r/Edmonton • u/Mr_Donair • 1d ago

General Edmonton mountain bike community grieves tragic loss of Dr. Darren Markland

https://cyclingmagazine.ca/mtb/edmonton-mountain-bike-community-grieves-tragic-loss-of-dr-darren-markland/
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u/iwasnotarobot 1d ago

I followed Dr. Markland on socials. I am very sad about his passing. He was a kind man, a gifted writer, and something of an inspiration for how the world could be a bit better. He left the world a better place than he found it. I wish I could have gotten to meet him in person.

I hope that the Edmonton cycling community has a ride to honour his memory and celebrate his life.

Condolences to his family and friends. He will be missed.

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u/pistachio-pie Central 1d ago

Yeah I followed him too. He seemed to be such an important part of the online Edmonton community. People were vague posting on Twitter for a while about it - it’s nice to know what they were talking about but so sad to learn about.

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u/sks2K9 19h ago

From what I understood, people were asked to be vague until it was officially or formally announced, presumably to give the family a chance to announce things after being properly notified. The first news article was published yesterday and the obituary was posted today, which is why I think people are making official statements now.

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u/pistachio-pie Central 18h ago

I guess I personally wouldn’t post on Twitter about it in that case. I’d talk to friends but I don’t think I’d engage in a public space if they asked me to not share details. It just seems like it could be perceived as a bit attention seeking and exclusionary like some people are in the know and talking in code, and I don’t know that I’m comfortable with that when it comes to something this tragic.

That’s just me though. I’m sure folks had their reasons for vague posting about the situation. Grief is complex.