A friend of the blog, Vincent Gormley, died last Friday, January 2, at Dougherty Hospice.
Vinny did art. He volunteered for political causes and candidates. If you check his Twitter archive, you'll see he didn't post much about his illness; over the last few months, he focused on educating people and offering opportunities to do something about causes that mattered to him, such as providing clean water, protecting forests from corporate waste, and calling for the prosecution of those who created the CIA's brutal, ineffective, and un-Christian torture policy.
Vinny obviously cared a lot about a lot of issues. He commented here often before his illness took him away. He commented with sharpness, wit, and passion. Some of his finer lines:
- Deterrent? The death penalty has been in use for as long as humans have. At what point will you realize that you are under an illusion in attempting to justify your ignorant refusal to face your own desire for vengeance? That threshold should have been reached long ago.
- There are times when stupid is easy to fix. It's called elections.
- Only corporations believe Daugaard can deliver, after all they already own him and his party.
- ...to those who might say vegetarians have no sense of humor I offer this: What is a veggie burger? A couch potato with two very large buns [Vincent Gormley, comments, Madville Times, 2013–2014].
The Miller Funeral Home in Sioux Falls is hosting visitation for Vinny on Sunday afternoon, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. They post the following obituary.
Vinny was born on October 14, 1948, in White Plains, New York, and grew up in Yonkers, New York. He attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City, where he studied fine arts and painting, and Stockton State College in Pomona, New Jersey, where he studied printmaking.
While living in New Jersey, Vinny’s art was featured in the NJ Statehouse, shown in several exhibitions, published in two magazines, discussed in the NY Times, and awarded two first prizes in the graphic arts category.
For several years Vinny was the caretaker for his mother. After her death he moved to Sioux Falls in 2003 where he became active in politics, tirelessly working to advance countless progressive causes and candidates. His compassion and his empathy knew no bounds.
In addition to his volunteer activities, he continued working on his art which is now displayed at Oppenheimer Endocrinology, 3926 S. Western Avenue, Sioux Falls, and at Avera McKennan Hospital.
Vinny loved baking, eating good chocolate bars, and pet sitting for Jack, Baxter, and Joji.
Visitation will be held from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm Sunday at Miller Funeral Home, 507 S. Main Avenue.
Vinny shared the Beatles' "Revolution" on his Twitter feed December 4. Hmmm... pacifist idealism, demanding the revolutionaries show the plan, having faith that things will work out, knocking down empires with art... or maybe Vinny just liked the guitar. Feel free to discuss as we say goodbye and thank you to our friend Vinny.
I'm sorry to hear about your friend, Cory. His name does sound familiar and it looks like he was a very caring, interesting, fun person.
I always looked forward to what Vinny was going to say. Now I guess I'll have to look backward. Thanks for this Cory. He 's one of the good ones for sure.
What a gentleman. He thought, he said, he didn't take himself to seriously. May he Rest In Peace.
RIP Mr. Gormley. He was a good human being.
I only knew of him, but my friends who knew him all loved him... clearly, a life well-lived...
Vinny was the best phone caller the Democratic party had. He specialized in quality not quantity. For a reason I can not describe, he was able to engage people over the phone where others would only have a scripted conversation. He took quiet pride in this talent. Even his voice-mail message was special. More than once I called him and responded to his voice thinking he had answered the phone only to realize he had left another clever recording.