Hey Donald,
I wanted to welcome you to the forums. I regret that you've found your way to our community on such sad terms, but I for one am glad to have you here.
I consider John to be one of my closest friends here, but it extends (for me at least) far beyond just the digital realm. He was one hell of a dude, and was a friend and confident to me beyond many people I know in my day-to-day life. I miss him terribly, but I feel incredibly lucky to have met a person such as John. In many ways in times past here on the forums, he was a big-brother character for me. He was deep, he was loving, he was insightful, and I will always remember him for being funny as hell!
-mf