I remember first meeting Jeremy in a hotel room just outside of Philly the day of 4/29/00. over the course of that summer, Jeremy and I got to be friends. In the past 3+ years Jeremy has always been there for me. When my mother passed away last year he was definitely one of the strongest people I had to turn to. He was always a beacon of light even when things didnt look too promising.
Very often I would find myself talking to Jeremy when I needed the advice of an older brother. We'd share stories of good and bad and then try to figure out where we had gone right (or wrong). Living so far apart (me boston, him florida) we didnt get to hang out all that much, but we did keep up fairly often away from shows. But what really stands out are many many tour stories. West Coast fall 2000 stands out. so does southern run 2001. and I'll never forget the night that he was so fed up with my inability to navigate the Great Woods parking lot after one of the phish shows in fall 2000 that he made me get out of the drivers seat (of my own car) and he then got us out of there in less than 5 minutes. I was very happy for Jeremy in the past year. After some problems in the business world, he had decided to change his life around. he stopped doing things that were harmful to his body in almost all ways. he was taking classes on nutrition and how to be a physical trainer. he was SO happy about his baby girl, Skylar. And he was getting very excited about his wedding to Keara that was to take place this coming February. I was excited to go to florida to be at the wedding...and i hate weddings. Through all of the situations that I'd been in with Jeremy, from Vegas to Atlanta, there were occasionally squabbles with other people about stupid stuff. And like wendi mentioned, that stuff was just the ephermeral. that was just the surface. when you truly got to know Jeremy Wainland, you knew that he was a kind, warm, and caring individual that was bubbling with life and really did care deeply about his friends and loved ones. I send my condolences to his family, both new and old. He will be missed.
love always,
Jon Goldberg