“I can’t believe he’s gone.” –Luke Skywalker
When we think of people who impact the lives of others, we often look to celebrities, movie stars, pop singers, or politicians. It’s all too rare that we find ourselves realizing that one person of such great importance can be a friend we never met.
Darryl Roberts was killed in a car accident in Utah. He leaves behind three daughters, one girlfriend, and over 50,000 Star Wars Geeks.
When I first met Darryl, it was when his brainchild was in its infancy. The “Star Wars Geeks of the World, Unite!” group was barely at a few hundred members. He founded it because he was sick of the turmoil and in-fighting between the fanbase. Darryl recognized the need for a “safe haven” for all of us Star Wars Geeks to escape the bitterness.
From that one group (which has now nearly reached 20,000 members), he branched out to create over a dozen additional groups and pages, a podcast, and a website (under construction when he died) all dedicated to the single greatest franchise in cinematic history. Darryl called it a “Family” rather than just a network because he believed in the fanbase to come together for each other based on the love we share for Star Wars.
The world in which we live grew a little darker a few days ago. The news that he was killed didn’t send ripples through the fanbase, it sent shockwaves through people’s hearts and minds. He never met George Lucas, he never shook Mark Hamill’s hand, and he didn’t collect rare or vintage collectibles. But what he did do was create something truly special that impacted the lives of tens of thousands of people.
Darryl was indeed taken from us all too soon. A man of such vision and dedication is rare today, no matter where you look. He was a rock, never wavering in his love not just for Star Wars, but for everyone he came into contact with. Over 50,000 people are proud to call themselves “Star Wars Geeks”; they wear it as a badge of honor bestowed upon them by a patriot of galactic magnitude.
I am proud to call him my friend, I am humbled to be a part of something so magnificent that he worked so hard for, and I know he would be honored to see how many lives he touched. We owe him a debt of gratitude we can never repay.
Buckets off for Darryl Roberts.
- Listen to Channel 1138 this Monday, August 4th, for a special memorial episode of the Get Your Geek On Podast.
- A voice mail farewell can be left at 1-410-989-1138.
- Donations made in his name can be sent, via PayPal to darryl.roberts.memorial.2014@gmail.com.
- Services to be held in a private, family setting.
Follow The Star Wars Underworld on Twitter @TheSWU for more updates about this story and other breaking Star Wars news.
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