Memorial Page
Kev O'Neill
1953 - 2022
Kev O'Neill was a incredibly private man, gregarious and merry in company, but he held a great deal close to his chest - his cutting wit disguised that in many ways. In the spirit of that privacy I can't possibly share the best of him publicly that he chose to share with us. Let me simply say that I loved him deeply. We all did and treasured his friendship. Just like everyone does, we thought that we would have more time. We will miss him beyond words.
Obituary
Joanne 'Jo' Heeley
2nd Nov. 1972 - 11th Jan. 2012
Dear Rockbitch followers,
Our coven has suffered a tragedy.
Drummer Jo, our fellow craft warrior and wickedly witty partner in crime, has died.
She was suffering from inflammatory breast cancer and Jo did not want anyone to know about it.
We all thought there would be more time.
However, just before Christmas she suddenly deteriorated.
We had to bring her presents to the hospital on Christmas Day.
Since then, the prognosis changed from two years, to two weeks to "a few days" very rapidly.
On Tuesday evening January the 10th, we received the "Get to the hospital, quick, she's going now" phone call.
Jo died at 01:50 am on Wednesday morning with us around her.
She was Erin's wife, one of the most talented female drummers of her time, Finn's best friend and our beloved pagan heart-sister for nearly twenty years.
Erin loved Jo more than anything in the world. She was her soul mate and she was so honored to be Jo's wife. She is equally as honored to have been a part of her achievements as a musician!
We will always miss her.
It is with great sadness that Rockbitch has to announce the loss of one of our dear friends & fan, who has been there from the beginning.
Charlie Moodie loved science, rational thought, cutting humour, good music and riding his motorbike. He was largely agnostic, but if any system of belief moved him, it was a resonance with the beating of pagan hearts. He was fascinated with his Nordic bloodline; his trip to the Orkney Islands off the Scottish North coast to experience the 'Up Helly Aa' festival was a deeply moving and significant event for him.
Charlie was always Charliebear to us. We knew him for over twenty years. We were shocked to hear of his death. We knew that a combination of things in recent years had hit him hard, amongst others; the passing of his beloved mother...the end of his work...some long running, awful investment problems...and the betrayal of some people he thought were his friends - had all combined to hit him hard. However, his continuing blithe and genial demeanour gave no hint of just how hard.
We last saw him in July when he stayed with us and attended an event we had organised. He seemed to be his usual self... polite, helpful, chatty, anecdotal, turning a joke here and there as usual. He was a private man who had shared many joyful and personal things with us over the years. We are all so very sorry that he was unable to share this pain in a manner that would have negated his eventual choice of suicide.
However, we respect his choice and honour his passing. Charlie was a sane, pragmatic, rational adult. He chose his exit, which although horrifying, was in all likelihood to him a taking back the reins of life by controlling the manner in which he exited it. I deeply and sincerely hope that in his final moments his mind was not full of pain and angst, but rather a glorious, battle cry of the heart as he leapt into the unknown - just like his Viking Ancestors of the past who threw themselves into the unknown and with whom he felt such resonance... So, when we heard, we honoured him in one small way but as his ancestors would have, and I think he would have liked... We raised our glasses, and our voices and drank to him.
To Charliebear.