Johan

Johan at Pennsic 34, August 2005

Master Johan von Traubenberg, aka John Kasper, died on October 24, 2005. He had been working at a construction site on October 11 when he fell about 25 feet to a gravel surface. As anyone who knew him would expect, the fall broke about 10-12 bones but did not kill him or even seem to cause life-threatening injuries. There was no damage to his spine, and only minimal bruising to a couple of internal organs, so a radiologist friend who looked at the x-rays and CT scans figured he'd make a full recovery As Johan said while recuperating in the hospital "It's all mechanical stuff. That will heal."

On Saturday, October 15 his blood oxygenation levels plummeted and they found some small blood clots in his lungs, but they inserted a filter into his vena cava (the vein that returns blood from the legs to the heart) and he improved. Less than a week later they were talking about discharging him to a nursing facility where he could heal for a while before beginning rehab.

On Monday, October 24 around 3:00 pm, I was in his hospital room, helping a physical therapist get him into a sitting position and rubbing his back with lotion, when he became dizzy and keeled back over onto the bed. A team of doctors rushed in and I was sent to the waiting area. About 20 minutes later his doctor came out and found me. Before he said a word, I knew by the expression on his face that my adoring husband, love of my life and best friend was gone.

A coroner's report later confirmed the physician's suspicion that, despite the filter inserted a week earlier, a massive blood clot came through Johan's lungs and blocked his pulmonary arteries, cutting off the supply of blood and oxygen to his heart.

Both Pittsburgh newspapers ran news obituaries on Johan. Both have minor inaccuracies, but they're not bad. Here are the links if you would like to read them:

	Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, October 27, 2005
	Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 28, 2005

Johan's funeral in Pittsburgh was held on Friday, October 28th. Click on the link to see the program that I created for the service. When I showed a draft copy to his mother, I was afraid she wouldn't like the photo because of the smart-aleck expression on his face. She looked at it for a moment and said "He sure looks ornery, doesn't he?" I said yeah, and she said "Well, that's alright." Everyone at the funeral who spoke to me said they liked it - they all said "That's him."

Funeral Program

At the funeral there were speakers from each area of Johan's life - the engineering community; Kentucky Avenue School, where our children are students and which he worked so hard to renovate for the past three summers, and the Society for Creative Anachronism. You can click on the links below to read some of these eulogies.

	Rasheed Tunde, Engineer II, Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority. John hired Tunde, who is originally from Nigeria, when he was heading up the PWSA Engineering Department.
	Eugene Mazza, P.E., Mazza Engineering. Gene worked with John on various projects for the PWSA and mentored him when he started his own business. Gene also read a message from Rulison Evans of the engineering firm Gannett-Fleming, who worked with John on design and construction of the Highland #1 Membrane Filtration plant.
	Bill Scattaregia, upper school teacher, Kentucky Avenue School. Bill worked side by side with us on renovations to the school, and taught our older son math last year.
	Judy Gruseck, kindergarten teacher, Kentucky Avenue School. Judy also helped with renovations. She had both of our children in her kindergarten class and currently teaches our older son piano.
	Steven Jensen, aka THL Leifr Hjalmsson. Leifr was Johan's protegé in the SCA. He and his lady, THL Hrefna in Heppna Thorgrimsdottir, live just down the block from us and are some of our closest friends. They stayed with me through the terrible days right after Johan died and I know they will always be there for me. Since May of 2005, when I changed jobs and my daily schedule became somewhat circumscribed, they have watched my kids for the first hour of every school day and dropped them at school for me, so I could get to the office early enough to get 8 hours of work in before leaving to pick the kids up from school at 4:30.
	Marion Kee, aka Mistress Marian Greenleaf. Marian lives in Seattle now but used to live in Pittsburgh / the Debatable Lands. She's been a friend to both of us for about 25 years. Marian also read a remembrance by Johan's college roommate, Andrew Kobayashi, aka Master Kobayashi Yutaka.

Recently I received a card that included this lovely poem written by Edmund LoPresti, aka Lord Edmundo da Monreale:

The builder, armed with hammer and with wood
Will build a house, a school and a clean well.
The builder, armed with judgment sound and good
Will build up a community as well.

But the builder is gone, no art can plumb
Where mountain turned a hill of leaves does fly.
The house seems empty and the school struck dumb,
The well reflects only the empty sky.

Yet all is firm, and though senses belied,
The builder with his work will yet abide.

Click here to see pictures of some engineering projects John worked on, as well as links to newspaper articles about some of them:

John/Johan's projects

Marysville, Ohio

John's family also held a funeral for him in his home town of Marysville, OH, where he is buried in the cemetery of St. John's Lutheran Church. Click here to see pictures of him with his family.

A high school friend, Scott Underwood, read Andrew Kobayashi's remembrance, and Scoutmaster John Eufinger reminisced about John's days as an Eagle Scout in Troop 101. John's cousin Dale Scheiderer played organ during the funeral, with trumpet accompaniment by Derrick and Darin Hurst, sons of friends Keith and Patty Hurst. Derrick and Darin played Taps at the burial while members of a local scout troop stood as honor guard. Pallbearers included high school friends Jeff Spencer and Danny Daum, nephew Christopher Lake, John Eufinger and Dale Scheiderer.

If you would like to honor Johan's memory, please send a donation to the school that he gave so much of his time and energy to: Kentucky Avenue School, 5701 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15232.

SCA Tributes

TH Lady Hrefna in hepna Thorgrimsdottir wrote an SCA obituary for Johan which was published in the November issue of the Althing, the baronial newsletter of the Barony-Marche of the Debatable Lands. You can read the text here. Lady Gianna di Aurelio was kind enough to do a wonderful likeness of Johan for that issue's cover, basing it on the photo of Johan in armor from the Polyhymnia page of this website.

In May, 2006, a group of friends in New England, including Master Ian Gunn, Lady Amethysta of Kensington, Duke Vissevald Selkirksson and Master Kobayashi Yutaka organized a silly tournament and wake in Johan's honor at the Panteria event in the Barony of Mountain Freehold (Vermont). You can see photos of the tourney here and here.

At Pennsic 35 Malcolm and Tessa, King and Queen of Æthelmearc graciously allowed me to hold a reception in memory of Johan in the Æthelmearc Royal Camp. About 100 people came, and many told stories about Johan or wrote in his memory book. A lot of friends helped out, providing food, drinks and a fire around which we could all sit and chat, most especially THL Odriana vander Brugghe, Lady Hilderun Hugelmann, Lady Anna Malakina, Lord Brandubh o Donnghaile, THL Ariadne Flaxenhair (aka Flaxy), THLady Ailis Linne and no doubt many others.

Also at that Pennsic, TRM Malcolm and Tessa posthumously inducted Johan into Æthelmearc's most honored order, the Jewel of Æthelmearc. It is given no more than once per reign, to recognize those outstanding individuals who exemplify skill, courtesy, chivalry and service. With our sons, and Johan's protegé, THL Leifr Hjalmsson, I accepted the award in Kingdom court. Later, TRM Christopher and Morgen graciously allowed us to keep the Jewel medallion through the fall so my children could look at it for a while. It hung from Johan's Pelican scroll in our living room, where visitors to our house could also see it. Click here to see photos from the court where the award was given.

And just because everyone keeps asking, the kids and I are doing ok. Johan had life insurance, and a vast horde of friends who have made sure that I have every kind of help I might need.

Except, of course, for his loving arms around me... and I know they would give me that, too, if only they could.