Through the grapevine I’ve found out one of the good guys in Maryland blogging passed away today.
While he blogged out of Anne Arundel County, I met Mike Netherland at the Tawes event in Crisfield two years ago, after I found out he was a fan of my site. In this we were a mutual admiration society; Mike wasn’t the most prolific blogger at his own site but he was an outspoken commenter in other venues and in all respects was a great spokesman for the conservative cause.
Most times death is unexpected, and judging by his last post Mike was looking forward to a lot more blogging. It reminds us again that we need to approach life by living it – little did Mike know that his version of “middle age” was several years ago.
In the space Mike had for his “about me” profile, he wrote in part:
Approaching middle age with not-so-quiet desperation, I find solace in my writing. I love trying to get people to think for themselves, thus I have a small but hardy band of friends who seem to tolerate me.
Hopefully he’s in a place where he can find out that he had more friends than he thought and we did a lot more than tolerate him. Perhaps he didn’t have the most well-read site but he held his little corner of Maryland’s blogosphere well and we’re all poorer for his loss.
Rest in peace, Mike.
His “About Me” could have been written, with a couple of changes, by myself and probably a few “middle-aged” bloggers that I know. Rest in Peace.
I never “met” Mike but we spoke on occasion and bantered back and forth to the point where I consider him a friend. You have said it very well. His voice will be missed.
My thoughts and prayers now go out to his family as Mike is in a better place–no doubt with a very pointed opinion about all this fuss about him!
Rest in peace my friend-
John Frenaye
In his memory, I’ll click your site one extra time today, because he was dear to you (and Maryland) and he was an active reader (as are we all).
Sometimes Mike and I differed on the issues. Regardless, he always kept the conversation civil. Though I never met the guy in person, I felt as if we knew each other for years. He’ll remain a legend in the blogesphere.
He was a good man and will be missed.