Carl J Landness

I am truly sad to learn that Carl died. Carl contacted me after he returned to Madison and we met and talked about our lives and his depression. I regret I didn't nurture our relationship after that meeting. My fondest memories are our love for instrumental music and rhe basketball games in the driveway and the gallons of root beer we drank during and after. Rest in Peace my friend.

Carl and I had a great time in High School. When he came back to Madison and he was just coming out of one of his depressive spells, we went on bike rides and he shared with me some of his life and struggles out in the Northwest. Carl was a noble free-spirit, and he always did life his own way. We will always remember you, Carl, and I hope your afterlife is free of the demons that periodically caused you unhappiness in this World. We will try to carry on your message of kindness and understanding.

I met Carl when he moved back to Madison. He was involved somewhat with the City Repair Project in its iteration in Madison. I also spent some time with him in the Peoples' Temple toning for love and healing on the upper floors.

Carl was a great friend of mine. My daughter, Kristi, and I knew him primarily through free form dance events. Whenever we met at these venues, we would inevitably end up dancing together. Carl liked to mirror our movements, which was really fun. Carl and I were both big hams, sharing a goofy sense of humor, and our dramatic, campy dances would end with us collapsing into helpless giggles of delight. Carl often thanked Kristi and I for these dances. He would say that they brought him out of a dark mood, or gave him some energy after an exhausting day spent trying to bring minds and hearts together at civic events. I always admired his activism, which he was committed to despite how hard it was for him to endure these events emotionally. Carl also was generous in personal ways. When he learned that Kristi and I loved to sing, he invited us to audition for an improvisational singing group that he thought we would enjoy. Even though auditions were closed, he pulled a few strings, and we were able to audition and join this group, giving us yet another opportunity to improvise and play with Carl. I have fibromyalgia, and had a particularly bad bought of pain a few years ago. I was at the Willy Street Co-op, and having a hard time completing my shopping task due to extreme levels of pain. I slumped down in a chair at one of the few tables in the dining area of the store, head in my hands, trying to will myself to complete my shopping errand. I looked up, and saw Carl at a table next to mine. He joined me at my table to chat. I started to blubber, telling Carl my dilemma. Carl held my hand, and told me stories about his successes, as well as his own struggles over the years with physical and emotional pain. Then, suddenly, he said, "Look, I have to leave in about 10 minutes, but I want you to do this; take your cart and fill it with whatever you want, and meet me at the cash register in ten minutes. Please let me pay". That act of kindness helped me power my way through the pain to do what I needed to do, I was so touched. Thank you for this opportunity to tell my story about my dear friend. He will be missed. May he Rest In Peace,.

A couple of days ago Carl's dad came to visit me in a dream. We discussed the basketball games in the driveway and one event . He paced off from the front of the garage under the hoop. Then, with both hands on the ball and his back to the hoop took an overhead shot that swished the basket. The definition of a memorable experience for me - that was more than 50 years ago. Carl's dad was blind. That dream led me to check up on Carl to see what he was up to when I came across his obituary. If I remember correctly, Carl and I met at a Boy Scout winter Klondike event and immediately hit it off. We were around 12 then. Later we both played in the band in junior and senior high school at Madison East. We were both also on the swim team where Carl's breast stroke was quite impressive. In our senior year, I remember riding along one night as Carl drove around Capital Square. Carl shouted with great abandon at the girls he saw, creating much hilarity. Carl was also the school photographer and shot most of the photos in at least a couple yearbooks. Carl talked me into auditioning for the UW Marching Band. I was accepted, to my surprise. I participated together for three years,while Carl continued for a fourth year. We were also in the pep band. We played at many football, basketball and hockey games over those years. Carl was fond of leading raucous cheers at hockey games. The pep band got in minor trouble over a couple of those cheers. I guess "blood makes the ice nice" wasn't appropriate. We both avoided the Viet Nam war. We had student deferments and high enough draft numbers. Since college I crossed paths with Carl a few times. I was working on a master's degree in 1983 at Oregon State, in Corvallis, where Carl was at the time. One evening I was swimming laps in the college pool when one of my awkward turns led to a gash in my heel. Carl came to my rescue and got me to a doctor that sewed me up. During that time, Carl and Fran took me on a canoe trip and I bicycled with him, at least once, that I recall. I was almost able to keep up with him. Later, It must have been around 1990, my fiance and I were in Los Angeles visiting her mother. We met up with Carl and spent a night at the Rubel Castle. An odd, fascinating, and, of course, memorable experience. A few years later, Carl visited us in Klamath Falls, Oregon. I remember talking about his ink jet printer work at Hewlett Packard. He had some great ideas for printer improvements. He bemoaned having no lab or other way to bring them to fruition. Carl may have been able to get a professorship and lab at Oregon Institute of Technology. As far as I know, he didn't follow up on that notion. I wasn't privy to Carl's major depressive issues - most of that occured after I last saw him. Like others that knew him, Carl was an undforgettable light in my life . Rest in peace Carl . Feel free to visit me in a dream.