monday's mulling: farewell to a blog friend

Last Wednesday morning, coffee in hand, I was doing my usual round of blog reading when I clicked on Oddball Observations, written by Bruce Taylor, also known as Catalyst. A new post greeted readers: All Good Things Must Come to An End.

Bruce hadn’t posted for a while. He’d been dealing with health issues, including a stroke in early February, and writing had become physically difficult. I assumed this would be his final message, his own sign-off from the blog he had started in February 2006.

It wasn’t.

The post was written by his granddaughters, sharing the news that Bruce had passed away on March 24.

Bruce and I never met face-to-face, but through blogging, we formed a connection. I had commented on his blog a couple times and then his first comment on my blog appeared on November 8, 2024. The post was about some herby ricotta cheese biscuits that I had made, and he wrote, “Those are gorgeous!” I replied, “Thank you. You make some tasty creations, too.” That small exchange was the beginning of his nearly daily presence in the comments on my posts.

From reading Oddball Observations, I learned that Bruce grew up in North Dakota and lived in many places throughout his career in broadcast journalism. He covered political conventions, interviewed John Wayne, and reported on the Red River floods and other natural disasters. He and his wife, Judy, spent four years in Mexico before settling in Prescott Valley, Arizona.

Whenever I posted about Ohio weather, especially in winter, I could count on a familiar suggestion from Catalyst: “You should think about moving to Arizona!”

Bruce also loved cooking, particularly baking. His blog was filled with photos of quick breads, brownies, and other treats. I suspect he had a bit of a sweet tooth.

He often referred to his wife Judy as SWMBO—She Who Must Be Obeyed. She was an artist who painted a beautiful outdoor scene on the wooden fence in their backyard. Together, they built a life that included watching Arizona sunsets with cocktails on the patio. They were married for 55 years.

Judy passed away unexpectedly on January 4 of this year. In the weeks that followed, Bruce wasn’t sure he would continue his Friday Funnies. As he wrote, “There are, after all, plenty of blogs with plenty of humor. But in spite of personal loss, in spite of what’s going on in the world, in spite of everything… there’s always time to step back and smile a little.”

Not long after, the Friday Funnies returned.

Now there’s an empty space in the blog world. Through shared stories, comments, and daily posts, we come to know people across the miles. It’s a quiet kind of friendship, but a real one all the same. And it leaves a real absence when someone is gone.

Bruce will be missed.