, Peter. Hope that you do the same.

  3. My condolences to the family and friends of the family. It’s truly tragic when someone dies when they should have so much time ahead of them; but it sounds like Robbie made quite an impact on everyone during his time here.

  4. I know how I would feel if I lost my daughter. Therefore I would like this to what PAD said: Don`t just appreciate that you are alive but also think of your family and friends. Treasure the time you have with them.

    My condolences to Robbie`s family and friends. I wish you all strengths to handle this terrible loss.

  5. I know how I would feel if I lost my daughter. Therefore I would like this to add this what PAD said: Don`t just appreciate that you are alive but also think of your family and friends. Treasure the time you have with them.

    My condolences to Robbie`s family and friends. I wish you all strengths to handle this terrible loss.

  6. I have two grand-daughters now, thanks to stepdaughter Helen; i cannot imagine how i would feel if we lost one or both.

    I do know something of how Ariel must feel; when i was twelve a cousin slightly older than myself was killed in an accident in his parents’ garage.

    We weren’t that close – we’d lived in different cities since before our first birthdays – but it was still a shock to have it demonstrated that it *can* be people you know.

    My deepest sympathies to all.

  7. Condolences, to Robbie’s family and friends.

    Peace, for Robbie. Never met you, man, but I know about losing good people too young.

    Remember him well, everyone who was lucky enough to know him.

  8. Ðámņ. Of all the people I have know, I always thought Robbie was strong enough to beat this. My thoughts go out to all of you, especially Ariel, I know how close you all were…

  9. I’m very sorry to hear this as well.

    It’s as saddening as it is maddening that he was doing so well, only to have things turn around so quickly.

  12. My deepest sympathies to Robbie’s family.

    Ariel, I know from experience how you feel. Believe me though, one day you will stop feeling sorrow for the loss and start smiling at memories.

  13. My deepest sympathies to Robbie’s family.

    Ariel, I know from experience how you feel. Believe me though, one day you will stop feeling sorrow for the loss and start smiling at memories.

  16. I’m sorry to hear this. Although I never met Robbie, from reading about him in his father’s, Kath’s, and your blog he became a part of my daily life. He sounded like an amazing person and I always enjoyed hearing about Caroline and him at conventions.

    Thank you (along with Kath and Bob) for bloging about him; for four years I was able to see him mature into a young man, and I’m grateful for that.

  18. I feel terrible. I just sent the news around to the Farpoint convention list as he and Bob were friends of that convention and I know they would want to know. This is devastating. My condolences to Robbie`s family and friends.

  19. Daniel and I are besides ourselves. Daniel is just devestated, at only 11 years old he has not had many deaths to deal with and he was so sure Robbie would make it. He has decided that he will again do the Lace-Up for the Cure for the Luekemia Lymphoma Society, this time to raise money in Robbie’s honor. I will add our condolences to the family, to Robbie’s friends, and to all the families he’s touched. Oh, and hugs to Ariel and Caroline from us.

  20. Daniel and I are besides ourselves. Daniel is just devestated, at only 11 years old he has not had many deaths to deal with and he was so sure Robbie would make it. He has decided that he will again do the Lace-Up for the Cure for the Luekemia Lymphoma Society, this time to raise money in Robbie’s honor. I will add our condolences to the family, to Robbie’s friends, and to all the families he’s touched. Oh, and hugs to Ariel and Caroline from us.

  21. Daniel and I are besides ourselves. Daniel is just devestated, at only 11 years old he has not had many deaths to deal with and he was so sure Robbie would make it. He has decided that he will again do the Lace-Up for the Cure for the Luekemia Lymphoma Society, this time to raise money in Robbie’s honor. I will add our condolences to the family, to Robbie’s friends, and to all the families he’s touched. Oh, and hugs to Ariel and Caroline from us.

  22. Daniel and I are besides ourselves. Daniel is just devestated, at only 11 years old he has not had many deaths to deal with and he was so sure Robbie would make it. He has decided that he will again do the Lace-Up for the Cure for the Luekemia Lymphoma Society, this time to raise money in Robbie’s honor. I will add our condolences to the family, to Robbie’s friends, and to all the families he’s touched. Oh, and hugs to Ariel and Caroline from us.

  23. Daniel and I are besides ourselves. Daniel is just devestated, at only 11 years old he has not had many deaths to deal with and he was so sure Robbie would make it. He has decided that he will again do the Lace-Up for the Cure for the Luekemia Lymphoma Society, this time to raise money in Robbie’s honor. I will add our condolences to the family, to Robbie’s friends, and to all the families he’s touched. Oh, and hugs to Ariel and Caroline from us.

  24. I was saddened to learn that Robbie had passed away this morning when I signed online. Sandy Zier-Tietler posted it to our local email list of fans. I have always had a soft spot for Bob Greenberger, having known him so long as a guest at our Baltimore cons, and feel just terrible to hear this. I called my son, Ian Bonds, who did a panel with Robbie at a recent Baltimore con and he was very sad to hear as well.

    Your daughter’s poem was very touching and I’m sure writing it helped her somewhat. My condolences.

  28. My thoughts and prayers are with the Greenberger family at this sad time. My heartfelt sympathies.

  29. I’m very sorry for your loss, for Bob’s, Ariel’s, and for all of his loved ones, Peter.

  36. It is always heartbreaking to hear of such young ones being taken.

    Hugs and gentle thoughts to the Greenberger family and friends.

  37. This is truly a death in the family. My sympathies to all.

    Back in the day, at the Boston Museum of Science, we lost a Junior Volunteer, Joe, to cancer about the same age. He worked at the Planetarium. He has a moon mission project which he outlined, and the group of us developed it into a presentation for Space Weekend at the Museum.

    If there’s something Robbie did or was in the process of doing, and we can pick up the ball, this is the opportunity.

  38. This is such sad news. All I can think of is the last ShoreLeave where I talked to Robbie. He was so excited about college and what he wanted to do with his life. My heart goes out to all the Greenbergers and to your family

  39. Truly heartbreaking. I have a friend who was lucky enough to survive childhood Leukemia. There’s hope, still. And to wonder how we could fight these diseases if we only had, say 482 Billion surplus…

  40. As a general rule I don’t post in threads like these unless I actually knew the person or family. However well intentioned, however much one wants to pass on condolences, or offer some shred of comfort to those left grieving, it still seems somehow facile to do so as a stranger.

    But from what I’ve read of Robbie here and in other posts it sounds like he was – cue cliches – ‘a great guy’, ‘a good kid’, ‘one of the nicest people’… Maybe their passing should not go unremarked, unmourned, even by strangers, because God knows this world could use a few more of their kind.

    “If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them. The world breaks every one and afterwards many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially.”

    A Farewell To Arms,by Ernest Hemingway.

    Take care of yourselves people, and your loved ones.

    Cheers.

  41. My condolences to the Greenberger family, and to Robbie’s friends, like Ariel. Losing a friend and/or peer is always hard the first time it happens, as PAD said; but especially true when you and they are young.

    Rick

  42. Bob is one of the sweetest people I’ve ever and has been in my thoughts alot since I found out. I really don’t know what to say except that the one or two times I met Robbie at Shore Leave and Farpoint, he struck me as a funny and smart young man. Alot like his dad.

    Anyone whose ever met Bob knows what a great and thouhgtful man he is and I think it was reflected in his son.

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