Herbaugh, Richard Brian

dear richard, i didn't know you but i think about you so often. you have one of the most heartbreaking obituaries i have ever read, and i only hope that if there is a heaven, that you are there. PEACE.

Rest in peace. Such a sad story I hope where ever you are you feel love.

Wow. Wow. If only.. if only someone had reached out to him in kindness to be a friend. Let's do more to reach out to the loners.. why shouldn't we? Rest in Peace Richard.

Richard, thinking of you on today of all days. No one deserved the sentence AIDS brought upon them. Don't worry, we are working on eradicating this disease as you wanted. Sending love. You are not alone.

Rick, I have been looking for you for years. I just now started looking here thru these pages. I am so sorry! I really liked you, just as you were. I will miss you dear friend.

I never knew you. You died before I was even born, but I have heard many sad stories in my life but your stands out to me each time I read it. I hope you found the peace and companionship which you were unable to find in this life, but most of all I hope you found someone who love you.

What a tragic story and I hope those who knew you think back on you and talk of you. You poor guy. I was asleep in my bed only blocks away when you made your awful decision.

I did not know you, Richard, but I have known the loneliness and isolation that you felt all of your too brief life. Your story touches me deeply; my heart breaks for you, now almost 34 years since you took your life. Wherever your consciousness is in space and time, know you are loved in memory.

I get so angry when I think of how HIV and gay liberation movement seemed to secretly gang up on all you guys in SF. So many ofriends you went to SF after being disowned by family. So you all arrive and HIV had already found you and none of you were the wiser of it. How could you be? You went to SF to feel love,acceptance, hope, a life. I printed your obituary because it somehow shows me how evil humanity can be to us who are what mainstream considers queen. You were special and worthy of love. Please know that Richard.

After my last visit here, the story of Richard Herbaugh haunted me so much so that I have begun writing a novel, A Verdant Chaos based on what little this obituary tells, and so much it implies. As police records were unavailable and Richard's best (and only) friend did not respond, I have fictionalized the narrative. In doing so, I discovered so many similarities between Herbaugh and my younger self, I realized it could have been me hanging from that scrub oak in Golden Gate Park. That level of empathy has informed the narrative, making it all the more personal/universal. Richard, wherever you may be in essence, know your story is going to be told.

A tragic and tortured end for a young man who held so much promise. I happened upon this obituary and felt compelled to write a note to commemorate this man's life.