Monday, September 04, 2006

Steve Irwin ~ May He Rest in Peace


I am very sorry to read of Steve Irwin's untimely death. May serenity and acceptance come to his wife and children soon.

He gave us knowledge, humor, excitement, danger and an unparalleled love of animals. The world has lost a very caring and compassionate man, and we are sad.


Edit: My son and his family have been at the beach all weekend. He called this morning to tell me that two people at their beach got stung by stingrays yesterday. He had not heard about Steve, so I had to be the bearer of bad tidings. He loved watching Steve's programs, as we all did, and we found it quite ironic that two people here got stung on the same day. Since stingrays are not usually agressive, it is odd to me. But maybe there are more circumstances of that happening than are generally reported in the news.

24 comments:

Panthergirl said...

Ah, I have a different take on Steve Irwin. I think he was an insane risk taker who put his dysfunctional desire for attention ahead of the welfare and happiness of his family.

Before the incident where he took his baby into the croc pit, I thought he was just a harmless nut. But since then, I have seen him as an irresponsible nut, and his death is confirmation of that.

I, too, am sorry for his family. But mostly because his death was the result of another unnecessary stunt. He is the poster boy for "Don't Try This At Home."

Just another perspective.

Here via michele today, Judy!

sage said...

I too am sad and had to post about this and my daughter is now weepy after I broke the news...

kenju said...

Panthergirl, I agree with most of what you say - but I chose to remember the good aspects of Steve and not the foolhardy ones.

Zee said...

I echo your sentiments, Kenju. And I respect those of Panthergirl as well, varied yet well-founded as they are.

However, in my home he will be missed. My son and I cried when we heard the news. A very sad and heartbreaking thing to wake up to.

Rest in peace, Steve.

carmilevy said...

It's always sad when the world loses someone who was so passionate about his work.

I often viewed him as a bit of a nutbar who took unnecessary risks. I often wondered why he would be so over the edge.

Then I'd see how much he loved what he did. If only all of us could be so passionate about our life's work.

Love him or hate him, we all remember him. I pray for his wife and kids.

Anonymous said...

He got it from his father, Panthergirl.

"Danger, danger, danger! Never try this yourself!"

Anonymous said...

Hi kenju

I think its very sad too, but I also agree with panthergirl on most of her points. But despite those traits (of even faults) his contributions to raising wildlife awareness will still be appreciated and he will be missed for that. May he rest in peace indeed.

Michele sent me, btw. :)

Moon said...

I have to agree with alot of the above. We know who he is because he was crazy and he was a character...he was also full of life and showed us things in a way that others hadn't before, thats what made him stand out. His flamboyant hunger for adventure is what makes it so hard to believe he is actually gone. My prayers go out to his family.

MaR said...

I was too very saddened by the news. Regardless of whether he was nuts or whatever, he fought for the world's awareness of wild life. That is what counts, from my point of view.

yellojkt said...

And to be killed by a stingray. With all the lethal animals he handled, that's just embarrassing.

I joke, but it's sad when anyone leaves the world too soon.

michele sent me.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this tribute. He was an awesome individual who followed his dreams and taught us many things along the way.

brendalove@gmail.com said...

Thank you for the tribute Judy. I am going to have a thing on my blog about him tomorrow.

Anonymous said...

I also was very sad and shocked to read about this on the Internet this morning. Such a shame...only 44.
My husband stepped on a stingray at Clearwater beach, here in Florida, about 15 years ago. Talk about pain from that barb and it took ages for his ankle to heal...almost ended up in the hospital. And found out that it's VERY common down here in Aug. They tell people to do the "stingray shuffle" when going into the Gulf here in Aug.

Anonymous said...

Hi Judy, a nice tribute to Steve which understanably brought out some mixed reaction to the man.
As I said I used to be a little embarrassed by his exuberance and the thought that people overseas would think all Aussies were like that, now I sincerely believe, "it's a bloody pity we are not" he was the most passionate character I know.

Re problems posting comments, it's a Beta Blogger glitch, you should see the option to post as "other" put kenju in there and your site URL below it, (this will allow people to get back to you via the link.)
hope that works.

Anonymous said...

I'm not a Big Brother fan, so I did skip, but I am sad about Steve Irwin. My eldest son, when he was young, got stung in Hawaii and the Hawaiian surfers peed on the sting. What a crazy way to go; I don't want to see the footage of his death which I imagine will be all over the media shortly.

Anonymous said...

Hello Judy ~~ Thanks for tracking me down and for leaving a comment. It looks as though it is right this time. It was most frustrating not to be able to see my own blog etc.and for Peter trying to fix it. It is nice to be back.
Nice tribute to Steve Irwin, he was
tremendously popular, At first I thought he was a larrikan, but he was just so
full of life and full of enthusiasm.
Take care Judy, Merle.

srp said...

On an interview he said that in his line of work he would be an irresponsible parent, not to teach his children about these animals early. He certainly loved what he did and helped raise awareness for conservation world wide.

Further reports indicate that this was a fluke, freak accident. Tragic.

Kingfisher said...

I couldn't disagree with panther more.

Steve was a kind, admittedly goofy, soul. The incident with his son was blown waaaaay our of proportion.

I think those who thought him insane didn't understand the depth of his enthusiasm and commitment to conservation, a passion his wife and family obviously shared.

AS I said on my blog, Do Not Rest In Peace Steve-O.

sonia a. mascaro said...

I am very sad with the death of Steve Irwin. I enjoyed so much his show at Animal Planet. He was so brave and witty. But as I am a person very concerned about security (and fearful, too) in accordance with my point of view, he was extremely daring and bold. Many times the price we pay for such fearlessness is extremely high. What a sad tragedy!

utenzi said...

I quite agree with Kingfisher. Irwin was wonderful and the world is a far poorer place without him. While I often disagree with Marian, it's far less common for me to be disagreeing with you, Judy.

As for stingrays, they sting people all the time. Stingrays lay on the sand, usually partially covered by sand, and people will often step on them. They're not aggressive but will sting when stepped on. Being stung directly in the heart was just amazingly bad luck for Irwin.

OldLady Of The Hills said...

It is very very sad, Judy...It is amazing how very many peolle in the blogesphere were touched by hin and revered his work...He touched s very many children, too!

I feel for his wife and children, and know this has to be a terrible terrible thing for them...

Tia said...

I can't help but think of "The Mutant Message Down Under" and the agreement that the aboriginese and the animals had about honoring each other - in death and in life.... Steve was a passionate lover of nature and he left this world a better place.

Carolyn said...

I, too, hated to hear of it. I loved his show and all he stood for! And that is odd that 2 people at the beach were stung too. Jellyfish stings are common, I've known several who got stung by them just wading out in the ocean. But I thought Stingrays were more in the deep water. Of course sharks come into the shallows too. You never know about the mysteries of the sea.

Anonymous said...

I heard one of the experts claim that only 17 people are known to have been killed by a stingray. Ever. How much more bizarre that stat seems to make the Croc Hunter's sad end.