Requiem in Pace, Jenn See

It is with profound sadness that I found, and post for you who knew Jenn, her obituary. I have changed the names for her only because she always had.

(See), JENNIFER M. 26 - of Ventnor, died of an aneurysm at her home in Staten Island, NY. She attended Purdue University and Rutgers College and was a graduate of Atlantic City High School. Jennifer was an accomplished photographer and published poet. She was our bright, shining star whose light will never go out. She was passionate about everything and saw beauty everywhere; her camera was an extension of her heart. While Jennifer possessed a physical beauty, it was her inner glow that brought happiness into the hearts of everyone she touched. She was filled with a love of life and greeted everyday with zest. Jennifer's friends and family are comforted in knowing that she left this world at the happiest time of her life.

She is survived by her parents, Cynthia and Robert Walker; brother Jonathan (See) of Ventnor; and her maternal grandmother, "Grandmere" Edwige Folmer of Lawrenceville. She is predeceased by her father, Charles (See). She leaves behind her companion, soul mate and love of her life, (oldben) of Staten Island, NY. She will be missed by her uncles and aunts, Thomas (See) (Jill), Dennis (See) (Donna), Patricia (See) Lax, Raymond Reganato (Nina), Jeffrey Folmer (Eileen) and Bernadette Bannister (Pat); her cousins, Julie (See), Douglas (See), Carly (See), Kelly (See), Denny (See), Jill Ann Reganato, Christopher S. Lax, Maura Folmer, and Shannon Folmer. She also leaves behind many loving friends, especially her "sister" Kylin.

Friends and family are invited to join a celebration of Jennifer's life on Tuesday, June 27, 2006 at 1:00 p.m. at The George H. Wimberg Funeral Home, 1707 New Road, Linwood, where friends may call from 11:00 a.m. to time of service.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the "Jan-Ai Scholarship Fund", established to memorialize Jennifer's life through her writings and photographs. It will benefit struggling creative writers and photographers so that her spirit and dreams will live on in others. Donations for this fund can be sent to Robert Walker, PO Box 8068, Atlantic City, NJ 08404. http://www.ghwimbergfh@aol.com/.

Her real obituary.

Her guest book.

Godspeed, my little friend.

Four days ago I posted an image for Jenn See based upon a comment she had made about an earlier post. She never commented on it which wasn't like her.

According to this post Jenn unexpectedly passed away. She will be terribly missed.

From her Blogger Profile:

jenn see
Age: 26
Gender: female
Astrological Sign: Aries
Zodiac Year: Monkey
Location: Staten Island : New York : United States

About Me

i like to wander off. i do a good deal of hanging on to a ny area band, Happy Anarchy. i grew up in a shore town so i get my ocean fix as often as possible. i discover new & fascinating things on my own street, or towns i've lived in for years, & i can travel many time zones & still recognize something. i like happiness. i'm probably taking a photo of you RIGHT NOW. look, there i am.

If you could peer far enough into the night sky, you'd see a star in any direction you looked. When would you sleep?

between black holes.

Sleep well, Jenn See.

On jenn see, dboo, and why you do what you do: The Living Photograph

Longtime Gentle Viewers may (or you will) remember a young photoblogger from Staten Island who called herself jenn see. She had a couple of project blogs Tourist of Everything and I Am Following My Fish, that she created with friends Mysfit and OldBen. She was also part of the WebPix project.

She passed away two years ago this month and I found recently that her blogs are still there, all of them, every last photo she posted. Except for the last posts which explains why there won't be anymore, they look like any other photoblog. A living testament to Jenn and her friends created by her. There can be no more fitting memorial to her than those. Go look.

The need to express ourselves, to create, to leave a mark that says 'I was here' is a primative drive. From the paleolithic cave paintings at Lascaux to dageurrotypes to digital imaging people have been saying "THIS is my world and THIS is how I experienced it and THIS is my record." Though maybe in not so many words.

But these living photographs, these records, this ability to share them is incredible. If Jenn took boxes of photos, they'd be tidied up and distributed to family members who might frame some, or box up the rest, but there they'd sit, not speaking for her.

Which brings me to dboo. dboo is the flickr name for a guy named Steve (the archivist) who is scanning and posting THOUSANDS images from his father in law, Nick DeWolf. Steve is turning these thousands of images, once more into the living photograph. He tells it much better than I can but that's the gist.

I'm thinking about this because I've recently lost some images and can only recall one other time that had happend and both times pain me so much that...well that I'm thinking about them and posting at 2am.

The Jan-Ai Scholarship Fund

A website has been started for the scholarship fund established in memory of Jennifer Cakert who most of us knew as Jenn See. You can make PayPal Donations there and see her photos and artwork.

This from her friend Kylin (Mysfit): it's finally complete! today marks the birth of the jan-ai scholarship website. thank you to all those who put such hard work into the site - it's lovely. from this day forth please go to www.jan-aischolar.org for further information. if you feel you can, please donate to help jennsee's legacy continue to aid and inspire young artists of all ages.

farewell,

mysfit

Jenn's photoblogs remain up here and here.

Blog posts from here about Jenn.

This is you.

jenn see left a comment on my series about leaving a mark that says "I was here" and that got me thinking about why I take photos.

Why do you take pictures? A multiple choice quiz.

*PLEASE no cheating.*

Fill in the blank. I take pictures __________________.

A) for eventual fame and riches.

B) in the hopes that in some vague unidentifiable way it will get me 'laid'.

C) to shove down the throats of snooty photographers everywhere that even a monkey like me can do it. (No offense monkey 0)

D) because I have a camera and don't know what else to do with it.

E) to desperately document the moments flying by in this uncertain life as we speed toward our graves.

F) because I can't remember anything and pictures remind me. (Oh yeah! There was a summer 2004! There the fool is!)

G) to have an excuse to nose around where I don't belong.

H) because taking 'art' photos gives me an excuse to have my camera always present for the 't and a' photos.

I) to make 'art' even though I can't draw a circle.

J) to fill my screen saver with something besides images of unicorns flying over waterfalls.

K) because no one else will take pictures of the things I want to see so I'll do it myself. (Bastards)

L) because I am a compliment driven sonuvabitch and I'm sure not going to get it for my looks.

M) so that when Hurricane Sonufabitch comes through my town, I alone will have all the images needed to rebuild.

N) they make cheaper gifts than I get so I WIN!

O) All of the above.

P) Other, please specify:

For Jenn See, So She'll Say It Again

But myself, I think it looks like a really, REALLY tall Jiffy Pop pan that's done.

a seemingly down and out Wire Man kicking at aughra and jenn see.

Requiem in Pace, Jason

In Memory of Jason Brengolini

There is, among my carny friends, a sense of family that you rarely see among such a large group of coworkers. Fictive kin are common and the loss of one reverberates as much as the loss of an immediate family member or, as often can be the case, moreso. It is a family of which I am terribly proud to be the tiniest part of.

My friend Carol contacted me and asked if I had any photos of Jason. I had seen chatter on facebook about his passing but didn't recognize his name until she told me. I looked and found that as often as I saw him (and he gently told me "I may not want to stand" where tons of steel was quickly moving into place) I didn't have THAT many photos because he was ALWAYS working his ass off. No greater tribute can a real carny have.

Jason Brengolini passed away this week of heart failure. He was 33 and leaves behind his wife, Jenn, and sons Jason (age 6) , James (age 2) and Jacob (age 1)

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