LordDirk
08-06-2009, 03:48 AM
A good friend and mentor of mine died this Monday of a heart attack. Jeff Woods was an amazing individual. It's hard for me to wrap my head around just how hard a worker he was.
I first met Jeff while attending a community college in Michigan. He was sitting in the back corner, bar code tattoo for a can of spam on his shoulder, brandishing a red bull in one hand and a mouse in the other. I was considering entering in on an animation challenge, "the Cartoon Challenge" but I wasn't quite old enough to enter. Jeff helped me realize that goals are worth fighting for, even if you have to break a few rules.
I lied about my age, and entered. We didn't win, but the experience changed the way I looked on life, and what was worth fighting for.
For six years Jeff was my respective dojo master in the art of animation, gaming, and awesomeness. Watching 'Squidbillies' on a projector as we spent 13 hour days working endlessly on game projects and discussing the various signs of what made something truly hardcore. With Jeff I entered in my first animation competition, and worked on my first game project. Though hard on the outside, and quite a sight at first glance, he was one of the most generous people I ever knew.
Jeff lived a hard life. After going through a terrible divorce and selling his body for pharmaceutical experiments for cash. He never lost sight of his dream though, and I was happy to at least see him leave on a high note. He had prospects for a gaming company, Legion 6, and had just acquired his own studio. Just this past weekend I caught a blog about how good life was when you didn't have to work a day job.
http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/11/l_1996c79ff3af45d64d4dcd754b5ed537.jpg
His death came as a shock to me, I'm still not sure how I am reacting to it. No one here probably knows of Jeff. I feel sorry for anyone who hasn't met him, he was one of the best artists I knew.
I wasn't able to make the memorial service, but I hope that at least on these few forums and blogs, I can let other animators know that a great artist and good person has left us, and is worth remembering.
Best eulogy I can muster. RIP Jeff Woods 1978-2009
I first met Jeff while attending a community college in Michigan. He was sitting in the back corner, bar code tattoo for a can of spam on his shoulder, brandishing a red bull in one hand and a mouse in the other. I was considering entering in on an animation challenge, "the Cartoon Challenge" but I wasn't quite old enough to enter. Jeff helped me realize that goals are worth fighting for, even if you have to break a few rules.
I lied about my age, and entered. We didn't win, but the experience changed the way I looked on life, and what was worth fighting for.
For six years Jeff was my respective dojo master in the art of animation, gaming, and awesomeness. Watching 'Squidbillies' on a projector as we spent 13 hour days working endlessly on game projects and discussing the various signs of what made something truly hardcore. With Jeff I entered in my first animation competition, and worked on my first game project. Though hard on the outside, and quite a sight at first glance, he was one of the most generous people I ever knew.
Jeff lived a hard life. After going through a terrible divorce and selling his body for pharmaceutical experiments for cash. He never lost sight of his dream though, and I was happy to at least see him leave on a high note. He had prospects for a gaming company, Legion 6, and had just acquired his own studio. Just this past weekend I caught a blog about how good life was when you didn't have to work a day job.
http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/11/l_1996c79ff3af45d64d4dcd754b5ed537.jpg
His death came as a shock to me, I'm still not sure how I am reacting to it. No one here probably knows of Jeff. I feel sorry for anyone who hasn't met him, he was one of the best artists I knew.
I wasn't able to make the memorial service, but I hope that at least on these few forums and blogs, I can let other animators know that a great artist and good person has left us, and is worth remembering.
Best eulogy I can muster. RIP Jeff Woods 1978-2009